Todd Schliemann FAIA
The architect must be a student of culture, a youth at heart, an old sage in technique, a prophet in spirit and a person. Humanism lies deep within us all.
Architecture is a statement of culture. It speaks of who we have been, who we are and who we want to be. An architect must be a witness to culture. At the root of culture is our collective human existence. It resides in a need to aspire – to tell our personal and collective stories. It is natural. Through each decision, each moment of the making, each brick, the architect builds our culture. Buildings stand for a long time. Yes, they can change us, they can inspire culture though change, but in the end they remain a testament to a moment in time – a moment of cultural history. It is the architect’s mission to read the tea leaves of our culture – to anticipate us, to lead us, to follow us, to inspire us, and to make our culture visible in architecture – beyond generations. That is his job. To do that the architect must be a student of culture, a youth at heart, an old sage in technique, a prophet in spirit, and a person. Humanism lies deep within us all.
