Why are all architects twats?

[JustFromExperience]

Just that really.

GENERALLY They seem to be jumped up, know it all, entitled, twats. The worst person to have to deal with on site. Separated from reality. The person that no one on site wants to deal with or respects.

Does anyone have any thoughts?

(I have a lot of experience of working with architects)

Astonishing, op thanking people for being bilious engaging with stereotypes about a profession
Simply because op found dullards who agree with her doesn’t in itself vindicate the thread
Lazy stereotypes and anecdotes do not in themselves add anything and. It’s simply an ill tempered out pouring .These types of threads pillory certain groups and add nothing. Usually it’s teachers, GP on this occasion it’s architects
By all means post a coherent post about architects professional shortcomings or a poor outcome you’ve experienced but an intemperate rant is still simply intemperate

My dad was a QS, then a Project Manager, then had regional oversight of projects. 89 out of 100 it was the architect he'd happily swing from a crane.

We had a brilliant architect recently for our garage conversion. The builder was an arsehole for the ages but the architect was great.

@HeelsHandbagPerfumeCoffee

Astonishing, op thanking people for being bilious engaging with stereotypes about a profession Simply because op found dullards who agree with her doesn’t in itself vindicate the thread Lazy stereotypes and anecdotes do not in themselves add anything and. It’s simply an ill tempered out pouring .These types of threads pillory certain groups and add nothing. Usually it’s teachers, GP on this occasion it’s architects By all means post a coherent post about architects professional shortcomings or a poor outcome you’ve experienced but an intemperate rant is still simply intemperate

Well said. Bilious is the word.

These types of threads pillory certain groups and add nothing. Usually it’s teachers, GP on this occasion it’s architects

Yes, anyone who has studied and worked hard and is remotely perceived to be in a position of 'power/influence'

Maybe we should ban all architects and go back to living in huts

We deal with a lot of architects for our business. Like everything some are very good and some are horrendous. AND don't even get me started on Local government planning officers ...they are the another species altogether.

Ouch.

I do think I'm not a twat. (I'm not white, not male, not privileged so maybe that helps).

I'm not from the UK so I did a course that included (gasp) maths, engineering and physics. I do shake my head sometimes at colleagues who treat architecture like graphic design. There are so many fantastic materials out there, and even simple staples like wood and brick can be magical when you work with their physical properties, not against them.

Maybe the twatty ones think that if their self-belief is big enough they can will the laws of physics to change

I do think some self-confidence is par for the course as taste is subjective and you have to sell an idea for something that doesn't even exist yet. I sometimes design things for our home and have to sell them to my OH who is not an architect (a muggle ). I tend to explain and show though, rather than shout or demand.

Unfortunately, there are some real twats in the profession, I tend to give them a wide berth where possible and stick to those who are lovely, knowledgeable and collaborative.

@peak2021

I have never forgiven the architectural profession for 1960s brutalist style (if you can call it that).

Never dealt with any professionally though.

I agree. Especially when decent old buildings were pulled down to make way for them.

Ours were very pleasant people and their design was great. However they were paid a huge amount and agreed to a lot of things during the build. and then when problems emerge, no matter what, it’s never, ever their fault. Even though you have paid them handsomely for site visits to check on the work etc. If there was a mistake and they missed it (or several), it’s still all the builder’s fault. If an aspect the design has bad consequences then it’s nobody’s fault and you are stuck with it!
If I had my time again I would use a design and build firm all under one roof.

My husband is an architect, not a twat in the slightest. Of course I am biased and this is based on my own experience. My husband often complains about people on site and those working on projects in other job roles so I think its a case of everyone thinks they're the good guy and the other people are the arseholes.

Oh god, I’m nervous now.

If anyone knows or works for a non-twatty architect in south west London / Surrey can you please PM me?! Need recommendations!

I think architects who work on people’s extensions and those that work on huge construction projects are a very very different breed. But OP I’m in construction and I agree they aren’t fun to get hold of!
Although in construction everyone generally hates everyone else regardless of whatever BIM/NEC/collaboration strategy is being used. Even the same discipline hates the other sides same discipline... sub contractors QS hates the contractors QS who will hate the clients QS...

I lurve our architect. And while he is technically great, up for a challenge and creative, those aren't the main reasons.

He is white, male and nearing retirement but his people skills are the amazing thing. He is great at managing the egos (including DH and the builder!). He has been with us for 5 years (just finished) and been there through all sorts of ups and downs.

We did interview one of the types you described. I refused to work with him although DH would have used him. I think creatively he would have been similar but the process would have been so much more painful.

Round here you need to be able to dial down the ego if you want to get the domestic work. The women organise the work/interview architects while husband's are commutting and earning the cash. They aren't interested in dealing with male egos generally.

Agree, they are generally a cold bunch

I lived in a house share with a trainee architect who completely loved himself. He once ever so kindly offered he'd be "willing to do a friends with benefits situation" FOR me as though it was this most gracious gift. Needless to say I turned him down which he seemed quite baffled by.

I hope he's gone into corporate design rather than interfering with people's houses, as he used to wax lyrical about how an architect's responsibility was to educate the masses about the transformative nature of beauty and elevate them above the mundane. Pretentious arse.

@ShirleyPhallus

Oh god, I’m nervous now.

If anyone knows or works for a non-twatty architect in south west London / Surrey can you please PM me?! Need recommendations!

I'll PM you @ShirleyPhallus

@HeelsHandbagPerfumeCoffee

Astonishing, op thanking people for being bilious engaging with stereotypes about a profession Simply because op found dullards who agree with her doesn’t in itself vindicate the thread Lazy stereotypes and anecdotes do not in themselves add anything and. It’s simply an ill tempered out pouring .These types of threads pillory certain groups and add nothing. Usually it’s teachers, GP on this occasion it’s architects By all means post a coherent post about architects professional shortcomings or a poor outcome you’ve experienced but an intemperate rant is still simply intemperate

Oh, yes. And calling people dullards isn’t a bit divisive. 🙄

I worked for a time in an organisation who had a much-trumpeted move to spiffy architect/designer modernised offices. There was an article about them in a trade magazine and the offices were featured in the London Open Building thing one year.

It turned out to be extraordinarily impractical. In a business that was heavily dependent on paperwork, they didn't want any nasty messy filing cabinets and therefore provided for filing rooms at each end of a long open-plan office: people were never going to spend their lives walking up to the filing rooms to pick out and replace the files they needed, so they ended up with teetering piles of files on and around their desks. Eventually the managers had to give in and spend a lot of money on extra shelving to keep files reasonably accessible, but it didn't entirely solve the problem.

They had great big glass windows that were supposed to have some massively expensive shading in that would stop glare. It didn't, with the result that people sitting at desks with their backs to the window just couldn't see their computer screens when the sun was low. So management had to put in blinds that were massively expensive because the windows weren't standard sizes.

The open plan didn't work because there wasn't really enough room to pass behind the desks by the windows, so people sitting at those desks had to move all the time to let others get by to get to and from their desks. It was very noisy for work that often required a lot of concentration; people phoning to talk about quite sensitive subjects weren't too impressed when they could hear all the office hubbub and sometimes people chatting and laughing. The reception area looked like a flight departure waiting room.

You might think the architects /designers would be a bit ashamed that they hadn't produced a usable office, but no, they got terribly cross about all the changes that had to be made which they felt spoilt their lovely design. Really they were very lucky not to get sued for all the extra expensive work they caused.

@Macncheeseballs

Agree, they are generally a cold bunch

Wow.

Ex HSE Inspector, used to work on construction sites. I had many a run in with architects, especially after an incident where their design was a causal element of the building collapse / injury of a site worker etc.

It's shocking to me that architects receive such little input on how the construction of their designs takes place, and even less is done on the safety of the construction of their designs.

There was a BIG change in the regulations in 2015, and a huge number of architectural firms promptly shit themselves that there might be consequences to their actions or inactions and tried to write on designs that they took no responsibility for the construction of them. Big fat fail. It doesn't work that way.

Other architects failed to take any notice of the change in the law, and that has resulted in huge issues across the industry.

Architecture education is sorely lacking in key areas and it undermines them when they go out to the real world.

And yes yes yes to not all architects, but dear god some of them are appalling.

ExH dad was one. Yep, twat.

@Nith

I worked for a time in an organisation who had a much-trumpeted move to spiffy architect/designer modernised offices. There was an article about them in a trade magazine and the offices were featured in the London Open Building thing one year.

It turned out to be extraordinarily impractical. In a business that was heavily dependent on paperwork, they didn't want any nasty messy filing cabinets and therefore provided for filing rooms at each end of a long open-plan office: people were never going to spend their lives walking up to the filing rooms to pick out and replace the files they needed, so they ended up with teetering piles of files on and around their desks. Eventually the managers had to give in and spend a lot of money on extra shelving to keep files reasonably accessible, but it didn't entirely solve the problem.

They had great big glass windows that were supposed to have some massively expensive shading in that would stop glare. It didn't, with the result that people sitting at desks with their backs to the window just couldn't see their computer screens when the sun was low. So management had to put in blinds that were massively expensive because the windows weren't standard sizes.

The open plan didn't work because there wasn't really enough room to pass behind the desks by the windows, so people sitting at those desks had to move all the time to let others get by to get to and from their desks. It was very noisy for work that often required a lot of concentration; people phoning to talk about quite sensitive subjects weren't too impressed when they could hear all the office hubbub and sometimes people chatting and laughing. The reception area looked like a flight departure waiting room.

You might think the architects /designers would be a bit ashamed that they hadn't produced a usable office, but no, they got terribly cross about all the changes that had to be made which they felt spoilt their lovely design. Really they were very lucky not to get sued for all the extra expensive work they caused.

Most of these things are exactly what I mean when I say people don't understand the role of an architect. The desk placement in a building isn't on the architect, the architect will do a test fit stage for occupancy and then on a large office development there will be a fit out company to do the internal fit out and then also a furniture consultant who will work up the furniture layout. Having no room between the desks and the windows, or glare because someone has positioned desks with their backs to the window (which is a no-no in terms of office planning) is actually nothing to do with the architects. Neither is having no filing cabinets near desks which comes down to what was signed off by whoever client side was involved with the furniture and fit out consultants.

This is such a good question! I know three architects and they are all twats. I’ve no idea the reason. Maybe something to do with inferiority complex/small penis syndrome and the need to leave their legacy ‘erections’ all over the place as a means of validation??

Actually I’ve just realised that the three twatty architects I know are all men but I also know a fourth architect who is a woman and she is lovely.

Every building I've worked in, that has one some architectural award or other, has a cupboard with buckets for when it rains.

The best one, brand new, had sensors and motors on the skylight windows, in order to keep the building at a constant temperature.

Heat rises.

In the middle of winter, they kept opening, as the heat rose and the cold air 'fell in' on top of us.

The heating bills nearly broke records.