AIArchitect

We sometimes use the word "reads", as in
"That drawing reads well."

I know what we mean, but from the reactions I get from the rest of the English-speaking world, nobody else does.

Also, let's ditch "charette" and "allie" and "sense of place" and "fenisration" and "module".

In fact, let's ditch architecture and become lobbyists.

Why are so many Architects crappy writers?
That, I think, is the nub of your query.

Also, why am I a crappy speller?

"Archispeak" or "archibabble" I think is most prevalent in schools. I came over to the US a few years ago and found it necessary to acquire yet another degree in Architecture here in order to proceed along the path to registration and professional practice. My first studio crit in my Masters program was quite enlightening. Other students were bandying about all these words and phrases that to my uninitiated ears sounded like they were all architectural geniuses. Such erudition and eloquence I had never heard before. I even had occasion to read their papers in an effort to glean some understanding of what all it all meant. My head started to hurt. It became apparent that they were all speaking the same "language", throwing about what were really hackneyed phrases handed down through generations of studios in an effort to mask poorly thought out concepts and even worse execution hoping to transform their designs into masterpieces by blurring them behind a smokescreen of babble.

i do not agree that "archispeak" should be abolished because it is what sets us apart as a profession and as professionals. should doctors abandon medical lingo and jargon just because we, as non-medical professionals, don't take the time to learn the latest and greatest chemical formula for nasal allergy relief? absolutely not. the true measure of someone in mastery of their profession is directly related to how well they can explain to the layman what it is we do and what we are showing them (i.e. client meetings). speaking to a colleague, by all means, prattle on like there's no tomorrow. speaking with a client, you better have your teachers cap on, because i guarantee he/she did not spend the 20 minutes it took to drive to your office looking up "archispeak" on google.

when we compare our illustrious profession to the linguistic culture of the legal profession (i.e. legalese), the medical profession (i.e. original Latin and risk assessment), and the accounting profession (economic forecasting and tax lingo), we are at a grave disadvantage because our language/archispeak can be converted into weekend projects by laypeople flocking to home depot. archispeaking, i believe, is a desperate attempt at trying to put our profession in a class elite. it is my contention that it is language that defines a profession and determines the degree of infiltration of the layperson and the level of social and economic respect that profession attains. unfortunately, we are a linguistically weak profession. we don't have a repertoire of subjects, verb, nouns, and pronouns that puts the public ear in awe or fear (i.e.: hysterectomy, felony assault, or exemptions). And therefore we have this feeble attempt of trying to elevate this profession through archi-babble and archi-speak. This only makes the archi-babbler/speaker feel good about him/herself (obviously an insecure person) while the listener comes quickly to the realization that what is being said is a bunch of B.S. I believe architecture is not about what we say or how we say it, but rather more about how we demonstrate it and how the public responds to it.

Architecture is a unique profession -- we must translate or communicate three dimensional creative ideas and concepts into words for clients and the general public. The need for a vocabulary or architectural knowledge that allows architects to speak in different terms is essential. However, most importantly, we have an obligation to explain concepts in words that are meaningful to the audience. Simply using architectural jargon to impress is not helpful and unfortunately sometimes ideas become too confusing and "lost in translation" for others to when they are bombarded with terminology they simply don't understand. The old motto of "keep it simple" is still best. Don't use 100 words when 50 will do.

Comunication about architecture is communication about the articulation by architect of light and surface and the manifestation of the ascending gestaldt. There is a quantum greater than the sum of the parts.

Architects know there are qualities that can not be named, so we evolve our own language to fill the gap. We do this because it is necessary that we be able to talk to each other and our clients about qualities that can not be measured or named.

We appropriately find humor in the resulting archibabble but rather than abandon the effort we should attempt to rigorously codify, refine and define our language.

In this effort, I would point out that there are precedents we have been building upon from Vitruvious to John Ruskin to Christopher Alexander and Demetri Porphyrios to our own here in Seattle. There is an evolving language of form, space, light and surface.

No it is not time to pass on Archispeak. It is time to create a professional vocabulary of practice.
TLW

I,ve been an Architect since 1966 and for the life of me
I do not know what you are talking about.

I use English!

As a former Fortune 500 corporate trainer, allow me to offer a more succinct view of ANY form of TechSpeak. There are really only two reasons for utilizing technical jargon:

One - When said term allows you to say in one word what would normally take ten. As clients have no idea what that technical term means, it should simply never be used with or in the presence of clients.

Two - To 'impress' yourself, clients and fellow professionals. If you find this is a necessity, consider your own ego and insecurity in needing to impress. All clients appreciate the most complex concepts being presented in easily-understood, plain English.

As an aside note, I realize we live in an IM, texting and Blackberry world, HOWEVER - I would hope that your drawings and specifications do not suffer from the same lack of appropriate grammar, syntax, spelling and capitalization that your written (electronic) communication does. There is no quicker way to lose credibility with a client.

Vernon Hicks has perfectly made my point. He communicates everything that he needs to communicated in english

I'll be back to comment more directly & seriously on this important topic of Archi-speak, Archi-babble and the nature of the profession, but more humorously I have recently been seeking to find or re-create a tool for conveniently constructing Archi-babble.

While working at a large firm many years ago, a tool circulated thta was a matrix for constructing sentences where the user selects an interchangeable word or phrase from each column & voila: Archi-babble ! - Basically, a "Mad-Lib" for architects. It was hilarious, & too-true, that many of the resulting sentences might actually have been used in a college design-crit or client presentation.

Has anyone seen something like this ? or can you help with more of your favorite words and phrases ? (I'll check the small-practice forum definition list in order to crib more great terms)

Obfuscation is the hobgoblin of literate minds. William Safire would enjoy writing his Times piece on archi-speak, if he hasn't already.

Bravo Mark! I am laughing, "eschew obfiscation", that is a brilliant and humorous example of archi-speak technique and semantic structure. (and funny)

My point; we need to use language more rigorously when we speak professionally about architecture.

TLW

More than often I am put into a position that where I am speaking (at great lenght) attempting to project my thoughts and understanding only to be greeted by a host of blank stares.

As architects, we "speak" many "dialects" of the singular Language of the built environment. Some of these "dialects" are verbal, some are graphic, and some are experiential. There's no way in hell all this can be said in plain English.

If we cared enough about it, our children would learn the Language through our teachings. There is so little evidence of any redeeming social effort to understand our built environment. Just look around and what Language do you "hear"?

Not until there is a social understanding of the poetics of our words, will there be any social appreciation of what architects are capable of "writing." I am so frustrated with the general level of understanding of our Language, that I see no redeeming future in architecture.

No client wants what they don't understand and what they don't understand is the built environment. What they do understand is $/SF, ROI, triple-net leases, & CAM's. Apparently they like what the world gets using that Language.

http://www.helmr.com
DATE:11/04/2006 12:00:00 AM
IP:139.55.7.172
Archibabble: It depends upon what you want to do. Confuse and impress...or communicate.

Read your last set of specs. Were they written for the contractor and his crews or for lawyers...just in case a screw-up gets to court.

My experience, over 40 years, has been that clear, short, direct specs are more likely to avoid mistakes.... and lawyers. If we ask the lawyers to write our specs and regulations, we should ask them to build our buildings.

It's easier to avoid a mess than to clean it up....especially with lawyers. They work by the hour.

Next time while you're patting yourself on your back because of your last wonderful dissertation of archi-babble with your client, take a look in their eyes to see how confounded they are by what you just said. If they look really confused, then you did a stellar job.

Just don’t be surprised later when they complain that you didn’t listen to their ideas or that you delivered a solution that didn’t meet their expectations. Have fun designing it all again… maybe this time explaining it to them with good ole fashioned English.

From this article I understand that "[t]he Small Projects Practitioners Forum is collecting Archispeak terms to prepare a glossary for translation to clients." Someone has way too much free time. Find a more worthy project.