Readers Respond: What qualities make a great architect?

• "To be an architect, you have to be an optimist...You have to be a realist, but you have to be an optimist."
  _{~Sir Norman Foster, Architect's Challenge: A Sliver of a Space, in the New York Times}
• "A great architect is not made by way of a brain nearly so much as he is made by way of a cultivated, enriched heart."
  ~_{Frank Lloyd Wright, quoted in Visionaries: The 20th Century's 100 Most Inspirational Leaders by Satish Kumar, Freddie Whitefield}

Now, it's your turn. What qualities do you think it takes to be a great architect? Optimism? Realism? Persistence? Insanity? Tell us!

Open-Minded and Attentive

I sincerely think that a good or great architect is one that is open-minded and very attentive to the space, age, and time that he or she finds, and be responsive to the yearning of their clients, so as to come up with a design that can positively respond to the clients' intended desire, and function effectively within a confined time and space, which is to a large extent beyond the architect's control. n

—Guest Ofoni Joseph

Want to be an architect

I am in grade 8 now and want to be an architect. I am great in arts also :D

—Guest Rakiya

be creative

A great architect to me should be able to perform the duties of creating and developing forms of structure that are functional to both man and nature.

—Guest rufus akinkugbe

Always Learning

I believe an architect ought to be like a baby, always curious to know more in depth even at 90 years of age, because many great architects die old.

—Guest Arthur Buki

good foresight

I think a great architect should design with the knowledge of both the present and the future... Good design comes out of good and adequate knowledge of the future..

—idowuademolaoluwafemi

Be the master

One last important thing in architecture.... Go beyond the limits... Imaginative limits, recreational and perceptive limits..... Don't be a normal jerk...... Be the master.

—Guest pravasith

Passion is everything

You must love what you do. If not, you will never be good.

—Guest Bernard Yap

LOVE!

Love anything above all! Especially Mother Nature! A great Profession with a big responsibility! Love Arts and Enhance your Creativity and Uniqueness!

—Guest BEN!

A good foundation

An architect must be self-reliant, having a lot of self esteem, perseverance and determination to pursue his/her dream on the said field....

—Guest theresa ricot

Architecture and Architects

What I feel is architecture is not just a subject but a way of life. The architects can shape architecture in various forms, but what should he really do is to FIRST see the end users and the Earth...(if you break the harmony of the nature, of the earth there will be no space for architecture). During any project there may be several obstacles which will be laid by various situations, but the architects initial vision should remain intact and that will surely make him a great architect.

—Guest Amalendu Bhuyan

A good architect

To be a good architect you should fall in love with Nature.

—Guest Ell

Problem solver, forward thinker.

Has a solution in any problem. Analytical thinking. Always two to three steps ahead in situation. Client centered.

—Guest xperia arch.

Believe

You are a great architect when... you love and believe that you can do it. Have courage, be self confident, look forward to your dream and you will come out of the best.

—Guest sam

What makes a great architect

I definitely know a great architect will be a master at critical thinking and a great analyzer, which will enhance the ability of perfection with a definite creative ability of drawing art and mantling and dismantling projects--a true live mechanic with an extraordinary vision.

—Guest Nathaniel A. Warren

Outside the box

Architecture is like music, one moment there is nothing and the next you have created something ... There has to be a harmony, a rythme in every design ... A famous architect once said "architecture is frozen music" ... He was right ..

—Guest M Ayman Gaber