The recession has brought a lot of
talk over the house market crash, but its effect on the field of architecture
has seemed to go unnoticed by the public. Scott Timberg, an arts reporter in
Los Angeles, explained the difficulties of being an architect in this day in
his article titled “The architecture meltdown”. Throughout this piece, Timberg
uses a series of testimonies from both struggling and surviving architects to
illustrate the problems that have arisen, including a decline in construction
costs that is directly related to an architect’s fees. These quotes help to
connect the reader to the dark realities of what was once a glamorous and
exiting profession. Many firms have experienced drastic layoffs, in some cases
cutting a third or even half the staff. Timberg explains that many architects
have had to find new job opportunities, taking up teaching, Hollywood
production design, and even completely switching careers. The combination of
these factors is “reflective of the shifting paradigms of the middle class”,
Timberg writes.
It seems
that his purpose, given the previous quote, is to expose the dangers of
entering a field like architecture, in order to make a statement about the
entire economy. This article was published in 2012, so its topic would be relevant
to the many facing the effects of the recession. Because anyone involved in the
profession is most likely aware of the challenges architecture faces, this
report is probably meant to be read by those unfamiliar with the current state
of architecture, and more specifically, middle class workers, who have a good
chance of relating to the architects featured in this article. Because of
Timberg’s effective use of quotes and statistics to support his claims, and his
reasonable and powerful conclusion, I believe his purpose in illustrating the current
state of architecture was achieved.
Article: http://www.salon.com/2012/02/04/the_architecture_meltdown/
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