’so, what do you do here in the city?’

i get this question a lot. it’s the natural result of being a new person… i get asked the most basic of questions over and over again. and the benefit of the exercise is i’ve had countless opportunities to practice my response. the ironic thing, i still cannot figure out how to answer.

‘well,’ i hesitatingly begin,
‘i’m an architect by education,’ immediate eye brow raise and two points for me.
yes, it is the perk of being a student of architecture… i’m automatically assumed to have a high income, high profile, and high intelligence.
i’ll let you in on a secret, though… none of the above are true.
but can i let you in on another secret? i probably shouldn’t even call myself an architect, as i don’t even have autocad on my computer… which as all newly minted architecture students know, is our only purpose is life.

‘but, now i’m working as a sustainability adviser,’ continuing my explanation.

here’s the next problem, most people back at home didn’t even know what sustainability is, much less how to advise in it. at least here, the word ’sustainability’ has crossed their eyes a couple of times and i get slightly less ‘deer-in-headlight’ gazes.

i attempt to explain… ‘i help architects, engineers, owners, and developers manage and design more efficient buildings. buildings consume 60% of the energy we use and if we can do it in a more responsible, productive, and efficient way, all of us benefit. building sustainably doesn’t have to cost more but rather makes money, and usually, results in much more wonderful spaces to live/work in.’

‘hmmm,’ they usually respond.

‘really, we’re just trying to save the planet,’ i usually succumb to the fru-fru answer that makes even me uncomfortable.

‘oh, i see,’ they conclude. ‘well san francisco is a great place to do it!’

‘that’s why i’ve come,’ i conclude in a way that’s sarcastic to me, but genuine to them. and the dialog concludes.

but really sustainability? what does that really mean? and ‘saving the planet’? come on, that seems a little out there, a little arrogant. both are a lot bigger than we can understand. it’s not creating buildings/organizations which use less materials, energy, and waste. it’s actually creating places and organizations which produce more energy than they use… places that bring life, that regenerate, that leave a area better than it was before they were there.

‘is that possible?’ you now ask.

i think so. i really think so. someday, i hope to see out how. in fact, i might be spending all of my ‘someday’s learning how to do it. and that, i don’t believe is a fru-fru answer. i’ll try keep you updated on my process. but for now, i’m going to figure out what exactly it is that i do and how to explain it better.

brightworks:
jessica [sitting second from left] & i [on bench] with the portland group [everyone else]
with our projects in the background

This entry was posted on Monday, October 15th, 2007 at 10:00 pm and is filed under . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.