Evening star., 1940-07-20
Architects Warned
OF Government and
Business in Field
President of A. |. A.
Suggests That Profession
Develop New Spheres

Suggests That Profession
Develop New Spheres
Invasion of the field of design by
Government and business is forcing
the architect to modify his historic
indiyidualism, according to Edwin
Bergstrom, president of the Amer
lean Institute of Architects,
While resisting bureaucracy, arch
fleets must foresee the possibility
that architectural bureaus which
have sprung up under public and
corporate auspices may ultimately
prevail. Mr.. Bergstrom declares.
Architects, he feels. must function
in new spheres, including recondi-
tioning of buildings, planning of in
dustrial plants, rural building, de-
signing of store fronts and store
equipment, management and trus-
teeship of buildings and consulta-
tation and building appraisals.
Another important field open to
architects. Mr.. Bergstrom says, is
the planning of neighborhoods and
communities. Nothing seems to
me more important to our commune
ties" he adds, than the proper eval-
uation and enhancement of the
neighborhoods that compose them.
preventing their decay or aiding in
their rehabilitation, as the case
may be.
Affects POcketbOOk,
"Neighborhood depreciation and
obsolescence are depreciating tax
values in communities insiduously
but very positively, and few of them
yet realize how seriously their fu-
ture financial status is being shaped
by the depreciation of areas within
them. The field is challenge to
the best in the architectural profess
sion and opens large horizons within
which architects should function"
More than most professions, Mr..
Bergstrom explains. architecture is
particularly vulnerable to the in
roads of business and increasingly
the larger business organizations
and governmental departments are
making available to themselves the
talents of architects by making
them individuals of their organiza-
tions instead of employing them as
private practitioners.
"In Government and in certain
businesses we recognize there must
be planning bureaus to carry on
properly the functions of Govern
ment or business" he points out.
There are situations in which such
bureaus are indicated and essential
and with them the architect has no
quarrel. Large numbers of the pro-
fession are ideally equipped to fill
positions in those bureaus in de-
signing, administrative and execu-
tive capacities.
Suspects Public Suffers.
THE employing organizations
have many potent arguments to ad-
vance in defense of the arrange
ment and undoubtedly the idea is
expanding We are resisting it as
strongly as we can, for we believe
that such bureaus may not be oper-
ating to the best interest of the pub
lie when they attempt to plan and
design buildings which members of
the profession in private practice
are better fitted to do.
But we should be prepared if the
planning and designing bureaus
finally prevail and perhaps begin to
recognize bureaucratic service as a
distinctive architectural career, and
furnish to the employing organiza-
tions architecturally trained and
competent career men to man their
bureaus. In our schools of architec-
ture the students might early make
their choice of following an honor
able career of independent practice
or career, equally honorable, in
bureaucratic work.
I'm all of this we should not
overlook the fact that there always
will be work for architects in pri-
vate practice, or rating either as
individuals or groups. The majority
of individuals and corporations build
only occasionally, and they will al
ways need the private practitioners,
who will win recognition because of
the quality OF their work, the ade-
quacy and competency of their
drawings and documents; their in
innate knowledge of construction
and of costs; their keen perception
OF business, and the efficiency and
celerity with which they render
their services"
Sees Government Architecture.
Mr.. Bergstrom expresses the fear
that the designing of Government
buildings will be done more and
more by governmental bureaus. He
also believes that the planning of
buildings by corporations will ex-
pand, especially when those corpora
tlons have to do with a large VOL
ume of building construction, and
when the planning involves tech
nical knowledge of processes.
THE planning of small homes for
the low income groups is not a field
for individual practitioners, general
", nor has any satisfactory method
been found for groups of architects
to enter that field" he continues.
THE field is well pre-empted by
speculative builders and those who
sell stock plans, but efforts to enter
this field should be encouraged. for.
IN the aggregate of cost and num-
bers Of units, the small house field
is the largest one open to archi-
tects."