Defining Architectural Excellence

Everyone believes that architecture should be “good”. Yet what does that phrase even mean these days? The profession is in a poor place despite the rare exceptional new building that proves the rule. Architects design just two percent of all American houses these days. And, all around Pittsburgh, mediocre new buildings that are designed by architects have come to blight our urban landscape. How can that be considering that there are now so many rules for determining what constitutes design excellence?

Near the end of the first century B.C.E., the Roman architect, Vitruvius, suggested that buildings should exhibit “Firmness, Commodity, and Delight.” In this lecture, Pittsburgh Architects Eric Fisher and Art Lubetz, consider and define what makes a building great, today. A central focus of their discussion will be the questions:

“What values should contemporary architects bring to the table as they design?” and “What qualities should these buildings possess?”