Architect as Problem Solver Rather Than Mere Designer

When we know someone who is an architect, we always thought that they are
the one who design, only. In my personal experience, before I enter architecture, my
perception of being an architect is someone who designs structures like houses and
buildings. But as I progress in my degree, I learned that the career I am taking is full of
complexity and has a wide range. The most common job of an architect is planning and
designing. But being a good architect, it is essential to consider different things before a
design to materialize. As an architecture student, we are given design problems in our
architectural design subjects. Before we come to plan or concept, we tend to analyze
first the problem. We formulate different questions and solutions and study if it will be
the best resolution for the project problem. By that, an architect starts his/her job by
being a problem solver. Design has its own process starting from a plain thought to a
visual representation up to its actual project construction. Design process requires an
architect to be more of a problem designer than just a designer. Effective and efficient
design will be achieved once an architect starts to be a problem solver. He/She needs
to evaluate even the smallest things concerned with the design to be able to come up
with the best possible and feasible solution. An architect must be critical thinker, and
what most professors say, we must think outside the box. A successful design will not
be achieved when an architect does not play as a problem solver. And as globalization
continually takes place, more and more problems will emerge and architects will play a
major role in solving it. There are a lot of problems nowadays that can be related to
architecture. With the population explosion happening, one of the problems resulted is
housing. Architects as planners are one of the most credible professionals that can

analyze and solve this problem. Global growth and problems are directly proportional to
each other. Thus, architects must evolve together with these two. They cant be effective
architects if the only thing they do is design and plan without being a problem solver
first. Everybody can design, even non-architects but not everybody can solve a problem
architecture-wise. Architecture, as noble as it is, is more than just a profession, but more
of a vocation, a social work. As being a designer as a natural skill, being a problem
solver also should be one of the major skills of an architect. It should be a chief
qualification. It is a must. A design can be impractical and inefficient if it does not help to
solve problem. Being a designer and a problem solver must co-exist within an
architects heart, soul and mind. It should be in his/her system. In that way, he/she can
be an architect whom the humanity needs.