Pidgin
About a year ago, I wrote a piece for Pidgin Magazine, an architecture journal out of Princeton. More or less all of my friends are architects, except for maybe three of them, and they don’t count because they are writers and are not “real people”. I guess I know doctors too, but they don’t have time for me because they are curing a little something called AIDS. You might’ve heard of it.
Anyway, the point is, I have a very complicated relationship with architecture, which is to say that I don’t really give two poops to the wind about it, but all my friends are architects and the only thing architects talk about is architecture. They don’t have time to read or watch a movie or even buy me dinner. All they do is go to the office and complain how they are at the office. So they talk about what they know, which is architecture, and even though I try my hardest to not pay attention it eventually seeps into my brain like selenium in the East River and then I gain knowledge that has no relevance and takes up valuable space in my brain, which I could’ve used to learn how to bet on horses or how to make a souffle. Anyway, I wrote an open letter to architects and it got scanned and posted to an architecture blog called Part IV and now I’m receiving hate mail (with a few love letters sprinkled here and there). Turns out, not all architects understand irony or humor, this is because they are not humans. They are robots with a soul made of steel and concrete. Except they are not as cool as Transformers because they do not blow shit up.
I spent Friday night with a bunch of architects (and Saturday night for that matter) and Kathy had mentioned she was working on a 11-inch sidewalk. And I got really confused because I wasn’t sure if the 11-inch sidewalk was some kind of design element, the kind of crap normal people see and get really pissed off by its lack of practicality and usability and common sense, or if it was something that had to be repaired. So I guess what I mean is that sometimes architecture can be really confusing and makes no sense to me and in fact, a little irritating, like a diaper rash. (The latter is the answer by the way.)
this is really cool stuff you know.i really liked the style and i appreciate this type o humor. also read a scanned text about the same topic.
all the best.
Freekin’ hilarious!!!
I have a hard time believing this would upset anyone. Everyone I know thinks it’s destined to become a classic!
I would guess that this would only upset younger architects… because they’re so tired and it hits so close to home.
It’s true I think about architecture and design pretty much 20 hours a day (not that I’m working that long – but I do wake up in the middle of the night thinking about how a material turns a corner)… After 14 years (post graduation) I have friends outside of architecture and we talk about beer, kids, and sports. I think that’s almost a normal/typical type of conversation for an adult American male. Yeah?
11- inch sidewalk?
Are you sure you’re hanging out with Architects?
You know, architects actually despise both themselves and each other. It’s a sad fact. We can’t stand our own drivel and yet we are hopelessly drawn to it. Really these conversations about 11 inch sidewalks are cries for help, desparate hands held above the water line as the lungs fill to capacity and cease to function. Grab the hand Annie.
I’m sorry you have received negative e-mail from my ilk. But don’t hate the authors of these messages, they feel the pain of self loathing too sincerely. Like the dark side of the force it is strong in them – it may be too late for their sad souls. But I beg of you, Annie Choi, you who have boldy gone where few wish to go by entering into the friendship of architects, please be kind. Be gentle to those pouring their design hearts into the buildings so prone to phallic metaphor and those who can’h help but engage in run on sentences about the thickness of a grout joint.
If you should come across some young architect, perhaps in a bookstore sitting on the floor in the graphic design section dressed in dark mopnochromatic tones, heavy black rimmed glasses momentarily at rest beside them, palms of hands trying to rub the disillusionment from their eyes, stop a moment. Let compassion fill your heart. Tell them Renzo Piano spends his summers sailing off the coast of Genoa. Or tell them Rem has enough love in his heart for a wife and a mistress. Or tell them Peter Eisenman is amazed that anyone actually commissions his designs to be built. Well, maybe don’t tell them anything actually. Just offer a friendly smile and perhaps a gentle hand and say, “hey buddy, you need some change?”
Annie, see, you’re just sexist is all it is. I have not heard of this “AIDS” thing that you speak of.
Love,
Not a Real Person
Annie,
I am happy to have found your website after having had every fellow architect in the city of Cincinnati forward your piece, entitled “Dear Architects, I’m sick of your shit” to my inbox this morning. While it is quite obvious to this architect that your tone is somewhat tongue-in-cheek, I think you and the architects you hang out with have more in common than you are ready to admit. You, like me, seem like a straight forward, to the point, problem solving, result oriented person but you like to dwell on the problem, often verbally, before you solve them (or write about them in your case). While i have not read your book, a perusal of your website and your other web-based publications seem, to this reader, to bear this out.
Embrace the bitterness and the hard resolve that comes to architects and critical writers alike. I’d like to suggest that architects can be the renaissance-men and women of any generation…their attention to culture, history, fashion, books, and current events all having impact on the realm of architecture, that is if you take the definition of architecture as “the built and affected environment” as I do. You are surrounded by architecture, Annie. Don’t dismiss it out of hand, the way many architects are dismissing your work, and thereby you.
I’d bet that if you found the right topic, abondoned your position of negative indifference and introduced a discussion to your friends, the architects, you might find their critical eye as honed as your own. Or, you could abandon your current batch of friends and start over but be wary. Critical theorists and writers have their own baggage, emotional tirades and hard-wrought bitterness…but you already knew that.
-extending the olive branch,
matthew in cincinnati
If you hate architecture so much, go protest by living in a tree. Silly woman.
Annie, those weren’t love letters, those were my recipes for buttery pole beans. It’s an easy misunderstanding because my Korean is poor. Mi an hae.
Geostik: Thanks. The article is making the rounds, which scares and delights me.
Hi Eric: Yes I had a hard time believing it would offend anyone, too, but I was mistaken. That’s OK though. People should be offended. Even though it tastes bad, it’s healthy. You know like kale or something.
David: Yes I’m definitely sure I’m hanging out with architects.
Matthew: My problem with architects is not that they are critical or judgmental or even that there is a hierarchy of aesthetics or whatever. I just want them to stop talking about it and you know talk about stuff. I don’t even know what else people talk about anymore.
Doretta: I am totally a sexist. I also have a thing against twins with the consumption. But I guess you are safe, so phew.
annie
this is fan mail.
i am sure from my email address you can see i am of the architectural persuasion.
we, or rather, i, posted it in the office at my firm
and many others whom i sent it to did the same.
some were fond of your description of buildings that block new jersey and others found your deductive reasoning involving rem koolhaas to be quite enjoyable.
thank you.
it was very funny.
also the nonarchitects who cohabitate or are married to architects didnt find it as funny, but they really wanted me to take them out to dinner.
Evan: I heard that Peter E was a cheerleader in college. Why do I know this? WHY?????
Hey John: A tree would have way more space than my little 187 square foot apartment, but in NY there are no trees.
Steve: Ayoo, gehn cha na. I don’t know what a pole bean is but I am very scared to google it.
oula: Thanks, I think you should take your friends out to dinner. Like at Applebee’s or something. You know, somewhere nice.
[...] http://www.annietown.com/2007/07/22/pidgin/ [...]
I read an email on your fondness of architects and architecture. It was really funny- I had tears of joy at the end.. So was the stuff on your website. The transformer comment had me rolling! Keep it up!
I think part of the problem is that you live in NYC where the Architects do take themselves way too seriously to begin with, or why would they be in NYC in their 150 SF apartments..It’s not human! Some of us like to laugh. We have a rule in our studio- that at lunch, you can’t talk about work and believe it or not, there is no silence for the entire hour and we occassionally laugh.
David, architect: Thanks, if you can make a building that transforms into a robot you can talk about architecture as much as you’d like. In fact, I’d insist on it.
Hi Annie — I just googled you b/c my architect forwarded me the pdf today and i read it twice and I loved it and I want to put it on the fridge and frame it and blow it up really big and put it on my architect’s mirror. I then forwarded this lovely piece to my other friends who also have too many architect friends and we all want to meet you and take you out for drinks (if you ever find yourself in denver/boulder…). Anyway — I loved your piece b/c you said everything I feel about architects. I have lived with one for over 5 years (5 years!!!) and can doubly attest to their workaholism, how they brag about how many hours they worked, how much sleep they missed, how they work never ends and they never get paid enough, blah blah blah. there are almost blank patches in my relationship with my architect over the past 5 years because I had to share him with the office. weeks would go by and we would barely talk b/c he was either A) tired, b) too busy, c)crabby as all hell, d) short fused, e) boring ’cause all he yakked about was work and working and how much it sucked and how it all had to get done yesterday … and when he was home he was a an overworked zombie. ANd it just made me want to deliver his sleeping bag to the office so he could spend the night. mean really, It’s a pretty thankless profession unless you are an esteemed european designer and they just suck it up until they have no soul left. and they become so boring! OMG! and all his friends are architects so when they all get together it’s multiples of boring.
I know buiding safe (and now green buildings ) is a very important thing, but is it so uberhaubt that you morph into a CADmonkey and forget about the basics in life? like eating and walking, etc. I mean, there is something noble about working all night to save the world. but do arch’s really save the world? not the last time I checked.
I hear there is a movie or a book or something equally fabulous about the psycho-ology of some of the more “brilliant” architectural minds… I just read that in Dwell I think… Anyway, THANK YOU SO FRIGGIN MUCH for your Darling and daring PDF. it made my year. (and you’re right about the healthy-ness of being offended, btw).
PS. my architect is trying to deprogram. and I decided it was Ok to marry him.
Giant Robot
Hi Annie. It’s not often that I feel compelled enough to leave a comment on someone’s blog. I’m assuming you’re Korean-American and as one that is an architecture student, I thoroughly enjoy your writing – though being Korean-American has nothing to do with me liking your writing… Anyways, I will try to keep my architecture nonsense at a minimum and try to hang out with normal people!
Ali: Some architect told me that green buildings aren’t worth it because of all the materials that are shipped from China or wherever and the oil/manpower/resources used to ship it costs more than whatever it is buildings are usually made out of, like orphans, kittens, etc. That’s not really the point, I’m just spouting off bullshit that someone else told me I have no idea if it’s true or not, nor do I care. I will just repeat it like a parrot. But I’m glad you liked the article and it may take years to deprogram your architect. It may never even happen.
sevensixfive: That’s so lame. Those douchebags at Yale stole my idea. PLUS it doesn’t really transform and it’s not really a robot but it’s supposed to make you think it’s one. Mine is an actual robot that turns into an actual building and actually blows shit up. In fact, it may actually THROW OTHER BUILDINGS at buildings. I should submit my idea to an architecture journal.
Kyu: Yes I am Korean-American, that is why I am so smart.
Dear Annie,
I am so sick of architecture. Why are we still talking about this? Can we talk about me now?
love, Aura
PS now I’m getting sick of your shit.
PPS seriously, talk about me.
PPPS Why didn’t A-Ha have any more hits?
Annie,
Dear Architects finally arrived at our studio today and made the rounds. That was pretty much all we did today. It was that or electric panels.Beats the less humorous ‘Architects are complacent corporate lackies plundering the environment’ type banter…well our bosses are …sort of…they have long stopped embodying the architect’s essence like your friends, they have kids, house in the suburb and stock options.. and obviously not broke anymore,well us the young peeons were laughing our asses off and we could identify with it . Even amongst ourselves we talk about architecture so much that we make ourselves sick. I am hooked on you now. look forward to your pieces-cheers
Hello, Annie.
I’m a very personable person. I get stuck talking about architecture all the time…with architecture and non-architecture friends alike. A little respect for indulging in a profession which so many, such as yourself, would absolutely regret to be involved with is all I ask. It’s hard working in service profession, like doctors and lawyers, where everyone else likes to think they can do our job better than us. A low-five is in order perhaps. We’re not kings and queens of our culture, but we do contribute immensely. Luckily, I do have an extremely open mind and an even more open sense of humor. I loved your article about architects…as sad and true as it may have been. But love us for it. It may be all that we know, but at least we don’t vote for George Bush. Love always, Brock….and architect in training.
Aura: I’m sorry, I’ve fallen into the trap of being an archidouche and I’m not even a real one. I can’t tell you how sorry I am. I love you, you know that. You are the greatest. You have really good peanut butter. Your coffee machine is amazing. OK can we talk about me now?
I don’t know why A-Ha didn’t have any more hits. I’m pretty sure they’re big in Japan though. They probably have like 2 hits there.
Colin: Thanks. I’m glad everyone at the office is reading it and talking about it instead of working. It just means you will be there later tonight.
Brock: You are an architect in training. There is still time to bail out and push the ejector seat. But if you have to stay, my only advice is this: pretentious glasses do make you look ‘smart” or “edgy”. They make you look like a douchebag.
Annie,
You’re right in that we take forever in the rarefied air of our architectural world to catch up… I’ve just now gotten a link to the Pidgin piece.
That being said… I loved it!
I’ve shared it with all my friends (all of them architects of course) and with all of Houston. I wish we all had an Annie as a friend. Sort of like an Architects Outreach Program. HA!
I really hope your apartment is not only 187 square feet
Dear Annie, I got your post a few days ago (the part IV one) from a non architect friend who probably feels a lot like you, but there wasn’t a place to post a comment.
I used to be a lot as you describe- not sleeping at least once per week, working my ass off every single day, not knowing there was a world other that architecture, not knowing weekends ever- but that was Architecture SCHOOL- for 7 years, thanks (i did an extra one because I liked it so much… honest)
There’s hope guys, now I work for a small firm 8 hrs a day, design & build affordable houses for the city; not glass cocks or vaginas and we’re trying to make them green in the near future. It’s not all about egos here, most people need houses to live in and can’t afford to spare an inch.
I do watch many movies per week, hang out with my friends almost every day (my non architect friends, of course), earn a decent salary and if I don’t go out so much I do my little projects home as well.
I still talk about it because I love what I do and it’s mostly non-architects who keep asking… and of course, with my collegues we show each other what we do, as parents do when talking about their kids- (I think that’s a lot worse!) oh, and by the way, I’m female… that’s the not-so-easy part of it I think, somehow they expect you to do interiors most of the time…
Alex I.D.: It is actually that small. I know this as fact since an Architect told me. She also happens to be very good at packing a car or a suitcase. It is amazing what she does with space. A talent wasted on buildings.
Happy Architect: I’m not sure why the article was called sexist by a commentor on PartIV because like I mention dildos, cocks, and vaginas. I feel that covers a lot of ground and leaves room for “everyone”. But that is really not the point. Yes I am sure it is hard being a female architect, one might say it is hard being female in general. But it could be worse. You could be a humorless architect android. I do not approve of androids. I feel like robots should be robots and humans should be humans. Why dress one up to be the other? That’s so stupid. Wow that was a digression.
annie,
you are totally hilarious. i loved your column. i’m glad somebody discovered it and forwarded it out. it made my day. the people who don’t get the humor in your article, or think it’s sexist (hello, the field of architecture is sexist people!) are just clueless. i sensed in it a lot of compassion for architects actually. which we need more of, from non-architects. the fact is the field is fucked up and big-time change needs to happen to improve it. and if it doesn’t change we at least need to be able to laugh about it.
oh and also, i just wanted to say, PROPS to a fellow child-of-asian-immigrants san-fernando-valleyite! with your book success and all. i also grew up in the valley, i think probably around the same time as you. in fact i really want to ask what elementary/junior high/high schools you went to, but i’m sure that’s just TMI as far as blog comments go.
“You rock”: Props to the SFV big time. So much better than Orange County.
Annie’s book is funny. Just as funny as the letter. OK, maybe funnier. Can you imagine it funnier? I hope so, because if you can’t then you don’t have much of an imagination and that makes me sad. I don’t want to feel sad.
OK, I’m just going to come out and say it: BUY HER BOOK! Writers may not be real people, but they still need to eat. But not cheese. Annie doesn’t eat dairy because she is a lactard.
Oh, and if that’s not enough incentive, if you buy her book she might make out with you.
Doretta: Stop pimping me out, it makes me ashamed. And yet slightly curious.
My girl friend, an architect, emailed your open letter today. I nearly passed out while reading and laguhing. Laughing very hard. Tell you one thing. She and her architect friends loved your letter. You know. They are Canadians.
Hey, I’m from Orange County! Okay…yeah, it does kinda suck. I bow before the awesomeness of the Valley. =)
Dear Annie,
Do you like children? Let’s have lots of babies and raise them to be antiarchitites!!
Yours truly,
architect-turned-interior-designer
Annie,
) the trick is to enjoy it.
!
Tonight I got your open letter sent, you must be laughing because now it seems to have traveled really fast into architects or architecture students e-mails, lol.
I’m indeed a student of this career in Mexico, and well, I have to confess that when I first read it I felt a bit shoked, hehe, did not know how to react.
I read it again, a small grin showed on my face and then I just laughed:
I hope you get to hang out with other architects, they seem to be boring.
I read on one of the posts that people that got their feelings hurt were young people, like me: it is only because you are right about not sleeping I guess, hehe (and about almost all of it
I think architects have more abilities or skills but they lock themselves in architecture, that’s not everything in life.
Apart from that I can tell you that I DO enjoy other things :writing and eventualy winning competitions for short stories, cooking once in a while, photography, you name it. What I’m trying to say is that architects around you seem too serious for me and obviously for you
Please do read evan again and go offering smiles to students like me, even change ! hehe.
Well, as a last thing (and I think it will make you laugh) I don’t like Autocad… lol. Be happy
Annie,
My land planner boyfriend mentioned your article to me last night and said it had circulated his office. Today I received it in my email box, forwarded from one of my fellow architecture students. I can’t say I was terribly impressed. I was curious who would write such a crass and myopic piece and why anyone thought it was worth forwarding on. So as previous blog posters, I googled you to learn more about the author. I read through all the postings and found the variation of opinion interesting. Some defended the profession while others lamented along side of you. As a student, of course I find myself surrounded by a world of architecture, but as you know and contrary to what sounds like dorky friends, there is plenty else to do and speak of in the world. However, this is coming from the architecture student who spends weekends going out with friends, or surfing, or playing tennis, or taking camping trips, or….well, you get the idea. I love architecture, but I love life more and so I found your article over dramatized and disrespectful. Your writing style projects your youth and encroaches upon your credibility. Obviously others have agreed with your rant and kudos on your unexpected exposure as an author. Your gross generalization and negativity made quite a stir. I must say there is one kid in the studio who can’t talk about anything else but school and it drives me to insanity, so I understand where your coming from….but if you’re so annoyed by listening to architects, why are you hanging out with so many of them? Every profession has its stereotype. Perhaps something to the tune of the stuggling author willing to live in a 187 sq. ft. apartment sounds familiar?
annie, your article have reached 3rd world thai architect-cum-reader like me already.. it’s damn funny..
we can talk about movie and thai food if you want.
I am an architect. I loved your open letter to architects. It is so funny, and what makes it that way is how true it is. I always feel kind of sorry for the lone one or two people who hang out with “us architects” they just kind of sit there with a glazed look in their eyes.
I forwarded your letter to all my “architect friends” and they loved it too! Great work…
Annie, if you’re ever in London me and my other architect friends will take you out to dinner and we’ll talk about burritos. The english just can’t do burritos.
As a former architecture student and staff member, I know exactly what you are talking about. I left the profession for many of same reason you mentioned in your article. It’s funny because it’s true.
I thought your architect story was the funniest thing I had ever read and it encouraged me to buy your book and subscribe to your blog. I would also like to bring you to dinner with friends because none of us are that funny.
Annie, you’re such a stereotype. No wonder people get us confused.
Pio: Thanks for laughing. I like Canadians. They are pretty cool. Sometimes I wish I could take over Canada and turn it into my “summer home”. Maybe my architect friends can help me.
Luna: I don’t think anyone likes AutoCAD.My architect friends aren’t too serious, they are just nerds and love what they do but seriously, there’s that saying, a little love goes a long way. I am going to bring an airhorn with me whenever I hang out with them so I can bleep them.
Hi Sara: As for the piece being crass and overdramatized, it most certainly is – it uses humor in different forms (generalization, exaggeration, language, etc.) as a way to speak a “truth” and to help people laugh at themselves and keep it all in perspective. I don’t expect everyone to care for it. I like my friends, even if they are architects.
Grace: It took me a long time to even accept the fact that I’m a Valley girl, but now it’s like yeah, dude, I’m from the Valley, wanna fight?
ThirskUK: I love Thai food. I can talk about that. But in Thailand, don’t they just call it “food”?
Carmella: Thanks. I hear it is hanging in Rem’s office. That is kind of scary.
Michael: Sadly, New York can’t do burritos either.
Hey Joaquin: I’m sorry you left it but you are probably a lot happier now and have more free time to talk about coffee, burritos, and hedgehogs.
Works with Architects: I like dinner. I eat it everyday.
Doretta: I’m sorry, I can barely hear you over my gong.
I think that you should take your anger to be ignorant not with your friends Architect or with architects in general That they are trying to make this unhealthy world better but with your self.
thanks for the hearty laugh. i have had this forwarded to me by about a dozen people over the last two days and still find hilarious (and true) every time i get it. as an architect, i still find it unbelievable how so many people can take themselves so seriously.
coffee and burritos, absolutely. hedgehogs? no, i prefer badgers.
oh, and you might want to work on finding a larger apartment
The Architect: Dude, Who says I don’t get angry with myself?
Tim: Badgers are totally rad. I am such an asshole, sorry. I’ve been looking for a bigger apartment but unless you want to build one for me and allow me to pay you in good thoughts and hugs, it’s never happening.
I’m going to buy your book now. You’re my new hero.
Annie,
I’m sorry you didn’t get into architecture school like the rest of your friends but that’s no reason to be bitter nor is it any reason to use your fall back career as a writer to express your disdain for those of us that have actually made it in the architecture biz. An architectural degree is a very difficult thing to earn, even with humor and wit. But unfortunately for you, you also have to be fairly smart to get one too. I don’t blame you for pursuing a liberal arts degree instead, even though its easier to get than a Big Mac. Not everyone is cut out to be an architect but that’s okay. We’ll design the buildings; all you have to do is live in them.
Sounds to me like what you really need though, besides a real career, is a good humping. Judging by the fact that you view architecture as just a bunch of glass phallic symbols says to me that you are very sexually deprived. So my advice to you is, re-apply to architecture school, stop kidding yourself with this writing gig, and pick up a nice guy, any guy really, for a night that you won’t soon write a cynical, open letter about. You owe it to yourself.
Us architects aren’t happy unless we have a problem to solve. If there isn’t a problem, we will invent one.
Diddy: I didn’t apply to architecture school, I don’t know why you’d think that in the first place. I hump regularly and well thanks for your concern. With an architect. I guess not everyone is cut out to have a sense of humor.
Andy: Writers always have problems but never solve them.
Jamie: Thanks I hope you like it. SPOILER ALERT: I die at the end.
hi, thanks for the letter. you’re a talented writer, i wish you the best of luck!
for the record: not all “architects” (or people working in architecture offices or going to architecture schools, who aren’t really “architects,” per se, but why be so knit picky?) are consumed by architecture. and they can be successful anyway. and happy. take me for example – i go to a very good school, and i slept every night last school year, often 8 hours, even before final exams. and my work isn’t awful. and i have managed to write things that will see the light of printed paper (about architecture, sure, but writing is different than architect-ing). and the firm i’m working at right now: get here at 9 am when they unlock the doors, leave at 6 when they lock us out, and i still get to work on the fancy big commissions and do worth-while design.
and afterward, i have plenty of time to have two cups of coffee and a burrito, and buy some girl a drink.
best, matthew
Annie,
My uncle (an architect) forwarded me this at work (an architect’s office), and I’ve forwarded it to my colleagues (also architects) as well as my friends (all architetcure students). Everytime I read it, I laugh, becuase I know how pathetically true it is.
Its writing like this that makes me realize something is a little off key when I’m at the bar with my fellow architects, talking about architetcure all night, and the best design statements are conceived while throwing up in a cab somewhere on 8th ave at 3am.
Annie, thanks for this little text. I don’t like so much your style of writing, i think it is not cruel enough , and full of black humour, like Douglas Coupland when he talks about Rem “CoolHouse”. But anyway you touched the right “A-Spot”. I am teaching at Uni and work as well in a practice, I can tell you that architect are becoming more and more ileterate, and biter by the world. There are many reasons why they don’t like your text. The first that come to my mind is because architects in general tend to focus too much on being modern monks, avant garde or technicaly advance. They forget most of the time that their mission is to provide lust, passion, blood and sweat, a little bit like Maserati, Channel or Jaguar. High standard for maximum pleasure. That’s why they hate so much Rem Koolhaas who’s more interested into the weird and superficial, sexual part of modernity from the metropolis, than… saving the planet.
Whenever I talk to architects (students and practitioners) about literature (Ballard for exemple), music (NIN, JS-Bach, Ligeti…) or cinema, wine, fashion, It seems their eyes and ears are going to blead and pop-out, they can’t stand it, they have nothing to say. With time I got to understand that it’s how you can recognise a good from a bad architect…
A good architect has his eyes, ears, mouth, skin, porous to the world. The rest are just technicians, slave-drafters for the junk-space.
Funniest. Letter. Ever.
I’m an architect. Your letter addressed to my profession is true. I design glass cocks all day long. I kind of like it too.
And, I can’t believe people are actually attempting to reprimand you for writing this. Lame asses.
I feel my profession owes you (and countless others) a heart-felt apology.
What are hedgehogs?
funny that i am here in Korea, and a friend in the US had to tell me about you. she got a little confuse that you’re not that popular here in Korea. i’m not really sure i told her. but i do know some writers whose work are promoted religiously in broadsheets. i have yet to find your work.
anyway, the friend forwarded the scanned letter, which i find so endearing. really. why can’t some people take a jabber? which made me think that this is the reason why all those cosmetic companies should focus on selling anti-wrinkles on men, especially architects. where’s your humour guys?
this weekend, am so going to bundi n luni’s to buy your book. can’t wait to read it:)
have a lovely day!
I think there’s a sexy video to be made out of all this: Architects Go Wild.
Annie, I loved it. I thought it was hilarious and sadly, often true.
And yes, I am an architect, but I also like burritos and coffee. Not so much hedgehogs though.
)
haha true.. but still we called it thai food because actually there’re no real thai food.. everything you had at thai restaurant is all fake thai food. you got bullied…
A building that looks like a hedgehog, with lots of pricks! How ’bout it guys?
Let’s do it!
Matthew: You are falling into the same architect trap of TALKING ABOUT HOW MUCH SLEEP YOU HAVE GOTTEN.
i’d imagine all your cynicism of Architecture stems from the fact all your friends are architects. i agree architects take themselves too seriously, which is prob’ly why I don’t hang out with any. Which could also be why I’m this (making small space between thumb and forefinger) close to being independent, or perhaps I am so self-loathing that I don’t want anyone to, socially, conflict with my concepts of Architecture. But really its because I specifically DON’T want to talk about architecture, software and the like unless someone is paying me for it. When my mind is on my time I want to think about what I want to think about, which could be architecture sometimes, but I also don’t assume non-architects want to hear what I have to say Architecturally either. It’s too confusing and stupid to try and explain myself, nevermind if i don’t agree with a certain act of Architecture, then I feel compelled to explain how it IS done and how it SHOULD be done and the whys…. No one wants that. I don’t even want that… Beyond the occasional beer:30 (general office), I almost refuse to hang out with anyone I work with. I’ll inevitably end up in a conversation about software, materials, spec, technology, construction technique and the lack of detailing experience relative to architecture, which has nothing to do with Architecture; hence the impending independence, I suppose. I think my problem is that I wish architects would talk more about art, music, science, technology, books, movies also and perhaps all that leads to conversations about how those things can influence your Architecture.
At the same time when the shit hits the fan, I need to be productive. And yeah, I spend long hours at the office a couple of weeks a year when something is close to going out… that’s what I get paid for… to accomplish a certain tasks, not simply to be at work 40 hours a week. It’s up to me to search for a deeper meaning in my work and to relate it to something I consider inspiring. I think your friends, and 90% of the rest of the field, are lacking that desire. To truly connect Architecture with their world-view.
Ours isn’t the first culture to design dildos. We prob’ly are the first to build them out of glass and shove a cube farm in it though.
Life:Art? Art:Life?
Ross: So now imagine a non-architect who has been up with you all night listening to everyone talk about architecture. When this person is vomiting, it’s not because of alcohol.
kIM: I don’t care if architects are slaves to junk-space, I just don’t want to hear about it. Though I really like this “slave to junk-space” phrase.
n: Apology accepted. Let’s talk about something else. FOREVER.
ERC: Dude. Google. You will cream your pants from cuteness.
Deity: Thanks, I hope you enjoy the book. It will be translated in Korean soon enough too. And I don’t know why people can’t take a jabber, if you figure it out, let me know.
Emily: You must love all THREE in order to understand and truly enjoy LIFE.
Dentist: What are you doing here? I’m so confused. You are a dentist. You have your own set of jokes about your profession, just like lawyers and priests.
theblockproject: Everyone’s got to stop capitalizing the word architecture, it is killing me.
CLASSIC!!!
This might not apply to all architects, but surely about 90% of them! If architects take this seriously, then clearly they’re taking themselves too seriously.
Everything, sadly to say, is SO TRUE, especially from the perspective of someone who isn’t an architect but hangs out with them. Hilarious!!
Relax, relax, relax, its okay, fellow architects. Too much coffee, too many CDs, too many SKs. It’ll b e okay one day. Try getting a decent meal and some sleep, it’ll help.
Hi Lynn: Thank you. When people take themselves too seriously they become walking pustules of bile and misery.
i4: You can never have too much coffee or too many CDs. I don’t know what SKs are but it sounds like an anti-depressant/anti-anxiety medication that causes ED: Eskaze.
I read the Open Letter to Architects and then googled you… Speaking as the wife of an architect (who only wants to hang out with other architects,) from the bottom of my heart, thank you, thank you, thank you for giving rhyme to my reason. If I hear one more thing about Frank Lloyd Wright, I swear I’ll vomit.
dear architects was so well-written, so brilliantly-insightful, and sooo friggin’ hilarious! …I would write more, but I must go change my panties now!
Betty: I totally have a huge long list of architecture topics that will make me vomit.
Erika: Thanks, and sorry for ruining your panties.
I read your letter and it made me smile.
I am an architect married to a writer and I wanted to desperatly come back with a really witty, biting commentary on how all writers do is write about how they are up at all hours chain-smoking, drinking vodka over a typewriter, while cursing the heavens and thier editors, while stewing over a vain argument you had with yourself about terrible fashion sense in a hole in the wall burrito restaurant by yourself because you like to surround yourself with the misery of boring architects as your muse.
However, I realized part way through all of that I should stop and go back to thinking about glass dildo’s as you are too funny, alamingly alert and far too clever and will come back with a smarmy make-me-look silly response. (I secretly hope).
I very much enjoyed the article, and offer to teach you how to bet on horses and other non-vomitous A-word stuff.
ps.
Please add this to your sprinkling of nice letters.
I’m an architect and just received the open letter to an architect. Freaking Awesome.
I like your writing style.
Architect married to writer: You’ve got it all wrong. Writers don’t really write. They think about how they should be writing.
Vince: Thanks.
I am an architect. And that Annie could not me more right!! I hate all of those annoying partners….Damn… I do too much freaking architecture at work to still want to talk to somenone about it out of there.
I have like 15 “hang out” friends and like just 3 are architects because of that annoying, obsessed, blinded and limited perspective of life…..
i love u …. already !!!
What Annie is saying her is very true; we’re all the same. This evening, we went bowling with the office. All we did was talk about clients, projects, transmittals, RFI’s and that sort of thing. Then a bunch of arhcitect aquantances from other firms showed up. Then some more. Before you knew it, there were a couple dozen architects trying to determine if the wood on the lanes was synthetic or organic, and if so, what kind.
I think anyone who comes on here denouncing her article is going through some sort of self denile, trying to escape the steryotype. Give it up, throw on that black sweater you’ve had for years, fire up autodesk and open up the latest issue of AR. You know you want to.
Joey: The problem is that you love it.
Zeiesfirdaus: I love me too so we already have a lot in common.
Ross: Holla
I was actually so moved by “Dear Architects” that I Googled your name to find more of your work. HATE MAIL?? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? Just proving the point that architects take themselves way too seriously. I have worked for architects for the past seven years and your letter was sent to me by another friend who shares in the misery. Every non-architect (who works with architects) I have sent it to has responded that they are crying from laughing too hard or trying not to wet their pants. One even framed the thing. It is the most poignant thing I have read in YEARS. I’m buying your book.
Annie – Perfect.
Hi There,
Just got your article as a forward. I work in an architectural firm and hoping to be an architect some day. Thanks for the tip!
Kanen
I’m a landscape architect and in my office we nearly wet ourselves laughing at your piece. Brilliant! x
Kristi: Thanks for buying the book. I am surprised that some architects even have the time to write me hate mail. We’re talking like…several pages long.
Mike: I know, riiigghtt?
Kanen: There are many, many more tips I can offer.
Bexrayspex: I also have landscape architect friends and everyone always asks them about how to grow roses or flowers. So lame. For this I am sorry.
Dear Architects
I have never claimed that this blog is about architecture. However, I am an architect, and once upon a time I wrote fairly frequently about buildings I designed, the construction site in which I lived, and the sad state of housing for the less fortunat…
dear annie: i read your piece and i laugh. i think about your piece i and i cry. most architects like coffee. i like burritos too. so u may have more in common with us people than u think. btw, turkey eggs suck. as for the one bullet, save it for me please.
Bravo, Annie.
As an Architect of 20 years in Hawaii.
My Design Studio colleagues and friends that are Architects all feel you pretty much hit it on the head and left us all laughing at ourselves.
Thanks, Brett
Annie, As I said in my post,
“Only a non-architect could possibly articulate this so poetically, but only architects know how close to the truth it really is.”
It makes some laugh cos it’s so true.
And that’s why it hurts others so much too.
It’s so very close to the bone.
The funny bone, that is
Cheers, Norman
hey annie,
this is totally unrelated to architect, but i’m just wondering if we can invite you over for reading for a book club and if you can provide us with some questions that we can discuss together as a club.
thanks you annie!
Annie,
I’m about as obsessed with this discipline as you can get and I LOVED the letter. Quite frankly I think anyone who took offense to that hates their profession and should stop doing it!
Cheers =)
Hey Brett: Thanks. I bet living in Hawaii is horrible. How can you even stand it with all the beaches and the sunshine and the drinks with the umbrellas. Do you even have glass dildos over there? I feel so sorry for you. So sorry.
.ru: You’ve had turkey eggs? Are they like bigger than chicken eggs? You know what’d be weird? If they tasted like chicken.
Claire: I would love to. Please email me (see the contact page <—– )
Hi Gary: Thanks. The letter is spreading like a disease, it’s been pretty insane. And of course, that means more hate mail, but that’s OK. It’s better than an empty inbox.
Oh Annie, marry me. PLEEZ! Only you could change my hopelessly self-destructive fixation on glass dildos. Or is it myself I’m fixated on? Whatever. Anyway, if you can’t marry me, then at least save that bullet for me.
Annie, you won’t be getting hate mail from me. I think your piece is brilliant.
I studied civil/structural engineering, and now I’m studying urban planning. I will be interacting with *lots* of architects in the future, and I’m looking forward to these friendly debates.
Yes, finally your letter to architects reached R’dam, the Netherlands, the home of Rem’s V’s…(no, I don’t work for Rem). Actually Rem’s V’s are all weight lifters’. If you happened to swing by R’dam (why?! GKW!) on your book tour, give me a call. We can go have some bitterballen (yes, you guessed it), drink jenever, taste spazjuice cupcakes (no, you don’t know about this one) and talk about onora, for a change, instead (of sidewalks & ACAD)… Btw, I will be in NYC in Oct. We should hang out…there may be something so swans about this Ko-Am architect (ex NYC) exiled in R’dam. xoxoxo
PS- Btw, there was (+/-10 years ago) a really funny Dilbert cartoon about your friends.
shit4branze: Maybe I should buy more bullets.
Alia: Engineers vs Architects deathmatch!
Not-so-architect: I had bitterballen and spazjuice for dinner. They were refreshlicious. I like them with spatzenhaulen and fugelmeister. Just like mom used to make…
Hi, Annie.
I absolutely loved your piece.
I am an architect. One of my dearest friends is a tatto-artist baby daddy who is currently in FL with his baby momma where he takes his baby to the beach with their pet snakes in a bucket (his is a rattlesnake) and he’s planning on stealing $10K from the baby momma’s sugar daddy to come back up to the northeast so I can give him a CAD drawing of a staircase that he will tattoo on himself before returning to Florida to be back with the baby and the baby momma. He called me at 4am the other day to tell me this.
He helps me appreciate the true capacity and nature of architecture and so do you.
I’m a recovering architect. I still get up at 5am to work before going to work. My personal best is 147 hours awake over one week. I allllmost had a breakdown in 4th year, two short years out from graduation; my final year protest was to graduate without designing a single building. My flat is 333.681sqf. I once spent an entire week investigating links between prime numbers, Pi and the golden ratio, in excel.
My wife thinks your letter was written with me in mind, which means I’m a walking talking stereotype. We both think it is piss funny, thank you.
I will cease practice in 6 weeks never to return. My last project is a glass showroom; it’s my parting gift to architects everywhere.
just one word.. JUICY
rtb: A CAD drawing of a staircase for a tattoo is simultaneously sad and amazing.My friend did my business card in CAD. I thought that was also sad and amazing.
Yossy: 333 square feet is much bigger than mine, I am jealous. And graduating without designing a building only means you are exploring “concepts” and “theories” which is neither better nor worse than actual buildings. Your wife has a good sense of humor, you should keep her around.
Leo: Yummy
I love it! This has gone through my office and studio.
Thanks for keeping us laughing.
-crazy architectural intern
I turn my head for two seconds and suddenly there are four million comments on your blog. I suppose it does take a while for these sorts of “metropolitan” goings on to reach our little burg of Minneapolis. Maybe it took so long for us to hear about this so-called satire about architects because we don’t have architects. Oh no, that’s right, it’s engineers we lack.
In the last year I’ve discovered that I too am a person with lactardation. I fear that Doretta will scorn me.
Consider this a love letter from one lactard to another.
Sorry for being so late, Aura + annie.
No, A-Ha didn’t have multiple hits in Japan either. I don’t know why.
Annie,
My sincerest appreciation for your efforts in your writing, and your patience with your friends. Unfortunately, I find myself surrounded by architects, not by choice, but professional obligation. I am proud to say I can walk into a crowded bus or subway, and instinctively pick out every architect on his/her way home from work. (At 11:00 p.m., of course.) And any of the architects that took offense to your letter just further emphasizes the accuracy of your portrayal…
You CRACKED ME UP!! Thanks for the levity amongst all of the drama in the world…
ArchiStudent – I’m glad something is making you laugh.
RT: WTF! I didn’t even know you read this thing. You should know that your face is on my refrigerator. With a huge STD across it.
Takeshi – A-ha didn’t have hits in Japan because they are horrible people.
Big Fish – Thank you. I can pick out an architect because they’ve been wearing the same (nice) sweater for 3 days.
I am currently living in Japan and a few of my friends here are budding architects. They are not horrible people, but they do work awfully late and sometimes discuss things that make me zone out, like AutoCAD.
Also, I am originally from Orange County, and yeah, it sucks.
ellie: Architects are not horrible people. They just need a good slap to the face every once in awhile. In a deathmatch between the Valley and the OC I’m not sure who would win. OC would fight dirty. The Valley would make a porno out of it. I dunno it’s a draw.
Any,
(Any=Annie, same thing who cares)
First, I am sorry about my English, I am a Cuban. In Cuba English is kindda a new thing. We usually learned Russian.
You should move to Cuba darling!
In Cuba there are no architects!
There are no new buildings! And all the old buildings are falling down! Is not that great? You should come here to Havana: it will be like a paradise for you! and maybe we can write together one of those letters to Castro like “Petition to make the whole universe free of Architects” but then you won’t have shit to talk about anymore…I am sure you will make many new friends, none of them would be an architect. They all will be members of the Cuban Communist Party: the architects of the Revolution! (ooops that’s how they call themselves) You could even become a member of the Cuban Communist Party and have mojitos and talk for hours about the latest Castro speech.
On the other hand i thought the other day how GOD is called the architect of all creations! then i got a bible and i cut and pasted GOD everytime I found the word architect, on top of it in a printing of your letter. The title for example became “Dear GOD i am sick of your shit” or “…my GOD have given me nothing. No drugs, no medical advice and he doesn’t know how to spell subpoena…” (I can send the collage to you if you want.) Trust me i laughed twice harder! I tried again putting Castro instead of GOD but didn’t think it was that funny reading Castro’s name between so many vaginas and penises.
Anyways let’s have some cuban coffee together and have a great kicking ass time! Do you speak russian?
Hugs
o.
I resent you and your letter because I wish so much that I had written it.
Takeshi, don’t listen to Annie, she’s just bitter because A-Ha stole her cartoon-girl-comes-to-life-in-a-diner-or-some-shit-like-that idea for a music video.
i have a bachelor degree in architecture but maaaaaan, i luv luv luv ur writing..
u dont know how much i hate myself after realizing “shit i did spend my hours NOT having fun”, and “shit, i don’t have a life”, but mainly “shit, i wont get rich”..
haha..
i admit my reason’s still bout the money (hey, it’s honest rite?)..so it did kinda slap me on the face that i should have a back up plan.. u know.. to get myself rich, famous and well-sleeping person.. haha
i also admit i always made fun of the architect who speaks in the architectural seminar, i hate talking about architecture with another colleagues at coffee time (hell, i dont even like goin out with architects as well), and at open houses i ended up taking pictures of myself wearing sunglasses which i would put on my page and captioned it “ME….in front of an artsy thingy”…
that’s just about enough to get me to change my job, i think… haha..
but my father raised me to stick to what i’ve chosen..
call me two-faced but, i’m just doin my job as his daughter…
(at least architect as a side job wouldn’t hurt him)
hahaha..
keep on writing..
luv ya!
The Cuban: Your English is better than most Americans’. I would go to Havana. You may have only a few architects now, but you will soon have many of them.
EZ: you can write your own, dude. No one is stopping you. It can be like a campaign or something.
LT: If you’re sticking to it, you must love it a little, which is OK, the point is that I don’t want to hear about it. Hahah
..so please let me get this straight. You do NOT like to talk about vaginas and cocks? If not, then where do those topics fall on your list of interest? Just confused, that’s all. Yes, Cad shortcuts are boring. Though some architecture topics can stir the soul. For example, see the very heated comments on the Bush Library at…
http://archrecord.construction.com/news/daily/archives/070625bush.asp
Oh, and I think your sexy glasses too. This architect would ask you out, but I don’t think your’re my girlfriend’s type. But we can all be great friends. Thank you so much for writing the open letter. LMAO!
that is… I think your glasses are sexy too.
couple a more insights…studying Architecture is so very much more interesting than practicing architecture. Personally, I got into it for the groupies, much easier than learning the guitar or how to sing.
FileNew: When did architecture get capitalized? I hate that. I hate when people use grammar to make things seem more important. Like not capitalizing or capitalizing or not using periods or punctuation. NO.
Awe, a grammarist as well, huh? I’m so sorry. Did a nun beat it into you? That’s ok. I accept you for you and your ideas, not the arcane rules to which you are obliged to use. (Yes, ‘gram.mer.ist’ is a made-up word. Architects often do that.) You did not answer my question. Is that punishment for bad grammar?
FileNew: I’m sorry I didn’t realize there was a question in there. I do not like to talk about buildings shaped like cocks, but cocks shaped like buildings on the other hand, that’s a different story. One for youtube.
No, I’m sorry. My grammar distracted you.
I have to ask you for a big, big favor. Since you hate to talk about it can you get one of your architect friends to define “real architect”? Few of us in the provinces outside the city consider glass cock vernacular to be “real”architecture.
After that we can talk about the efficacy of Lamisil and Penlac in the treatment of Onychomycosis while I try out this new recipe for hedgehog.
dear annie
as you know ‘dear architects’ has circled the globe, passed on from architect to architect, or by the poor people who know or have to put up with architects.
i am an architect in cape town, south africa, + although there are differences, being here rather than there, i am
embarrassed to confirm that everything you wrote applies here as well, except that:
we get to actually build more often,
we don’t get to do glass dildo’s because that technology hasn’t got here yet,
relative to the majority of the population we aren’t that poor …
my only advice to you is to stop knowing architects. those that remain as architects never get better + in the end most have a bitter veneer over whatever rich insights they have invariably acquired.
swim away…
i am studying architecture, and at my school of architecture your open letter is posted on bulletin boards scattered across the school. it is very funny and all of the students studying architecture read it, and laugh, because it is true, and funny. we laugh because none of us ever sleep and some of us have cool glasses and crazy hair. our hair is usually crazy because we never sleep and pull out it as an act to relieve stress. it does not work.
FileNew: Asking them that requires me to talk about architecture.
Gideon: You don’t have glass dildos…yet. In ten years South Africa will just be one enormous glass dildo.
Natalia: When I get stressed my hair either gets bigger and crazier or thinner and greasier. Funny how that works.
Annie, I’m an arch student and I adored your letter so much I decided to borrow your book from my local library. I’d like to say something like “I just spent my last 14 bucks on pretty museum board” but the truth is I’m just plain cheap. I thought you’d like to know that of the 8 available copies in my library system, 2 have already been stolen.
You inspire us library nerds to steal, and for that I only admire you more. Too bad you don’t get more money though.
“…designed a wonderful architecture”… It nauseates me when architects say “an architecture”. It’s a building, not a fucking “architecture”. You are not curing cancer here buddy, you design BUILDINGS for developers or rich private clients… and if someone doesn’t like it, well, what would that uneducated pleb know about “architectures” anyway… right? You spent 7 years studying didn’t you? And you wonder why your pay does not reflect your “education”? I’ll tell you, because what you were taught is a LUXURY in the real world. DEAL WITH IT. It makes me laugh how architects need to inflate their language to show their “superiority” and “intellect”. Lack a little self-esteem do we? Need to hide your lack of self confidence behind ridiculously inflated vernacular? I actually quite like architecture, I just hate the wankery that comes with it.
Dear Annie;
I much enjoyed your letter, having come across it copied on many different blogs. It is irreverent, and jabs at contemporary architects in a language they understand (sexual symbolism). It is irreverent enough that they find it funny, whereas the underlying problem is much darker — what you describe actually has a deeper and more serious side. Those of us who write about contemporary architecture know this, and it’s not a joke.
Let’s talk some more after you have read my book: “Anti-Architecture and Deconstruction”.
Best wishes
Mmm…this hedgehog is delicious with baby caramel carrots, sweet potatoes and a good pinot noir. Eeew, Oh my God! Look at that building. Did you see that? How gauche. After all, it is past labor day. I mean pu-leeez.
Hello
Very interesting information! Thanks!
G’night
I have to admit that the first time when I read the article, I was a little mad, furious I should say. But after a while, I start to think it is funny and think maybe I need to devote a little bit of time outside of architecture. I am only an architecture student, if it is taking up so much of my time now, what is it gonna be in the future?
Yes, you get someone like me actually stop thinking about architecture for a second and start thinking about other wonderful things of life. Thanks for saving me.
In reture, regarding your transformer/building idea, my friend has something similar:
http://people.ku.edu/~newryan/data/html/projects_html/robo/robo.htm
It might not be cool enought to blows shit up, but it is as good as you can get in the mid-west. Enjoy!
Kai: It’s pretty cool, but it’d be much better if there was something that blew up at the very least. I’d even settle for lasers. Anyway I’m glad you ‘got’ the article. I think I pissed a lot of people off, as you can see, but that’s OK.
I loved it!! everything you said was truth that’s how architects are like.. I’m still just an architect student.. however i got every single word.. and the dildo stuff was hilarious!!
I hope you understand that we never really wanted to become architects. Much like being gay, becoming an architect is not a choice. Which explains why most archies don’t switch majors while most other people will switch majors maybe even three times.
And much like many gays are consequently submerged in a world of rainbows and leather pants and discussions of nothing but musicals and how people’s FABULOUS scarves, we architects surround ourselves with pictures of beautiful buildings and complain about color rendering indexes and crap like that. We wish it were not so but we just can’t help it. It’s genetic.
Hi Annie, your aticle was amazing. I’ve read it ten times an still find it hillarious.
am working for Fosters in London and we have people constently working till 3-5 in the morning. The office tried closing down at 9pm, forcing them out but it didn’t work out. For some reason these peopl seem to be glued onto their chairs forever.n they seem to be the ones who get angry with ur articles too.
I guess the more you work, the less you are able to appreciate humour.
anyways, keep up the good work!
from,
architect fighting for 8 hours sleep daily x
Hi Annie,
thanks for your Article. You made me lough. Btw: You forgot to mention that we smoke 100 cigaretts a day, drink 100 cups of coffee a day and then use the 100 coffee cups as ashtrays for the 100 cigaretts. And you forgot to mention that we take every chance to drink a beer or (mostly) more. I think the point is that we are just the most self destructive species on this planet.
Maybe the problem is: We built it. The rest of the humanity destorys it. And nobody even mentioned that we built it. And you´re right. Over here in the heart of europa are some architects hiding who are still human
Wish you best!
I found the article amusing…not because of how you ALMOST perfectly described “the architect” but at how pissed off you are about architecture and architects(their life style). I think you’re overdoing it.
Let’s get a few things strait.
. If you were to build yourself a house, you really think one of those “friends” (architects) wouldn’t help you for free by designing you a house?
-I don’t understand why you talk about architects in GENERAL. Not everybody likes glass cocks or shit like that.
-You really think Rem Koolhaas, didn’t have nights when he didn’t sleep? and he probably complained to his friends.Rem Koolhaas is famous, he probably has a big architecture firm with a lot of people working for him and so he doesn’t need to work so hard.
-If you don’t like you’re friends…make new ones, nobody is forcing you to hang out with them
-let’s say that you we’re out eating with 3-4 friends from your domain of work and an achitect what would you be talking? arhitecture? I think NOT.
-So what if they complain how much they work or sleep…if you don’t like that topic, STEP THE FUCK UP and start a new topic of discusion(don’t be afraid when you are with them and tough when you are in front of a typing machine)
-The part with the doctor who gives me drugs and the lawyer …bla bla bla is my favorite
You’re to full of yourself. You really have isues and you better deal with them.
P.S. Sorry for my bad english (if there are many mistakes)i’m not a fluent english speaker.
herr kaiser: Ah yes, I forgot the cigarettes of course! That is a huge oversight. But everyone says “I’ll just get through this thing and then I’ll quit. Seriously.” Hah.
Cosmin: I think you did not really get the article. It’s supposed to be humorous and satirical and it’s using irony to bring to light certain issues about architecture and architecture culture. But I’ve already commented about this before, as have other people, on PartIV and here on this blog. This letter is now over a year old and everyone is sick of talking about it I think.
[...] *While I sympathize with this perspective on architects (I’ve listened to an hour-long conversation about the wonder that is concrete), I also sympathize with anyone who must endure so many hurdles for so little pay. It’s no wonder they want to talk about it. They’re sure as hell not being suitably compensated or appreciated. [...]
[...] ‘Dear Architects, I Am Sick Of Your &$%#@.’ Posted on December 18, 2007 by Jamie Many architecture blogs have posted this controvertial article. Annie Choi, from the Annie Choi blog, wrote this open letter on Part IV to all architects out there… don’t take it personal! I didn’t. I actually made me laugh: “Once, a long time ago in the days of yore, I had a friend who was studying architecture to become, presumably, an architect. This friend introduced me to other friends, who were also studying architecture. Then these friends had other friends who were architects – real architects doing real architecture like designing luxury condos that look a lot like glass dildos. And these real architects knew other real architects and now the only people I know are architects. And they all design glass dildos that I will never work or live in and serve only to obstruct my view of New Jersey. Do not get me wrong, architects. I like you as a person. I think you are nice, smell good most of the time, and I like your glasses. You have crazy hair, and if you are lucky, most of it is on your head. But I do not care about architecture. It is true. This is what I do care about:* burritos * hedgehogs * coffee [...]
Just saw your open letter — yeah, I’m late to the party.
I have been in the field for over 30 years and want you to know two things:
1) Your impressions & observations are perfect.
2) Most architects are assholes.
The really sad thing is that your friends are stuck in a world that more closely resembles school than a place where adults contribute to society, make a living and raise families.
From the day I left architecture school I left that bullshit behind — Thank God! I couldn’t handle it in school. The flvor-of-the-month foreign decon or Miami wonderkind. What a bunch of crap.
And don’t even get me started about all the nonsensical ways solme guys like to describe their creations…
“…the space evokes a sense of holistic being that transcends life itself…”
WTF!
Thanks again.
PS: I grew up in The Valley too.
Annie,
It occurred to me that I was taking a break from architecture to read about people talking about how architects never teak breaks from architecture. I don’t know if this counts towards deprogramming. I have resisted reading all of these. Nice letter- going to make breakfast now.
hey annie!
im just another architect led to read this letter, and i have to say its the funniest shit i’ve read and at the same time totally true! which makes it x1000000000 funnier.
actually, im not yet an architect, just one studying to become one and already do most things you whine architects do in your letter. my architecture friends find it hilarious as well, and we all love you.
anyway, i really love your train of thought in the stuff you write and the style you write in.. so please write more shit about your architect friends!! and i will promise to buy your book that will give you another $2 royalty..
Annie,
I, too, seem to know only architects. In fact, I have on multiple occasions been mistaken as the writer of your letter (which I consider to be quite flattering).
I agree not all architects have enough of a sense of humor about what they do. I find that most have a lot of artsy-fartsy hot air prepared to defend their artsy-fartsy crap that regular people see and get really pissed off about. I certainly find that if one makes a joke about an architect’s artsy-fartsy hot air or design crap Said Architect will not take it in stride. What Said Architect does not realize is that if non-architect friend(s) didn’t have senses of humor, there would be no such thing as an architect having a non-architect friend.
I consider it a small contribution to humanity to continue to be friends with broke, overtired, humorless architects and am glad that I am in good company in doing so. By the by, my sister worked in Rem Koolhaas’s Rotterdam office one summer and I have it on good authority that Rem may be well rested but he’s still rather dour. However, it was due to this office that I first saw your letter where it was posted in the kitchen and brought to me by my sister; apparently even among the architects crazy enough to work for Rem there are some with good humor—hope is not lost.
Lizzie
Dear Annie:
I think you letter is one of the most wonderful texts I’ve ever read. I’m an architecture student at Mexico City. The moment I read your letter I knew I wasn’t wrong about how WE architects don’t hear people and do whatever our ego dictates. Two years ago you wrote this “joke” about a reality that is making our job really mere good aesthetics and “”"good taste”"”. Right now I’m trying to re-create our Architecture Weekend to be not just a showcase for architects. The purpose of this is to QUESTION what are we doing? Not to realize its good-bad… or any qualifying adjective, just as a healthy excercise everyone should do about their practice. If my proposal is accepted I would be really glad if you could just participate in, in any type even online of by your blog!
Thanks for that awesome and thrilling letter!
Sincererly;
Adolfo Mendoza Avilés
I’m an architect, and I love your work!
[...] after reading the letter, feel free and check out annie’s blog, the post concerning the letter is here. [...]
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annie, i just came across your letter and i LOL’d so much!! it’s fantastic and it’s even funnier that other architects don’t find your letter at least a little amusing.
hahaahahahahhahaa!!!