Why do architects wear black?

So how did it first evolve; the dark suits and the thick rimmed glasses. They say, "if you have to ask, you will never know." I do not ask for the answer to that question as I already have my own observations and beliefs, but asking you what do you think of the answer to the question. What do you think about the whole idea about conformity and never having to change. The concept of letting the buildings stand out.

Hmm... Are you talking about the"i'll draw your new office block" architect, or are you talking about the "i am emperor, master of all, and dreator of the matrix" architect?

I myself am an architect (the building-plan kind, unfortunately) and the black-suit and jam-jar glasses rarely apply to me. Think Jeans and white collar-shirt (which MAY, on the odd occasion, i admit, be black). It's just more functional in my opinion. a $1000 suit will DEFINITELY not survive too well on a construction site, believe me...

Can one ask with due respect why 99% or so of buidings in the western world espescially in Australia are hideously spiritually empty travestys?
Are architects C grade Failed Interior designers , of course the answer is no, yet the end result suggests they are but lack the Gay creative Gene.
You may be constrained by budget , but oh God the output is horrendous.
Prince Charles commented quite profusely on the creative and spiritual bankruptcy of Modern British Architecture, he was howled down a sbeing a loony, teelll us Architects, do you pass Physcological tests?
Think about it you design buildings of pure awfulness on the whole , yet you retain your job , and get to design even more examples of hideousness, that we all have to endure, and you get paid for it quite handsomely, unlike your buildings.
If we were a half sane society , those who are responsible for monstrous depressing monoliths of concrete and glass would be punished, not rewarded, look at the citiies, the absent skyline and horizon, the... Architects did this, how did they get permission?

Black is easier to see against the grey of concrete, and the huge glasses are betting at surviving a battering from an irate client!

Originally posted by yeahibelieve
So how did it first evolve; the dark suits and the thick rimmed glasses. They say, "if you have to ask, you will never know." I do not ask for the answer to that question as I already have my own observations and beliefs, but asking you what do you think of the answer to the question. What do you think about the whole idea about conformity and never having to change. The concept of letting the buildings stand out.

just because

lol but seriously probably bevause its a business type thing you know?

It's a power issue....a game. The black clothes and Corbusian glasses are all about winning the argument. I trained as an architect too, although I nearly ended up in therapy because of it...you can imagine just how well a spook like me did in a nest of vipers like architecture professors, despite considerable design talent. Mostly, the architecture business is about winning the argument...if you can talk the talk, and convince people that your scheme is superior for whatever nebulous reason, you will win. The closer you can get to the minimalist fascist archetype, the more successful you will be.


Just my little pebbles worth

Spiritually empty, indeed... I myself have seen many a building that can only be described as that - a BUILDING... there's a complete and utter lack of any personality, so to say.

I believe it comes down to 99% of all architects being left brain, logical thinkers. The building may look utterly soul-less, but only in that it was created to serve a specific purpose, and that specific design was the most space-efficient for said purpose.

I agree totally, I would LOVE to see more artistic license and emotion being put into ALL buildings. The sad truth, however, is that you would end up with oodles of wasted and unusable space, which costs more to produce, and which most people are unwilling to pay for, just because it serves NO purpose other than pure aesthetics.

I work with architects all the time on a wide variety of projects, and have never seen one dressed in black. Kakis an jeans seem more common but there is no dress code that I am aware of.

Seems like a big bag of nothing to me.

Originally posted by Havoc40k
Spiritually empty, indeed... I myself have seen many a building that can only be described as that - a BUILDING... there's a complete and utter lack of any personality, so to say.

I believe it comes down to 99% of all architects being left brain, logical thinkers. The building may look utterly soul-less, but only in that it was created to serve a specific purpose, and that specific design was the most space-efficient for said purpose.

I agree totally, I would LOVE to see more artistic license and emotion being put into ALL buildings. The sad truth, however, is that you would end up with oodles of wasted and unusable space, which costs more to produce, and which most people are unwilling to pay for, just because it serves NO purpose other than pure aesthetics.

A child is born small and looks around and up, tell me are pure asthetics useless?
Asthetics teach spiritual values either negative or positive, we all look to the sky because Gosd infused it with his spirit.
Too many cities are now devoid of sky, just the demented scrawlings of souless black dressed sociopaths.

Originally posted by Terapin
I work with architects all the time on a wide variety of projects, and have never seen one dressed in black. Kakis an jeans seem more common but there is no dress code that I am aware of.

Seems like a big bag of nothing to me.

I agree --

I'm an architect and I usually wear jeans and a collared oxford-style shirt (not black) while in the office. During the summer, I'll wear a "polo-style" shirt in the office. I often visit jobsites -- which requires climbing ladders, poking my head above ceilings, and working in generally dirty/dusty areas. I really doubt black clothes would work in that situation, although I would somtimes wear khaki dress pants when I go on a jobsite, just to look a little "dressed-up"

For more formal meetings, I do have a dark suit -- but it's a very "common-looking" dark suit. However, because of the client involved, my latest projects have required me to wear the suit while poking my head above ceiling tiles, so my dry-cleaning bills have been high lately.

Generally, the "dark suits and the thick rimmed glasses" architect you probably have in mind is more of a false stereotype than the "norm". It may be true that there ARE architects like that, but the average everyday architect is just some guy/gal who works in an average office workplace and wears normal clothes.

I've probably worked directly with over 50 architects over the years, and none of them fit the description in the OP...
...well, maybe one -- and that one person was always "laughed at" a bit behind his back by most of us.



[edit on 4/23/2010 by Soylent Green Is People]

Probably the same reason people who work in salons or toher artsy types due....its so you focus on their art and not them,though thats what a hairstylist told me once.

Originally posted by Dr Conspire
Can one ask with due respect why 99% or so of buidings in the western world espescially in Australia are hideously spiritually empty travestys?
Are architects C grade Failed Interior designers , of course the answer is no, yet the end result suggests they are but lack the Gay creative Gene.
You may be constrained by budget , but oh God the output is horrendous.
Prince Charles commented quite profusely on the creative and spiritual bankruptcy of Modern British Architecture, he was howled down a sbeing a

I think we already know the answer to this. We are governed by Building codes and regulations, and have design implemented to account for certain factors. These factors contribute to what you may call the "horrendous" design. Yes of course money is an issue, and as someone mention in one of the replies that buildings are designed for a purpose. The purpose may be to used for practicality or productivity, preferably; what ever saves money and is easier to design will more likely be chosen over something more abstract which could have a much higher wallet output. However within the "heart of Melbourne" in Australia, look closer, search and you will find what many might dis acknowledge the liveliness and the bringing together of people from the creativity of the architecture within the city. Trust Me.

I think the whole concept of why architects wear black is more of a stereotype developed over time derived from many famous architects such as Le Corb or Louis Kahn, through photographs.
Light weight reading with a little humour, perhaps read the book, why do architects wear black.