Hey Architect

My experience is redefining my image of an architect.

I'm not sure what people think an architect is. I had very little idea until I started to become one. And by then I was experiencing the exaggerated individuality of personality of my various teachers and bosses, I could only hazard a guess that architects were not to be judged as a homogeneous class. Perhaps the professional characteristic is to not have a characteristic.

As a kid I thought architects designed and drew up houses. I don't know where I got this perception, but since becoming qualified I have noticed many others share it.

It is erroneous and a delusion.
Architects are responsible for the design of a dismally small proportion of housing. Peter Ward of The Weekend Australian March 2001 estimated less than 6 percent. It's likely to be one-off housing for a discerning or wealthy few. The prevalence of mass produced housing shows an abysmal lack of individuality, so chances are architects are designing furniture, bridges, toilet blocks or a large multi-use building, anything in fact, but the detached house.

Secondly architects don't ever 'just draw up' things. I remember it was on this basis my mother thought it would be a good profession for a female. I would stay at home drawing and look after the inevitable kids. I should have chosen to become a draftsperson. And even in that capacity, I would still be required to be discerning as to what I would draw, to ensure it complied with safety codes and likely as not, if I was working from home, I would be running a business.

Running a business from home means working late, doing GST accounts, following up fees so you can cover your costs and answering the phone at truly the oddest hours. And having the serious cost and responsibility of professional indemnity insurance. I should have got a job in a florist shop.. or a library.

I was very excited when I made it though the rigorous examination to be registered as an architect. I was working for a boss I respected and finally understood the many roles an architect could take on, including writing instructions to a builder, specifications and filing, which I did a lot of. I also understood at this time that being an architect was about knowing a lot about things like contracts and law, and, well, drawing skills were the least of it. Some weeks I did not draw at all.

Just to confuse the issue of my definition of an architect, as soon as I was legally able to call myself an architect, I became a student again, to research for a Masters degree. Back at the old Uni with the old car and the secondhand or home-made funky clothes. Or at least I hoped the clothes were funky, they may have been merely odd. And my car at that time was being assembled. A 1973 stag, designed by an Italian and built by the British. We of course, had to improve this combination, it received a Holden motor teamed with a Toyota Celica box, Nissan wheels, a Mercedes steering wheel and a unique colour, by me. Possibly it could have been the best of all things, but on the road the suspicion was it it was merely the worst characteristics of all. This car did not fit the image of the architect, though it was the same car as my supervising academic at the university drove, but architects value the original. And it was nothing like the late model cars and small four wheel drives favoured by local professionals. Since this time I have further departed from any possible norms. I'm happy to cycle on my $50 bike to a site meeting.

To further complicate the image of an architect, the law changed. The Architects Act of nineteen twenty something was updated. To be an Architect in Australia means now that you need to be registered, as an individual. It was not enough any longer to be working in an architect's office. Suddenly in 2003 there were a lot less architects. And I happened to be one of the few. A statistical rarity, being under 40 and a female.

Unfortunately for my research progress I accepted architectural work and somehow it increased. By the time my scholarship ran out I was ready to list myself in the phone book. Actually, I'm still not sure how that happened. I think my sister was putting her name in the book and added mine. Mum paid for it.

Then the bank refused to accept cheques made out to anything but me personally, spelt correctly. I had to register a business name to obtain a business bank account. Which I did. For the privilege I had to pay more fees.

As to what I called myself. In the car one Sunday after my first job with my family I'd voiced the idea that my name was too long for an architect's firm. There was some discussion to which I offered the solution of calling myself simply 'Arkitek'. My father offered 'Fem' – five in Danish- I offered 'Hej' pronounced hey- or 'hello' in Danish. It is my initials backwards, which may pay homage to my Irish ancestry. Also, when my father would ask me something he would prefix it by “hey! architect!”. I should explain that usually his questions were asked at a distance no less than the full length of the house. He then would proceed to do precisely what he thought of last, in any case. I began to like the both/and nature of this name. I thought of a third reason why Hej Arkitek would be good. My father was known as Iven the Mechanic, in fact very few people know his surname. I could be Janet the Architect.

In practice it turned out I often have to spell both my whole name and A.R.K.I.T.E.K for people. It also led to a lot of confusion as to the size of my operation, especially by people wanting to sell things or receive donations.