From Specialist to Holistic

"Birds and insects, through specialisation and drastic physical adaptation over enormous periods of time, have the capacity to fly. Humans step into a plane. Cheetahs run at high speeds. We are relatively slow movers, yet we speed to the Moon. A kit of simple tools will permit us to amplify our puny strength or cut up food outside our mouth. We do not adapt our feet to walk on harsh surfaces; we slip on shoes. Nor do our singularly naked bodies restrict us to a narrow climatic region. We simply put on and take off clothing. We are, in effect, experts in non-specialisation."

Rodick Carmichael, Actuality and Artifice.

In the Industrial Age, specialization was it.
Know more and more about less and less.
Left brain, left.
Specialized machines required specialized skill.
Specialized rooms.
Specialized furniture.
Specialized knowledge was prized.
Separate and conquer your small portion of the world.

In the Information Age, the holy generalist is reborn.
The hole world is re-connected.
Recognize the pattern.
No need to know anymore. Find it on-line!
Right, brain?
The computer is all tools and one generalized method of operation.
A Universal tool for all occasions.
The knowledge base is built in.
Rooms dissolve.
Structure and furniture merge.
Manage the multiplicity of moveable modules .
Hey, where did the architecture go?
It didn't go anywhere.
Recognize the new.
All environments merge.


Related Articles: Generalists or Specialists?: We consider: "Should the next generation of architects practice as generalists or specialists, or both?"

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