COVID and self reflection

When I was in my first year of architecture at Michigan, one of our studio design projects was to design a firehouse. The class took a field trip to tour a local fire department to talk to the firefighters and familiarize ourselves with the way a fire department works.

I still remember the chief of the department telling us that when we "grow up" and perhaps design a fire department in the future, we should always make sure the fire department is two stories and includes a fireman's pole. He said that when boys are young, they all dream of being a firefighter, but most eventually grow out of that dream and move onto something more "sensible". HE said the boys who actually do become firefighters are boys who never gave up their childhood dreams, and as such, the romance (my word, not his) of the fireman's pole is an important part of the job.

I have had the occasion to tour fire departments subsequently, and I believe for liability and safety reasons, fireman's poles are not commonly used any more. And a firefighter twisting his ankle from an awkward landing while responding to an emergency may create additional problems.

I still remember this story because I think being an architect is somewhat analogous to being a firefighter. True, only one of these jobs saves lives and is often referred to as "heroes". But many children dream of being an architect when they're young, only to move on to more sensible professions as they grow up. Architects too like firefighters, are boys (and girls) who held onto their childhood dreams as they they grew up. And likewise, I believe that the romance of the profession is also important to architects.