I Love Architects!

No, not a Monty Python sketch, but a much anticipated day "locked up" with an architect to discuss the preliminary brief for the new main library. It was challenging, exhausting, exhiliarating, stimulating, exciting...and that was just the first hour!!! It's wonderful to be able to describe an outcome that you envision in words and feelings and have the architect translate that into a tangible space - even if it is only notes and sketches so far. Also the pleasure and pride of showing your visitor around your town - looking at the familiar architecture through a discerning set of eyes. And imagining the new library all built and new on the selected site.

"My" architect is no pussycat - he pushed and challenged, and perhaps a less self-assured soul than myself would be a bit intimidated by this approach - but after thinking about this project for so many years, being confident in my knowledge of the community (both gut and documented, ie numerous community audits and surveys), I found the challenges warranted, stimulating and ultimately productive. Confident too that I've kept up my knowledge of trends and can speak on an equal footing about examples from Australia, New Zealand, Singapore etc., cutting and pasting the bits that could be translated to our own community - in fact I like to think that a knack for synthesis - blending existing ideas to create something new - is one of my strong points. So all those skills and interests were validated today. Which spells job satisfaction.

Let's hope the euphoria is maintained after we take our preliminary concept to the Director tomorrow.

Architects truly do have beautiful minds...