When architects wore suits אדריכלות ישראלית Architecture of Israel #133 August 2023 | | 74 food for work when architects had a reason to wear suits Dr. Hillit Mazor In issue #4 of Israeli Architecture we published an interview with Dr. Michael Chyutin, who complained about the deteriorating socio-economic status of architects in Israel, reflected in low wages and commissions as well as, inter alia, growing public perception of devaluation of the profession, which was once considered the dream of many. The deterioration of the architects' status has reached its lowest ebb ever, in part due to the massive growth of other bodies with interests, amazingly, with the incomprehensible support of the Local Authorities through deliberate and unnecessary regulation. This situation peaked as Architect Orna Angel, Chairperson of the Israeli Architects’ Association released the following post: "I am very close to calling on young people not to go into architecture. The State and its institutions do not grasp the incredible investment in time and devotion required to attain and practice the profession - nor, either the efforts in school or the time and depth that must be invested in planning and designing a worthy project. As with any social matter, the problem begins and ends with education, and here, a well -known English homily is on target; Those who can’t do, teach. In 1985 there were approximately 3,750 architects in Israel, of which 85% actually practiced. Israel today is flooded with about 12,000 licensed architects, of whom only 40% are working in the practical labor market. The rest teach architecture, with almost no professional experience, or serve in the Local Authorities, where their main job is to harden the life of the active architects, while others are looking for different occupations, abandoning some 20 years of arduous studies and training. The leakage of graduates of architecture schools to other professions creates a severe shortage in the big architectural offices, where those who actually do the work are about four thousand skilled Practitioners and Practical Architectural engineers who control the professional planning and design software, prepare the working drawings, manage the subcontractors and are actually responsible for the project from start to finish. Interestingly, unlike the graduates of the architecture schools, most graduates of the Practical Architectural engineer schools actually work in their profession - some as self-employed, some (as mentioned) in architectural offices, others as “checkers” in the Local Authorities, and some as teachers in the architectural tracks in high schools - an important (yet wasted) framework to foster skilled students for the next generation. Against this backdrop, the latest "achievement" of the Architects’ Association is proudly expressed in reinforcing restrictions on the work of thousands of Practical Architectural engineers, instead of expanding it. Interestingly, although those tracks have long since deserted their original name as a "construction and architecture technician track" - even today about half of the study credits are granted to students for matriculation in "construction technology", for which they are still preparing by memorizing data from the same old-fashioned books. It is important to note that this track was established during the '80's as a kind of military preparatory technical route designed to train professionals for the IDF's Construction Center. In 1995 a subcommittee of the Ministry of Education fortified it with some creative elements, such as studio and final project, but the technical education track still controls the agenda, and students are forced to prepare for final exams by memorization . This, while the role of high school architecture studies in other countries is designed to allocate and cherish skilled students, preparing them to be the next generation of architects. And in closing: Examination of the Practical engineer schools’ curriculums reveals that in order to gain the title of licensed Practical Architectural engineer students must undergo about 3,750 hours of academic studies, only 800 hours less than that required by accredited architecture schools. The low socio-economic status of architects, and mainly their dependence on others strongly raises the question, why, when an experienced licensed Practical Architectural engineer aspires to upgrade his professional status by entering an accredited Israeli (only!) architecture school, none of his previous studies, nor his practical experience is counted and he must start again from scratch.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjgzNzA=