1/4/09

Why architects wear black!?


Black Sketch Book
* 100 contemporary architects, designers and draftsmen explain
* Collection of handwritten explanations in an A6-format notebook
* Contains statements by Peter Eisenman, Jacques Herzog, Rem Koolhaas etc.

An industry manager who left his white-blue, silver-shimmering world of car bodywork and dove into the pitch-black, mysterious world of architecture for the first time during a competition asked me one day: "Ms Rau, why do architects actually wear black?" Although I was wearing black and I am an architect I didn’t have a spontaneous answer, so I responded: "Ask the other architects!" That was in 2001, and it is why this small book came to be. I have asked the question at an international level and whenever it seems appropriate ever since. The sometimes amusing and other times programmatic or hair-splitting answers I have received over the last seven years are listed chronologically in this little black volume. Read, and please, don’t ask me why architects wear black!

{LINK}

6 comments:

Unknown said...

LoooL!Interestring.. Totally bying it

iMaha said...

heehehe yea me too :)

thirty1seven said...

1. They do it to look professional
2. They can get away with it without looking like the outfit was from 3 years ago.
3. They see other professional designers wearing it so to fit in they do it.

Its a fun read but I agree with the "Ask the other architects!" too hehe.

iMaha said...

you have it? how wonderful - 3 reasons are not enough for me! tell me more ;)

thirty1seven said...

Hehe no I don't I've skimmed the book but these are just from my point of view ;P

but I've heard that some of the architects said they wore black because of "fear" or "green", "its fashionable, doesn't stand out, easy choice, tragic, etc."

I have "101 things I Learned in Architecture School" a fun read yet also a valuable guidebook to use as a young designer or even student! :)

iMaha said...

oh thats great, I will check out book then, thanks dear for the tip ;)