The ‘Gentleman’s Profession’ and the Price We Pay for Our Passion

Welcome to this week's episode of Redlines, where we delve into the intriguing world of architecture and its untold stories. This week, we're taking a unique turn from our usual format. In this episode of Redlines, hosts Jake and Erin revisit stories from the Out of Architecture book that continue to look at the culture of exploitation within architecture.

Legitimate complaints about underpayment and poor working conditions are often dismissed under the guise of “the gentlemen’s profession.” We discuss the ways normative structures of propping up “starchitects” through exploitative labor practices can lead to an internalized drive toward toxic perfectionism in some workers while driving others out of the field completely.

Three Stories:

1. Jake recalls his internship experience at a famous Roman architecture firm, and details a culture of abuse, exploitation and harassment that was alluded to in the previous episode.

2. Architecture is considered a “gentleman’s profession” historically, as it was traditionally a field dominated by men of noble birth who were financially supported by their family wealth. This allowed them to spend years studying and working on projects that cost more than they could ever return. This perception, however, made it difficult for those without such wealth or social status to gain recognition and succeed in the field. We dive into this with a snippet from our audiobook with a look at Michelangelo as a way to frame an understanding of the profession today.

3. Our third story is an anonymized story of Cady*, a student of Erin’s who attempts to stand up to professors who had been exploiting her labor on a competition project. This story highlights the struggle of architecture students for fair wages, recognition in the field, and the power dynamic between students, professors, and practicing architects.

*name has been changed.

Quotes:

"We never thought someone so pleasant would stand up for herself."

"Now, family wealth propped up unpaid internships, facilitated travel abroad, and offered the ability to focus on passion projects on which every detail was polished to perfection."

“[...] when you dug deep into architectural history, including famous architects from the not so distant past and current big names in the field, the role of family wealth and personal connections glared back at you with contempt. The gentleman's profession, an idea that seemed so antiquated, was very much alive and well.”

Relevant Links:

• Out of Architecture website: https://www.outofarchitecture.com
• The Out of Architecture Audiobook can be found on Audible
• Information on becoming an Out of Architecture Patreon supporter: https://www.patreon.com/outofarchitecture

Invitation for Contributions:

• If you have an experience in the architecture profession that you believe would make a great addition to Redlines, we want to hear from you!
• Share your stories and insights about the industry, especially if they relate to unconventional or overlooked aspects of architectural work.

If you have resources to share that you think may be helpful to what was discussed in this episode, please email us at: [email protected]