Debate: should architecture schools produce 'oven-ready' architects?

摘要

Keen twitterati will remember a storm -well, strong breeze-which blew up on the social media platform back in February between Architects' Journal editor Rory Olcayto and Hari Phillips, a director of Bell Phillips Architects. The dispute was over architectural education. Phillips' beef was that many graduates, whilefull of big ideas, struggle with the practical end of the business. Olcayto countered that universities were not merely there to provide practices like his with cheap labour. This debate cut to the heart of a vital issue. Faced with skills shortages, practices like Phillips', which works predominantly in the housing sector, are crying out for graduates who can hitthe working world at a sprint. But, for many, this can jar with the fundamental purpose of education, which should allow bright young minds to soar into uncharted territory before the reality of producing a door schedule on a spec office block sucks them back to earth.The spat ended with Hari agreeing to meet the AJ at a summer show to examine the students' work. In July we got in touch again and decided upon the Bartlett. It seemed the perfect theatre. The school is famous, or infamous depending on your point of view, for generating conceptual and - let's be honest-occasionally confusing work.