Opinion

2014 New Year Resolutions from Architecture & Design Bloggers

Happy New Year! Its January! That time of year for self evaluation, new beginnings, new projects and new collaborations. This time last year (after some serious self reflection) I packed up my stuff and moved interstate.

This year has brought on some equally significant personal changes for myself and an article to encapsulate this will come shortly, but for now I share the 2014 New Year Resolutions of my favourite architecture and design bloggers; those that I consider my friends and to whom I turn to for inspiration, advice and mentorship. Most of you might know the following blogs and even the personalities that represent them, but by sharing their resolutions I hope to deliver some insight into what lies ahead, exposing their aspirations and connecting their communities.

So, what do architecture and design bloggers want from 2014?  

ArchDaily:

“ArchDaily’s mission is to improve the quality of life of the next 3 billion people moving into cities, by providing inspiration, knowledge and tools to the architects who will face this challenge. This growth is not going to happen in the developed world. It is going to happen in the developing economies where architecture is now needed the most. With this in mind, we are launching ArchDaily China in the the first quarter of 2014, our main goal for the year. We are also looking into ways to continue expanding in the other side of the world during this year: India, Indonesia, Turkey, and certain parts of Africa. This is where architecture is needed right now, on a scale that goes faster than any traditional method of education.” David Basulto – ArchDaily Co-founder

ArchDaily was co-founded in March 2008 by David Basulto and David Assael. Today, ArchDaily is the worlds most visited architecture website, as of today they have published 24,631 articles with 383,589 comments.

Parlour: women, equity, architecture:

“2014 is going to be a busy year for Parlour: women, equity, architecture. The larger research project which gave rise to the website will be completed by the end of 2014, and over the course of the year we will disseminate extensive evidence of the need for change in the profession. This will be complemented by material and resources aimed at helping architecture become fairer, more equitable and stronger.

It has been an amazing ride so far – we have been heartened by the support the project has received, and thrilled to be an important part of the international push for gender equity in architecture. We have heard some very sad stories and some quite incredible ones, but perhaps more importantly, we have collected a large body of material that helps us all understand the (widely varying) everyday circumstances of women in architecture.

2014 will also be a turning point for Parlour. With the research project coming to an end it is also time to ask “what next?” What new roles might Parlour take up, and how will we fund this? Of course our research is but one part of a very long project for change – a project that has many players and was underway decades before we took on our particular bit, and that will continue far into the future. But we don’t think Parlour has run its full course yet.

We ended 2013 with the exciting news that the Australian Institute of Architects had developed and approved its first Gender Equity Policy. We hope that 2014 will be full of more signs that the profession is embracing the need for change and is actively pursuing it.” From the team at Parlour: women, equity, architecture. 

Established in 2012 Parlour: women, equity, architecture is a space to speak – bringing together research, informed opinion and resources; generating debate and discussion; expanding the spaces for women in Australian architecture.

A Daily Dose Of Architecture:

“Unlike previous years, in which I started with intentionally optimistic desires to change certain things in my life, I’ve shied away from making resolutions in 2014. Mainly this is due to the fact I’m busy with current and impending projects, and therefore I’m already in an optimistic frame of mind as to how the year will play out. Like resolutions themselves, things will not turn out entirely as I envision them, but such is the nature of life, collaboration, etc. – nothing worth fretting over in these first weeks of 2014. And being an architect who has turned to writing, freelancing and adjunct teaching as the primary means of working, I can’t stress how great it is to have universal health care kicking in this year in the United States. Obamacare allows me to stop worrying about the ridiculous costs of health insurance and focus on those areas of my life where hopefully I’m contributing something of value.” John Hill – Founder of A Daily Dose Of Architecture   

A Daily Dose Of Architecture is the (Almost) daily architectural musings and imagery from New York City, founded in 2004 by John Hill who also founded A Weekly Dose Of Architecture way back in 1999. 

Yellowtrace:

“My aim for 2014 is to get more balance back in life. In other words – work out a way to do less and earn more. Then I’ll share my awesome winning formula for 5 easy payments of $199. Kidding! But not really.” Dana Tomic Hughes – Founder of Yellowtrace. 

The Yellowtrace blog started in January 2010 as an online celebration for Dana’s love of great design and clever people. We used to be fellow Sydney-siders even working on the same building. She is a self-diagnosed design tragic and an award-winning interior designer.

archi-ninja:

My Own NY Resolution? This year is less about the marathon and more about the sprint: To try something new every 30 days. Every month in 2014 I get to do something I have never done before and utilising 30 days as being the perfect duration of time to create a new habit or break an old habit, 2014 the year of growth, focus and fun! Every month I share with you my new experience and what I learnt.

I would love you to share your own New Year Resolutions, personal or professional in the comment section below. Happy New Year! As always, feel free to get in touch: [email protected]