GIULIA SALVITTI

© photo by giulia salvitti

As a former Building Engineering and Architecture student, the multidisciplinary approach has always been persistent throughout my academic background, since the course itself is expressly displayed as an interfaculty course degree, a convergence of subjects strictly related to the architectural field, that come together with those more closely related to the building engineering and construction technology world. Thrilled by the possibility to feed my eagerness to learn more about this multifaceted disciplinary field, I took the opportunity to approach the architecture world deepening all aspects of the matter, taking advantage of the plentiful opportunities to share our ideas and to network with other students and professors. Our main guideline derived from assumption that every design challenge must be faced with an open-minded attitude. Even from the very beginning of the design process, we had to take into account all different aspects performing an inclusive vision of the project. I have learnt how being a multidisciplinary skilled designer does not barely mean knowing how to juggle the architecture and building engineering related subjects, but also and above all, to deepen and be intrigued by a whole vast scenario of disciplines even far from the defined architecture framework. Urban planning, sociology, legislation, philosophy are just some of the numerous extra fields of study that come into relation with architectural practice. This is not to say that the designer has to be a polymath, but he supposed to collect insights from other professionals’ experiences and let himself be successfully contaminated by his personal background.

This concept of contamination was clear to me when I had the opportunity to study a year in a foreign country where I realized how important is to exchange and share ideas as a powerful creative tool. The richness of that experience was not merely related with having the challenge of interacting with a different academic system, but also getting to know people from all over the world and with different reality perceptions, who enriched my personal and professional life.

I can therefore say that my academic experience as a designer has been dotted with possibilities aimed at defining an interdisciplinary approach, constantly building up my ability to question myself on the multiplicity of needs and points of view that might often come into conflict with each other. The advantage of a conscious insight lies precisely in untangling these needs and drawing up a hierarchy of priorities that has to guide our action.

The problem crops up in the transition from the academic to the professional environment where, although multi-tasking and diversified soft skills are appreciated, specific skills in sectoral areas are still sought and enhanced.

Often occurs that, after graduation, students full of expectations and driven from the desire to put into practice the value of the former educational experience, have to face a work reality in which most of the activities require specific expertise and with departments working isolated from each other. In this kind of context, the cross-fertilisation of knowledge, which is supposed to happen among colleagues of different areas, does not encounter a breeding ground. The enormous gap between the enthusiasm of the academic period, in which students are constantly encouraged to dive into a wide variety of disciplines, and the early work life experience, tend to be fulfilled with a strong sense of frustration that could lead to fall out of love with your own career. It is difficult for a young professional to put aside his ambition and his desire to learn to adapt to a system that is not ready to welcome such fervour and plurality. The problem that I pinned down, based also on others young colleagues’ struggles, is the lack of communication during the different stages of the project definition. This is ironic in light of all different expertise on the line involved simultaneously with the same objective. Carve out some time to cross-check and share about ones progress would save a lot of time and energies, facilitating problems identification and theirs solutions. Moreover, outlining an interdisciplinary workplace pattern would mean dare the team to give more, to think over the edge of the strict self-sphere of competence, and allow all the individuals involved to carry out their best performance.

“Building art is a synthesis of life in materialised form. We should try to bring in under the same hat not a splintered way of thinking, but all in harmony together” affirmed Alvar Aalto, one of the father of modern architecture, defining the way we all as professionals should look at our actions.

We all need to recognize the importance of an integrative practice not only in theory, in the approach to learning, but also in practice and promote virtuous actions in the workplace in order not to lose the desire to learn and be positively influenced by the sharing of knowledge. If the current work scenario cannot provide an inspirational environment, we have the right, as young designers, to define our own space where we can carry on the conversation and sharing ideas. With this in mind, an interdisciplinary meeting platform can actively contribute to fill the void perceived once immersed in the world of work and to counteract the tendency towards individualism, even professional, that nowadays is surrounding us.