Summer reading and Schools of Architecture and Design

Summer is a great time for reading those novels and books that we haven't had time to throughout the year. From the long list of books waiting for me, I chose “Murder of a Medici Princess”. This cannot be considered a novel, but rather a history book written from the perspective of Isabella de Medici. It's amazing to me that a history book has so much relation to the current scene of architecture and design education.

In the book, Isabella, daughter of Duke Cosimo I and Eleonora of Toledo, Spain is an educated, inquisitive woman. The book traces Isabella's life against the backdrop of politics, intrigue, and war in Europe. Rich families are looking to strategically marry their children to those who will help to secure or expand their influence and to maintain stability for future generations. Rulers such as Cosimo seek to remain in power, keep the peace by forming and renewing alliances usually with Spain (so that France does not become too strong) as he entertains ideas of expansion.

Our heroine, Isabella, who gained much of her power from her father (she is his favorite daughter) is constantly forming alliances with other women. However, in the end, as the title suggests, she is murdered because her brother, the new ruler, does her in.

So what does 15th century Italy have to do with architecture education? I believe there are valuable lessons to be learned from this book for schools of architecture and design, as the one I lead, IE School of Architecture and Design in Madrid/Segovia. For example, alliances with other schools or organizations are not permanent and therefore, should not be taken for granted. Alliances and agreements for collaboration need nurturing and renewal based on changing situations. Old alliances, such as “the old boys’ club” in architecture are giving way to new structures and new practices. As we look towards working with other schools or design firms or organizations, we need to make sure that the relationships are not only balanced, but complementary, encouraging best practices and inventive new ways of approaching our goals.

Networks for the flow of information and energy are powerful, especially cross-cultural networks. The major challenges facing 21st century society today are global. Therefore, networks are essential to share information, find common ground, and to work together. When we embrace diversity as a positive tool to naturally increase knowledge and understanding, we are one step closer to successfully tackling important issues. Design research can benefit by working across all boundaries (geographic, cultural, gender, etc.) There is no excuse for not using the power of technology to connect us to share information and best practices as we tackle common problems.

And finally, working together must be more than just a win-win situation for the parties involved. It must be a qualitative step forward for all. Establishing common goals has to be a way for all parties to grow and to benefit in ways that alone they would not be able to achieve. Therefore, as we look to strategic alliances for modern day schools of architecture and design, we can learn a lot from our heroine Isabella.