The architecture world is a very different place compared to what it was ten years ago - a fact that is all too obvious for today's young architects, who bore the brunt of the financial crisis. But how can recent graduates harness such rapid change to make a positive impact? This article written by ArchDaily en Español's Nicolás Valencia explores the impact of the financial crisis on architecture in the Global South and in particular in the Spanish-speaking world, finding that it may be the inalienable right of the architect "to give yourself room to fail or to quit."
For some years now, three figures have been floating around that are worrisome to Chilean architects and architectural students: every year 48 architectural schools enroll 3,500 students and give degrees to another 1,400 in a completely saturated market. The future appears bleak, the professional internships are depressing, and among those who already have degrees, we're all too familiar with the exploitative offices that not only offer their employees zero contracts (or health insurance of any kind, all the while praying that nobody gets injured) but also make them work much more than they agreed to with paltry salaries and labor unions that have seen better days. Meanwhile at the universities, talking about money in studios, or about flesh and blood clients, has become a taboo subject. “Students, don't let money tarnish the beauty of the discipline” they tell you. Of course, not only does it not get tarnished, but we've gotten to the point where many don't even know how much to charge for a plan drawing, let alone for an actual project.
In Spain, the so-called generación mileurista (the “thousandaire generation” because their salaries all hover at around one thousand Euros per month) of architects have reinvented themselves for better or for worse in the wake of the Great Recession that slowly and painfully devoured the Iberian Peninsula over the past 7 years. After so much strife the good news is that, much like what happened with the revolution of the 390 (and counting) journalism start-ups that were launched in Spain after the explosion of the economic crisis, hundreds of young architects have been responsible for the development of countless collectives, offices, and international disciplinary innovations, a breath of fresh air in a country buried by the recession - ironically, by property speculation.
