Kiel,

I'm hoping there will be some new venue that exposes the design process (employed in all the applied arts; architecture, interior design, graphics, landscape design, product design) to the public. Home and Garden Television has not done it, in fact, that's made it worse. Americans in particular seem to lack the patience to understand what we do. Granted, its not glamorous to figure out how to get a wheelchair through a set of doors and into a particular room, and that one tiny facet right there is simply an example of the thousands of details in a bulding that are taken for granted unless they don't work.

Why is the design process important to understand? Because it is critical problem-solving at its best. To take a site, note it's location, size, proximities, then create a building to serve a certain population in an effcient manner that also contributes to the aesthetic culture of the surroudning neighborhood, is a skill that can be applied in buidling companies and nations. A national devaluation of this process signfies a future of shallow thought and shallower achievements. As an example, the competitve (or lack thereof) state of American car companies.

If the Artist Relocation Project gets off the ground, it would be fun to see if a reporter would cover the first project from concept to completion Like a reality show, but with the advantage of giving Fresno a front row seat in the creation of architecture.

Jodi, you are right about both our backwardness and the Starchitect phenomenon. Giving credit is important, and it should be given where it is due.

However, the aspect that interests me about having reports contact the architect of the project, is that it helps us learn about and understand architecture. Architects have unique education, and perspectives on the world.

They also develop an intimacy with a building as they take it from concept the construction documents. This knowledge should be disseminated to the public as much as possible. This will not only give the public an understanding of the building, it will also foster an appreciation for the architecture and a demand for a quality built environment.

Yes, what a nice change. But we are still a bit backwards from the rest of the civilized world. In most large cities, the newsworthy element in media coverage of a new building is the architect (or Starchitect, as they call them). The developer is usually just a fact buried in the last lines. That's unbalanced though too. Architectural patronage is a civic responsibility that deserves honor as well.