They have to coordinate something that nobody else can hear simultaneously.
The conductor is not playing any of the instruments. The conductor does not produce any of the sounds that the audience is there to hear. The contribution of the conductor is about the relationships between the different sections of the orchestra.
This is exactly what an architect does for a complex project. And it is the most misunderstood part of the architect’s job for clients, most difficult to explain to those without experience of the architect’s role, and the most consequential for the architect if performed poorly.
A building involves a wide range of engineers and consultants. These people are experts within their respective fields, and the architect does not need to know more about those fields. Instead, the architect should have a sufficient understanding of each field and the impact that those fields have on the building. For a Monmouth Architect, visit www.hillsandcompany.co.uk/
The structural solution that works perfectly on its own terms but creates a ceiling height problem in a critical space. The mechanical system that achieves the required performance but consumes space in the architecture needed for something else. The fire strategy that satisfies the regulations but changes how occupants experience a building in ways nobody intended.
The only one who is hearing all of these things is the architect.
Only the architect has the power to intervene in the building before the individual notes become a discordant whole. The conductor who cannot hear the full orchestra will produce music that satisfies each section of the orchestra but will disappoint the audience.
The architect who can’t hold the whole building in mind produces a building where everything is technically correct but nothing quite works.
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