A Professional Practice
Architecture is the professional practice of building design engaging with social, political, economical and environmental issues. This practice goes beyond design and construction, although, that is the ultimate goal. These designs have the ability to create impacts on people within a large range of scales; these vary from large to small scales, such as, a single-family home to a large urban development. Each of these forms could potentially create a positive or negative impact within these areas. A positive impact would include a hospital in an area of need, a renovation of an old fire department or strategically placed new housing developments. On the contrary, a negative impact could be a large skyscraper in a midrise development or a gas station in a neighborhood.
The professional practice of architecture has always been appealing to me; I want to create positive impacts on communities and individual lives and for people to enjoy where they live, directly and indirectly. This goes beyond their four walls, it extends into their neighbors’ property; how do these two structures share space? This question leads to the impact on both of the families in these homes. Furthermore, does the renovation of an old fire department create an impact on the one single person?
Maybe; but probably not. A renovation of such would create impact on a community, if the response team were able to get their gear and leave that station quicker, it would

create faster response times and making a safer community in general. This is what architecture is to me; as a community of professionals we should design for the future, designs that are sustainable are designs that will last, designs that make communities better and bring positive impacts all over the world. It is a team effort.
This all leads to the role that architecture plays within society, other than the direct impact that a space creates, architecture also creates housing for many uses.
The traditional type of housing of course, apartments, condos, etc., come to mind when someone thinks about “architecture”. Commonly I get the response, “Oh, so you’re going to build my future mansion, when I’m rich?” when I tell someone I study architecture. This is a bold statement because it really expresses the way others see our profession and how skewed their visions of this practice can be.
However, housing can mean much more than the traditional dwelling unit. I view the concept of housing as a shelter, for any place, where its inhabitants can call home.
It could be a building that houses a company or a religious temple. It houses the use that it was intended for, which is big role that architecture plays in society. To dwell and to house, both bring forward to different meanings in my mind; therefore, architecture does play the role in society to create dwellings for the billions of people on this earth, but also, to house the other building uses that change from society to society.

As a professional, architects have a large role in society, as they hold the power to create all of these designs in which overtime develop impacts throughout different societies.