ESP INSIGHT 06
ESP INSIGHTS | EDUCATION & COMMUNITY
Where Have All the Television Architects Gone?
There was a time when children could turn on the television and see Mike Brady working as an architect on The Brady Bunch.
Years later, George Costanza introduced us to Art Vandelay on Seinfeld.
Of course, George wasn't actually an architect. He just thought telling people he was one sounded impressive.
Apparently, architecture was a pretty good career choice, even if you had absolutely no intention of doing the work.
But Mike Brady has been off television for decades, and George Costanza isn't exactly inspiring a new generation of architects anymore.
So who's introducing children to the profession today?
Ask a child what they want to be when they grow up.
You might hear firefighter, police officer, doctor, teacher, veterinarian, or professional athlete.
But how often do you hear architect?
For many children, architecture isn't a career they've considered. Not because they wouldn't enjoy it, but because they may never have met an architect or had someone explain what architects actually do.
And unlike firefighters, police officers, or teachers, architects aren't necessarily people children encounter or recognize in their everyday lives.
It's difficult to dream about becoming something when you don't even know it's an option.
You Don't Have to Grow Up in a Big City to Become an Architect
When people think about architecture, they often picture skyscrapers, famous buildings, and the architects who designed them.
Those are certainly part of the profession.
But architecture happens everywhere.
In small towns, architects help design schools, libraries, homes, medical offices, restaurants, and community buildings.
In suburban communities, they work with business owners expanding their operations, developers creating housing, and families adapting their homes.
In rural areas, architects can help communities develop facilities that serve people for generations.
You don't have to grow up surrounded by skyscrapers to become interested in architecture.
Sometimes that interest begins with a building on Main Street, a school classroom, a construction site, or a simple drawing at the kitchen table.
And you certainly don't have to move to a major city to build a meaningful career in the profession.
Architecture Is About More Than Drawing Buildings
One of the things I would love for children to understand is that architecture isn't simply about being good at drawing.
Drawing is one way we communicate ideas. But there's much more to the profession.
Architecture involves asking questions, solving problems, understanding how people use spaces, and thinking about how different decisions affect the finished building.
Why does a classroom have windows in certain locations?
Why are some hallways wider than others?
How do people move through a library, restaurant, or hospital?
What makes one room comfortable while another feels awkward?
These are questions children can begin exploring long before they understand building codes, structural systems, or construction documents.
And they don't need expensive equipment to start.
A pencil, a piece of paper, a few building blocks, or even a cardboard box can introduce the idea that spaces are created through decisions.
What If Architecture Isn't Their Future Career?
That's perfectly fine.
Not every child who enjoys designing something will become an architect.
Some may discover an interest in engineering, construction, interior design, planning, or one of the many other professions involved in creating the places we live and work.
Others may become teachers, doctors, business owners, or pursue something completely unrelated to buildings.
But the experience still has value.
Learning about design encourages children to observe their surroundings, ask questions, consider different solutions, and understand that decisions have consequences.
It teaches them that the first idea isn't necessarily the best idea.
Sometimes you have to erase something, move a wall, reconsider a doorway, or start over because you discovered a better solution.
Those lessons aren't exclusive to architecture.
They're useful in almost everything we do.
Sometimes All It Takes Is an Introduction
I earned my architecture degree from Ball State University, but my interest in buildings and design didn't begin with a college application.
And I wonder how many children might discover a similar interest if someone simply gave them an opportunity to explore it.
They don't need to understand the profession.
They don't need to know what college they might attend.
They certainly don't need to decide what they want to do for the rest of their lives.
They just need an opportunity to try something.
Draw a building.
Design a bedroom.
Imagine a new playground.
Figure out how to create a house for a family with different needs.
Then ask them why they made the decisions they did.
The answers might surprise you.
Introducing ESP Little Architects
That's the thinking behind ESP Little Architects, a community education initiative from ESP Architects.
The idea is simple: introduce children to architecture and design through activities that encourage creativity, curiosity, and problem-solving.
We're developing drawing sheets, design challenges, educational materials, and other opportunities for children to explore how buildings and spaces are imagined.
Not as a competition.
Not as a recruiting program.
And certainly not because every child needs to become an architect.
It's about giving children another possibility to consider.
A child growing up in a small Indiana town should know that becoming an architect is just as real an opportunity as it is for a child growing up in downtown Chicago.
And if that child eventually chooses a completely different career, perhaps they'll still carry something useful from the experience.
An appreciation for how buildings work.
A willingness to ask better questions.
Or the understanding that they can take an idea, work through the challenges, and create something meaningful.
You Never Know Where an Idea Might Lead
A drawing today might become a hobby tomorrow.
That hobby might become an interest in design, engineering, construction, or architecture.
And someday, that child might help design a school, hospital, apartment building, or community center that serves thousands of people.
Or they might simply grow up with a better understanding of the built environment around them.
Both are worthwhile outcomes.
Because sometimes the most important thing we can give a child isn't an answer about their future.
It's the opportunity to discover a possibility they didn't know existed.
Explore ESP Little Architects
Free drawing activities, design challenges, and educational resources are being developed at:
esparch.com/little-architects
STRATEGY FIRST. DESIGN SECOND. SUCCESS ALWAYS.