In this week's comments updated readers discussed whether American rapper and designer Kanye West's plan to move into architecture would be a catalyst for change in the industry, or just a marketing ploy.
Yeezy Home: West's tweet calling for architects and designers to join his new architecture company and "make the world a better place", seemed to split opinion among readers, who either applauded or sneered at the 40-year-old's latest plans.
"I don't see what all the freak-out is about. In all likelihood, he'll get involved in some vanity project with a big-name collaborator, pump out a couple concepts, pat himself on the back, and the whole enterprise will fold within a few years," shrugged Jon
CA suggested West's new career path was a sign of the times: "His involvement in architecture is a reflection on the industry as a whole. Until design thinking and the insights of architects is respected as a necessity instead of as a luxury, we'll be stuck in this cycle," Colonel Pancake was happy to defend the rapper: "Why is it s a bad thing for Kanye to pursue his passion of architecture and promote its interest among the public is beyond me. Especially considering he's wildly successful at every creative endeavour he pursues."
"Promoting the architecture profession is fine. Promoting yourself by pretending to be an architect is fraud," fired back Bill Hogan
Heywood Floyd felt fellow readers were too quick to jump the gun: &q...