Architects can't solve the world's problems, but they can still make a significant impact, say Venice Architecture Biennale directors Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara, who compare architecture to the slow-food movement.
The duo, who are the founders of Dublin-based studio Grafton Architects, claim that architects don't have the power to combat global issues. But they say that small projects can still make a huge contribution to society, and they urge architects to be optimistic about the importance of their work.
"It's like the slow-food movement ? you can sometimes operate at a very small scale and have an impact," said McNamara.
"There's no reason to feel depressed by not being able to solve the big problems of the world," she said. "Because architects don't have power. We only have power to make architecture. But we believe that this can make small changes, and we know that a lot of small changes can lead to something big and build up a momentum." Grafton's manifesto calls for "generosity of spirit" in architecture
McNamara said that even they are sometimes frustrated by not being able to design "at the scale of infrastructure", but that they don't let it get to them.
"If you don't have that, you're still in the big picture," she said.
Farrell and McNamara are using the Venice Biennale to celebrate the gifts that architects give for free, such as the public spaces at their Universidad de Ingeniería y Tecn...