BERKELEY PRIZE COMPETITION ESSAY PARTICIPANT Mr Brock S DeSmit COUNTRY United States UNIVERISTY University of Detroit Mercy DEPARTMENT school of architecture MAJOR architecture YEAR 3 FIRST DRAFT My answer to the essay question prescribed is simply that architects should continue to design buildings that are structural, functional, and beautiful. Doing this will forever produce social art. I do, however, believe that there should be an emphasis placed on one aspect of functionality being an “engagement of interaction.” A culture can only protect itself by becoming actively involved with itself. There is a need for action and a clear path for these actions to occur. I have concluded these thoughts after reading an article by Colin St. John Wilson. He states, “The limits of an architecture are the limits of the culture that it serves. It is the embodiment of values that have been worked out before by a culture in all its levels of awareness (religious, political, economic). The cathedral did not invent religion!” To continue, he points out that architecture must serve the need of society in two ways: 1) Structures must be designed to benefit common use. 2) These buildings should communicate their function through aesthetics While I could argue about whether architecture as a social art can only exist in the form of a building, I will affirm that good art consistently illuminates societal status. 'Art sets out to transform the potential recognition of an environment into an increasing one.' Concluding, this engagement of interaction I refer to calls for architect's creative thoughts, it calls for a gathered and aware community, and it results in an amplified appreciation for our surroundings. FIRST SOURCES