Collaborative ideation

Ideation tends to emphasise individualism, both in education and practice reflecting how designers prioritise individual likes and dislikes over collective preferences. Ideas, then, may appear "selfish", metaphorically speaking, in that ideators seek to maximise their chances of getting their ideas accepted and, ultimately realised. But selfish ideas are capable of adaptation as manifested in forms of collaborative ideation. For example, Walter Gropius embraced the philosophy of working collaboratively with others when he was the director of Bauhaus in Germany and, later, when he became a member of the US architectural firm The Architects Collaborative. For TAC, then, the idea of collaboration was carried out in that an entire group of architects would have their input on a project. Paul Rudolph was inspired by this collaborative approach when he enrolled in Gropius's master class at Harvard University, as an architect student. Rudolph explains: 'Although I had studied architecture for five years, I had no sense of direction. I found in Gropius's teaching a base on which one could build, not merely a formula, as so many others have ... Gropius's strength lies in his ability to analyze and make precisely clear the broad problems of our day ... He was able to incorporate many diverse ideas and still give a sense of direction'*. Interestingly, in Rudolph's own practice he borrowed ideas liberally from the first generation of modern architects, such as Wright, Le Corbusier and Mies and was always willing to acknowledge his sources in the works of these pioneers. * Rudolph P. (1952) Paul Rudolph. Perspecta, The Yale Architectural Journal pp 18-25.