The most prestigious role you can normally have in a software group is that of "architect." Bjarke Ingels is a rapidly rising star in the realm of physical-world architecture. So naturally I was on alert when he made an off-hand comment about software.
B.I.G.
The Bjarke Ingels Group has built high-profile projects all over the world. For example, here
is a view of a building they're designing in Manhattan. They've made a little movie about it that gives a good perspective view as well.
A profile about the architect and his work just appeared in the WSJ. While talking about the challenges involved in the project depicted above, he said the following:
"I like complexity, but I like it in the real meaning of the word, as the opposite of complication," Mr. Ingels says. "In computer programming, you try to transmit the most information with the fewest lines of code. With buildings, it's the same: Complexity is a child of simplicity. You want to create as much quality with a minimum amount of effort."
This blew my mind: "you try to transmit the most information with the fewest lines of code." It blew my mind not because it's new (to me), but because it's simple, it's elegant, it's concise, and it expresses a deep truth about programming heard all too rarely from people involved with computers.
What usually happens when "software architects" get involved with software is that more code is written that somehow manages to get less done. They have all sorts of reasons why they think that's a good thing, except they're usually wrong.
Here's a thought: maybe we should send our software architects to "real" architecture school. If anything like Bjarke Ingels is the result, we'll be better off.
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