Philippe Jeanty was interested in saving money but also time when he decided to design a house using SketchUp. Mr. Jeanty, a 58-year-old doctor with no architecture or engineering training, spent several months coming up with a plan for a one-story, three-bedroom house in Fairview, Tenn., with thick, insulated walls and numerous windows. Using SketchUp, he was able to keep tweaking the design until he was satisfied. �If we had to discuss the plans with an architect and said, �We want to change this, change that,� it would be an endless number of meetings,� Mr. Jeanty said.
As it was, he just hired a draftsman and a builder to carry out his plan, and his lack of design knowledge, he said, wasn�t an issue: �The only thing we really regret is putting marble in too many places. It�s a pain to maintain.�
Here at SketchUp HQ, we're more than a little conflicted about stories like this one. On one hand, it's great that folks like Dr. Jeanty are able to realize their ideas using our software�I'd love to congratulate him on his successful project. On the other hand, owning a scalpel doesn't make me a surgeon. I would no sooner remove my own gall bladder than proceed with a major building project without consulting an expert.
SketchUp is used by everyone from schoolchildren to world-renowned architects, and that's exactly how we like it. But how should we react to stories that portray accessible tools as a replacement for domain expertise? How do we continue to encourage enthusiastic amateurs without downplaying the importance of trained professionals?
The original NYT article didn't include a feedback thread, which is a shame. If you like, feel free to use this post's Comments to let us know what you think.
