Who educates the people who inhabit architecture?

I was still a student in my sixth year of university when a strange event changed the way I looked at architectural education. I was in a bookstore near the college when a worker in a dusty overalls approached the counter and, in a determined voice, asked the shop assistant:

- Hello. Do you have facades?

The woman looked at him confused.

- You mean you want a book on facades?

- No, I want to build a house and the Town Hall told me I need facades.

The lady's reply, though well-meaning, didn't help him much. She suggested that he find an architect to draw his design. The man left, probably more frustrated than when he came in.

I, on the other hand, stood there, deep in thought. It was clear that the man, though he probably worked in construction, had no idea about the design process. What's more, he seemed convinced that 'facades' were an off-the-shelf product, something you bought ready-made.

That's when I began to