Let's be square!
I think that we can
all agree that including the user in the design process and considering
everyday life during the design process can only benefit the local community;
but how to we do this and do this successfully including budget, scheduling,
programming and aesthetic design?
First, before we look
for a solution, let's try to define "everyday" activities - there is an irony that people like to ignore the everyday life
when in reality that is when and where we live the majority of life – shouldn’t
design be more about the everyday when that is truly what it is to be human??
Everyone wants to design for the elite and the extra special moments when in
reality maybe we should be focusing on creating the best everyday experience.
“Not surprisingly,
since everyone is potentially an expert on everyday life, everyday life has
never been of much interest to experts. Lefebvre pointed out that although
experts and intellectuals are embedded in everyday life, they prefer to think
of themselves as outside and elsewhere. Convinced that everyday life is
trivial, they attempt to evade it.”
Everyday life is
often disregarded and pushed to the back of our mind but it always lingers. No
matter what you are doing, there is a constant thought about menial things that
need to be accomplished and an ever growing to-do list that we often don’t think
of highly important. But it is these simple and normal tasks that really define
us.
“From this inception, a practice of city design explicitly incorporates the voices, activities, signs, and symbols of daily life. The sum of daily transactions is recognized as an evolving material story to which both the city dweller and the designer must contribute. The realities of everyday life must saturate the entire planning and design process.”
I love the quote
above, and completely agree, but how do we achieve this inclusion of everyday
life? This relation between the community, the client, the architect should be
a beautifully choreographed assembly and process that is interwoven with the
contextual needs and the community’s desires. The existing contractor, architect, client
triangle is a traditional pyramid that we all have seen over and over but where
does the community fit into this mix?? I believe we should leave that triangle
behind and start designing as squares (Yes! Let’s be square!) – it is too
critical to the communities that we design for, in and apart of not to give
them a bigger say in what is built in the end for them to use. Sure this opens
us up a lot of unknown diaglouges that may actually influence our designs
(gasp-OH No!) -- like walking into a highschool to give a lecture knowing that
they are looking to rip you apart and find every emotional cranny that you have
exposed but bring it on! Other opinions may not all be essential to the design
but it is important that they are heard because you never know when they will
know something that you didn’t realize and you can see the place in a new
light.
This also means a lot
more upfront and research based design which a lot of time is not what the
client wants to budget for. How can we convince clients that this community
involvement is critically to making the building better? I believe it is our
responsibility to educate the clients and communities so that we can begin to
evolve this process. If we don’t then who will? People come to us for our design skills and ultimately a building but we should be a full package that begins by critically
analyzing what the community needs and who better than to ask the locals? We
should begin to play a mediation role that takes the communities desires and
mix them with our creativity to create not only something beautiful but something
successful for the community. So I leave you with this quote to ponder:
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