Tactical Strategy

I’m not sure I’ve resonated with anything in architecture as much as I have with Margaret Crawford’s work and the philosophy of Henri Lefebvre and Michel De Certeau.  Reading the introduction for Everyday Urbanism I needed six or seven colors of highlighter.

I think it speaks to the fact that no matter how much you design a building for a certain program, the users will always find a way to use it to suit their needs, whatever they may be.  People are resilient, and I think Lefebvre was right that it isn’t about the social activities themselves, but the space.  I think it’s the animal instinct in us: give us a space to utilize for an outlet—necessary or not—and people will create.

Hell, just image search the word “makeshift” on Google and you’ll get great examples, not only of toys and weapons and tools, but architecture.  “Lean-tos” are probably one of the finest examples of this: “I need a sheltered area and I have this much space and a piece of covering.  Presto-chango: a room.”

Or a bridge...

Or an entire apartment...

Or an almost-coffin survival space.

(An Australian man managed to survive the raging firestorm that consumed his house in that little space.  Here’s the article: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-22/tales-of-survival-from-balmoral-bushfires/11822210)

I think we need to be a little more tactical in our design—and the project we’re doing for studio is probably the best case study we could have for that.  We’re designing spaces, sure—being very strategic about where to put programs and whatnot—but I’ve noticed that all of us are peering a little closer, being a bit more subversive and organic and eccentric, thinking more from the mole’s eye view than the bird’s.  “Yeah, we could design it this way, but let’s face it: people are going to cut across here anyway, so we’ll make that a primary and therefore more pleasant experience.”