Kick Your Feet Up and Design

     After a long week of reviews and assignments, I get to take a step back and kick my feet up for at least half an hour; before I have to write this post that is. That being said, it's a good simulation of what everyday architecture might entail: Post workday/week, trying to relax or get stuff done around the house, maybe play a couple games or watch a move? I understand that those things may not be everyone's definition of relaxation, but I think that's the point. 

    The question of everyday architecture is complex in it's simplicity. Tasks like going to the grocery store, kicking your feet up (around your home or community space), or simply sleeping looks different for everyone. “To inhabit is to appropriate space, in the midst of constraints, that is to say, to be in a conflict–often acute– between the constraining powers and the forces of appropriation.”.

    As Architects, we provide a social service. With that in mind, we have a responsibility to study these various patterns in everyday life, both internally and externally, nationally and internationality, in order to facilitate design decisions that will ultimately bring a new ease and breath of fresh air to these everyday spaces. We are trained to provide spaces that are design strategically, so why can we not design everyday spaces that are strategically designed to be malleable and appropriated by the individual? Trends can show us where the market is, but innovation, creativity, and the understanding that people need to shape the space will propel us into an age where everyday architecture can be as special as the architecture we study and rave about.