On Scarcity

“The professional challenge…is how to avoid being so stunned by the power of modern technology and economic affluence that one does not lose sight of the fact that people and place matter."

What I love about this quote is that it forces us to consider the fact that, as a society, we are constantly working to design/create/produce the best and newest version of just about everything – utilizing ever-evolving modern technology and economic affluence to do so.  I think that, often times, we get so caught up in thinking “how can this perform better than its predecessors” that we start to forget just how important the consideration and inclusion of people and place are in that equation.

One point of discussion today that I found particularly thought-provoking was the idea of designing buildings using new materials with the intent that the building will “use less” and ultimately prove more efficient and sustainable throughout its life vs one that is constructed using only reclaimed/recycled materials but is much less efficient.  When resources allow, I think it can be extremely difficult to find that balance between designing a highly efficient, high-tech, long-lasting building as opposed to one that uses the absolute minimum to accomplish nothing more than what is absolutely necessary or desired.  This ties back to our discussion in class this week about an architect that feels he/she knows what is best for society and works to transform it accordingly, vs one who realizes and accepts when nothing needs to be done – working, instead, to design with minimal impact in carefully considering what additions/updates are really necessary for the betterment of both people and place.  I think many of us would argue that we associate with the later but, in reality, often design towards the former.

What it really comes down to is that we, as the designers and architects, need to advocate for justice – not only social justice, but also environmental justice both at the smaller building scale and the larger city scale.