The favorite moment in the life of a building for most
architects is that time between when the building is done and when the client
moves in and starts to use the building. It is the moment when their work is
un-marred by the messiness of people actually using the building. Reason #37
why I dance to a different drum than most architects, is that I prefer grand
openings and dedication ceremonies to the pristine emptiness of pre-occupancy.
I love making buildings. I love walking through a building
being framed. I love that new-building smell (which, ironically, is being
eliminated by minimizing VOC’s). But as much as I love architecture, I believe
it is not an end in itself. Rather the value of well-designed buildings and
space, the importance of what I do as an architect is its impact on the quality of human interaction that takes place
in the building.
Winston Churchill said it best, “We shape our buildings and
afterwards our buildings shape us.” I believe the quality of gathering whether
for learning, worship, or caregiving is profoundly influenced by the quality of
the building in which these activities are housed. Sure, we can learn, worship
and live in any setting, but well-designed environments can exponentially improve
our effectiveness.
Our own office at 61 S. Main Street in Harrisonburg is an
interesting case study. Built in 1902, the space in which we work is little
changed from original construction. It’s too hot in the summer, too cold in the
winter, the floors sag and there is only one bathroom for three floors of
people. Yet we enjoy people stopping by our office on the 2nd floor
and chatting as they climb stairs to their own offices above. Because we’re on
Main Street, people stop in while running other errands. Clients and
contractors like our accessibility. We’d be more comfortable and perhaps more
efficient in a newer, more commodious building, but we would sacrifice a sense
of community.
Too often architects inflict building that look good but are
hostile to healthy human interaction. Good design, if it is to have any value
at all must deliver spaces that improve the quality of human interaction. Our goal at Blue Ridge Architects is to make
buildings that dramatically enhance the experience of people coming together
and building relationships.
