Built for today or for forever?
Just posted this today, it starts off with the same question:
https://primal.net/e/nevent1qqs0w74rsry43kvxe7cnvhygytrnm0vqnmmql4zyxdfzppxvy66wvwqel4dew
In a time where many people choose actively, to not create the future, to not create children, what meaning does creating a better future have?
There is a disconnect, a deep one.
What does this have to do with architecture?
A lot.
We have material abundance, both natural and man made and we build things like this:
This may contain: a large building with a very unusual design on it's side
Thereās a disconnect between the physical environment we build and our nature, because we are not thinking about it in Natureās terms.
A cubic meter of raw wood can be grown by 2,3 years of a personsā breaths. That means a house can be grown by a human in roughly 80-90 years (assuming 40-45 cubic m of raw material.
That is a lot of time. A lot of time we donāt take time to think about at all. Or lack the capacity. Or refuse the commitment.
Every piece of wood we build in our homes is interlinked with us being alive. Our breaths, our human activity helps trees grow.
Everything is both transient and permanent. And in the in-between we refuse to commit to create things that exceed our time, that transcend.
We like timber because we understand it on a bio-logical level. It helps us keep close to Nature. Being close to Nature does not mean we let the jungle in our home and our towns.
We actually want to create our buildings on the image of the Garden (of Eden).
We revel in our groomed realities that reflect Nature through our creativity.
We fill our towns with parks, our facades with natural forms and our spaces with sunlight, fresh air (and laughter).
Stone, created on eternal timeframes, 1000s of lifetimes, captivates us. It is both rough and delicate, dense and translucent. Almost untouchable by Natureās forces, it symbolizes that timelessness we want.
Thereās a third element that impacts it allā¦
Do you know what volume of a cloud fits in a cup?
Aaand what volume of a cloud fits in a human body?
Moisture destroys timber in days and rain cuts deeper veins in stone than Michelangelo ever could. Yet we feel infinitely better surrounded by oak and slate than polyvinylchloride and steel.
There are two ways to commit to building anything in architecture:
A long time commitment to place.
A temporary commitment to shelter.
The first assumes you will live in the same place for a long time and gradually build out what you need and dream up with the most durable solutions possible so at the end you leave something worthwhile for the next generation.
The second assumes a transient, nomadic, light-footed strategy that serves the now.
The thing is, thereās not really and in-between solution.
Really valuable architecture is actually place-making, creating space for Life to unfold healthily over longish times, serving multiple generations.
Donāt get me wrong, thereās nothing wrong with temporary buildings like tiny houses, trailers, camper vans etc. They just canāt create the feeling of the first one. The feeling only committing fully to a place, to a garden, to a community can give.
We expect sooo much from our buildings today as sculptural objects/spaces. Comfortable, ready-made luxury.
We want all the solutions we might need now, and pay the price later.
The option to let it evolve over time gets left behind. Building a home room by room, floor by floor, even. Improving durability over time with better materials.
The quality we really, deeply want is in the invisible Qualities, the immediacy of Natural materials, the Life-giving spaces.
The things we can only measure with human breaths through generations.
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I set up Solarchitect@rizful.com
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Wonder what is the % cost of the house being more comfortable, if it indeed is?
If convenience has a cost premium or it is actually getting cheaper over time in real terms, we just perceive the inflation?
New post on substack: 
https://solarchitect.substack.com/p/how-many-breaths-does-it-take-to?r=dbdxo
There are two ways to build any construction today:
- either on high time preference - built it fast and cheap and don' think about durability - less than 20 years - glorified trailers, tiny homes etc.
- either on low time preference - built it out slow, the best materials, highest durability - lasts centuries - like Florence, NY etc.
The fork is the time preference and the placemaking.
Do you invest (extra) long term in a location you want to thrive in 50+ years too? 
Searching for the timeless form keeps me burning. 
Wishing you the same! https://damus.io/note1wfl5ermdleqecj6lfh6n82jl6vxup93hu2wr0u79s7p4n6mhnrnq8dqevh
Happy Easter to everyone!
may you have a spring abundant in sunlight and vitality.
Take #2
This living space I designed for a family is basically a giant sunroom in the forest.
Abundance of sunlight.
Oh wait. How can I post video here?
This living space I designed for a family is basically a giant sunroom in the forest.
Abundance of sunlight.
It is definitely in the top 5. It might be overlooked by the art deco love but its extremely detailed and high quality design and craftsmanship is unique.
It is a classically styled skyscraper after all.
And probably sufficiently tall, no taller buildings donāt make sense in a hyper dense environment.
Life is too short to spend it in bad buildings. https://t.co/KuHsJIVlhd
Wool keeps you warm in winter, cool in summer, itās moisture regulator and moderate water repellent.
And it regenerates on animols yearly.
The surest thing we can do to remain sane and calm is rely on our first hand experience of and exposure to the real world.
Truth is neither relative nor absolute.
Truth has depth unfolding in multiple layers that can only be understood with great patience.