Heidegger

1. Dwelling, as Heidegger defines it, is a natural human characteristic.  We cannot help but to dwell, and some (but not all) buildings provide a shell for us to inhabit and care for. Those successful buildings are the ones that foster human interaction, as an individual or as a group.

Interacting with the client is an essential way for the designer to gain insight that will inform their shaping of the building to better accommodate the client’s tendency to dwell. Unfortunately, it’s something we don’t get much practice with in school or as young professionals. How people use the space should be one of the most important considerations in the design process. As a lot of these posts have said… architecture is for people!

2. Since moving to Portland, I’ve noticed a strong regional sense of materiality that seems authentic to its climate and landscape—lots of timber and wood construction, concrete, tactile materials, and an interest in just letting these materials shine without having to cover them up. There’s something really authentic about that. It gives our urban fabric a real sense of place that feels legible and trustworthy.

3. Buildings can’t feasibly be that ‘forever’ kind of permanent, but thinking about the built environment as a whole we might get there. By designing in context and thinking about the city as a whole, we can contribute to something much bigger than an individual building.