MacKay-Lyons

1.  I do find value in MacKay-Lyon’s three F’s.  It is important to take into consideration what the site is and what it has to offer in any architectural project.  The three F’s are especially important to MacKay-Lyons projects given their remote nature and massive sites.  He does a great job of creating an architecture which blends well with the natural environment.  Given the sites, it is a necessity for him to follow such a set of principles; the projects may not be as successful if he didn’t.

2. Participating in Ghost Laboratory seems like it would be a valuable experience for young architects to have.  MacKay-Lyons makes a valid point that this sort of workshop “in our increasingly virtual world, has become all the more relevant”.  Many critics of contemporary architecture cite its lack of human –scale and its inability to incite vibrant spaces; to a large extent this is true.  It is quite difficult to create places for people (that they will actually use and enjoy) while clicking your mouse and tapping your keyboard while holed up in an office.  MacKay-Lyons, and similarly Rick Joy, adds a very personal atmosphere to their work by (seemingly) being involved, or having knowledge of, the minute details.  This is likely achievable given the relative scale of their projects.