MacKay-Lyons

Do you find value in Lyons’ “Three F’s for and Architecture of Regionalism: fitting, framing and forming?”

I think that there is a lot of value in these ideas. Every building needs to be able to relate to its environment. A building that looks out of place is probably a not very successful building. From taking into consideration adjacent building, to understanding the site topography, to taking in consideration environmental factors, a building must relate to its site. So, a building must be able to fit in its environment. Framing and forming are more of a construction aspect that nevertheless should not be taken as granted. I was particular interested in what he talks about “the idea that is fitted to the site exists as some form of skeletal exploration of space.” I think that it is always important to say the least to understand the site as a volume instead of as simply a plane. I feel that site analysis may sometimes pull away from this idea, as architects consider for aspects like the slope of the site instead of special characteristics like scale. Also, structure can become an architectural element and that must never be understated.

Would you like to participate in building the Ghosts?

I would definitely be interested in participating in a design/build experience. In the University of New Mexico I was able to participate in Architecture for Humanity and I fell that an architect must be able to understand the construction process of building, instead of simply designing it. I think that design/build progress engage architects to the fullest, covering a very broad spectrum of necessary skills. This said, I feel that design/build projects are successful when applied to a experimental, academic or small scale constructions. I feel that it is not as successful when dealing with mass construction or large scales.