This is the first publication.
This is an Office, taking the word in the sense of being an officer, of taking on a certain responsibility. I will be writing about the orientation and the direction of this Office during the next few publications. The realm of our topic is the realization of architecturally sound environments. It includes everyone, since we are all involved. The following posts, starting with The Root and Why Presencing Architecture?, will introduce where we are going with this.
I hope that in the course of this output it becomes something ‘shared’ with others. By shared is meant beyond that ‘I’ shared these writings. I hope to share this Office with others who will write and post for this Office and the responsibility it holds. OPA will also work in the world beyond the internet and text. We will make environments.
This Substack has a paid tier based on its good value, and to support others who may very well write along with me. The cost is at the low end of expectations. This is to allow people from everywhere to participate. At least 1 or 2 posts or updates per month will be open and some will have the pay wall in them.
I hope for a developing community with good feedback from readers who are invested in the making of environments that support human and nature’s wellbeing, architecture, and architectural practice.
I feel that architecture is fundamentally constructive; that analysis and critical thinking are part of it, but subordinate to growth and evolution. Architecture tends not to be allopathic and cannot create fast surgical solutions and material changes that give quick results. Things can be fixed quickly, but these are built elements, technological elements. They are merely what we use to facilitate architecture. Architecture is something else that by all means, including even the use of technology that cuts (trees) and breaks (paths and bonds), ultimately only represents growth and evolution.
I have found through teaching and experience with many people that it is possible to point to the positive, growth and evolutionary aspects of any project to give meaningful, corrective, guiding or collegial communication. Errors and weak points become clear naturally. There is no need to stomp on it. OPA is personal relationships that are reenforced by growth.
So too is the functioning of the Office for Presencing Architecture the salutary result of a lot of work, growth and evolution, as well as some broken things, and the beginning of more of the same.