It's the Same - Only Different
By Maurice Levitch, AIA
When I couldn't print the other day because our large format printer displayed a "low toner" message, I asked around the office - no, we did not have another toner cartridge; I was frustrated. The next day, I learned that the toner cartridge in the machine was new and that we needed to schedule a service appointment. An associate suggested that this machine had seen better days, since it is at least 15 years old.
This benchmark in time got me thinking. It seemed just like yesterday that we replaced the old blueprint machine. I remember issues with that machine as well, particularly the ammonia odor associated with it. The machine had to be located in a separate room or have a strong exhaust fan nearby. As a child I had tricked a friend into smelling the ammonia in the bottle while he visited my dad's office. When he almost passed out, I felt so bad that it has stayed with me, and taught me not to surprise at the risk of hurting another.
I remember when I could find the original pencil drawings on a drafter's desk to see what progress he or she had made that day. Today it is hard to see this progress, and at the same time, it is amazing how much progress can be made in a day.
Computers today are integral to our lives, rather than the innovation or addition they were to many of us starting out in practice in the early 1980s and before. Although we seem to be so casual about this rapid change, I wonder if we realize how much this advancement affects our designs. For one thing, the process of designing and building today is much more compressed in time, space and money than it used to be.
As a way to organize and present information, the computer has us thinking about design differently than before: as data or something to input, organize, change, plot out and e-mail. As an example of the duality we face today, we can e-mail drawings to a client for instant review, eliminating the necessity of meeting face to face, speeding up the process, allowing more time for ourselves (to catch up on other projects), but at the same time, taking away the important ingredient of personal connection and time "in-between" to think about and "live with" the design for a while.
Considering rapid advances in technology in our profession is like comparing the evolution of a Swedish fishing village over generations to the construction of a brand new planned community complete with a traditional Main Street. The village is shaped by the experience of the dwellers through use, when bonds between people and things are formed. Although it is painfully obvious that development over time has the advantage of adjusting to the changing needs of the dwellers, this is not possible today.
With the increasing need for housing, we need to look to the past, find important successful elements and incorporate them into our work. We need to maintain the context of these elements without imitating them. We face the challenge of creating a new "Main Street" that looks nothing like the one from yesterday. At the same time, we need to preserve and improve the livability of our inner cites, where we already have infrastructure and people living and working.
With a new awareness of the importance of conserving natural resources and the high cost of building, we have no choice but to design and build good buildings. We can use advances in technology to our advantage to build just what we need and no more.
For example, prefabrication is an old idea that together with newer, well-considered designs allows for conservation of resources, time and money. Likewise, restoration and remodeling helps preserve communities built up over time. Although we should not try to duplicate the past, we need to acknowledge it and continue to find new ways to create, enhance and preserve community through design.
December 2006 Builder Architect Edition Issue