The “built” environment is a term that seems to catch a lot of people off-guard:

“What’s that?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Huh?”

And when you explain that the built environment is what we are in when we are in any place created by us – buildings, parks, communities, office cubicle, what-have-you, you see a new light of understanding appear that is very cool to experience. And it brings a whole new level of understanding to what we – as architects – bring to the table. It also compels us, as professionals, to look beyond what we’ve done in creating the buildings that make up our cities. Especially now, with the upheaval in our profession, we have to show how that experience and skill relates to our lives where ever we are. What we do can – and does – translate beyond the constructed walls we’ve built.

Every time someone paints a room, hangs a picture, plays music, has a conversation, or contemplates solutions to the issues facing our society it contributes to the building of our environment. Take coffee shops for instance. It is so many different things to different individuals – a place to read, to study to meet friend, to do work, to connect with community…to name but a few. And, by being such an accommodating environment, it weaves itself into the fabric of our daily lives, and fades into the background – without further consideration or thought. It’s one of the dependable things that we hang on to, in a world that seems less and less dependable.

Our environment creates the means to nurture our spirits and supports our successes. W. Clement Stone once said “You are a product of your environment. So choose the environment that will best develop you toward your objective. Analyze your life in terms of its environment. Are the things around you helping you toward success – or are they holding you back?” In terms of our profession, it seems pretty clear that we have to carefully consider our responsibility not only to the ecological environment, but to the environment that dwells within each one of us.

“There are two ways of being creative. One can sing and dance. Or one can create an environment in which singers and dancers flourish.”- Warren G. Bennis

This blog is also posted at my firm’s blog site accessed here.