Happy Candy Day!

I want to pose a question: What is it that makes a particular space more than just a space? What qualities exactly are necessary to go beyond the engineering of a shelter, and to achieve true architecture? For me this means a space that I notice; I don’t know if anyone has realized this, but I am not naturally observant. I will not observe architecture at all unless it has that special quality that catches my attention. Otherwise, I just use the spaces I inhabit within their functions and do not look for any higher experiences. Larry always said that people notice architecture, but David always said that people just don’t pay attention to it. I don’t know whether one of these is more generally true, or whether it has to do with people’s personalities. But my question is should our goal be to create an architecture that adheres so perfectly to people’s needs that they do not even notice it? Or is our goal to cause people to stop in their tracks, to forget their original purpose, to gaze and to enjoy? In my own experience, I like the spaces that cause me to slow down and to observe, and I think this could be needed in the bustling American society. If not, I feel that we are just settling for the ordinary; yes, people can function well enough in unnoticed spaces, but what if well is not good enough? I think people are so tired with the monotony of their days, getting up at the same time every morning, going through the same motions day after day, that they are just waiting for something exciting to happen. They are longing for the extraordinary.

So back to the original question: How does one create a space that has that quality about it that takes it to a new level? Does it require a composition that is surprising or unexpected? Does it have to do with the materials and their relationships to each other? Is it caused by generating awe through scale, through mass, through color? Is it the way things meet and join together? Or is it the relationships between multiple spaces and the entirety of progression through them? All I have to say is, spacey people need racy spaces. Bring on the zest and vigor!