The story of New Year’s resolutions is nothing new. Each new year brings hopes, plans, and intentions with an endless list of areas to be addressed. And this list does not escape the Architecture that today more than ever needs a radical renewal. Renewal also means rediscovering the roots.
Since ancient times, a jubilee, in this sense, has been a real opportunity for reconciliation. A brand new year demanded new accuracy, new stimuli and new frontiers. But it also needed a remission of debts and mistakes, made in the previous year, in order to start the new year on a legitimate and honest basis.
Butterfly effect
After all, the arrival of the new year, and with it the end of the old, is a good time to make an evaluation, to get rid of bad habits. It’s a great time to review disputes and clean up what’s useless or harmful, at best to change your attitude. And it must be recognized that small changes can have great effects. If the metaphor of the butterfly effect of which Edward Lorenz spoke of is true, according to this trope, over time, a small difference can generate immeasurable consequences.
A New Self
On the other hand, John Gribbin, professor of astrophysics at the University of Sussex, has written a very interesting book on the subject entitled Deep Simplicity. In this book, he explains that people are one of the most sensitive “systems” in this world. Sometimes all it takes is a random event to mark our minds forever. It can be a traumatic event, but it can also be a special and inviting event that at any given moment gives us purpose, a passion for life, a new point of view, and inspiration.
New Year’s resolutions
And what could these small changes inspire us? To push us to make better use of opportunities and make architecture better? In other words, what could the butterfly effect consist of for this 2024? A few simple considerations can help us drive change.
Read more
Proposing to read more does not seem extraordinary, it ia in fact one of the most common resolutions you can have. But, even though we read a lot, every day, perhaps we get to the bottom of the wrong information, we stay on the surface, we don’t compare different points of view. We often limit ourselves to captions!
We all know that knowledge is the key to everything. So why not to try a different approach this year? Join a book club, or start one? Studying the texts written by great architects? Maybe alternate technical, historical and biographical volumes. In order not to stumble into monotony, read several magazines. Exchanging tips and tricks could be a win-win. And maybe arranging meetings for a personal exchange wouldn’t be a bad idea. Who knows, maybe some unexpected and decisive stimulus will arrive, a really crucial butterfly effect.
Draw more
Drawing is a skill, of course. Some people are naturally inclined, but talent can be cultivated. And that means practicing. So, if you want to improve your illustration, perfect your hatching, and sharpen your shading, make sure to fill an entire sketchbook by the end of the year with spontaneous scribbles (architectural and otherwise) that fix ideas and provoke reflections. And if you’re fascinated by the ready-made why not sketch your ideas on anything that isn’t the usual sketchpad? Wipes, boards, old newspapers. Being creative creates creative means. By collecting them all, at the end of the year, you’ll have a unique timeline of precious “butterfly effect” trifles that keeps track of your thoughts. A great way to keep your daily creative flow fueled by direct experience and reading.
Opening horizons
Opening your eyes does not necessarily mean spending large amounts of capital. Seeing more can also mean paying more attention to our surroundings. All places are places that someone would like to visit, perhaps out of curiosity. So, you can be a flaneur even in your own corner of the world. Wander, explore and discover the history, the architecture, the landscape. If you are an organizational mind, you can make a list of notable buildings and places that you have not yet visited or would like to see again. And that might help you chart a route to plan over time. Explore and, in the meantime, develop photographic or filmmaking skills by taking at least one photo a week of a building, an environment, a tree, even materials and architectural details that inspire. And here is an album for your collection.
Become Green
It is safe to assume that all this can be declined in the form of sustainability . Being eco-conscious is really a key point. How to do it? To be less dissipative, designing smarter for the planet and the people who live on it, but also for the other forms of life present. From any point of view, this is the central hub, committing to incorporate sustainable design elements into each project, for example by using recycled material or innovative energy-saving products. But the catch is that it doesn’t have to be something you add on top of and beyond your initial proposal. In this way, by working with sustainability from the start, you will increase the positive impact. Balance the impact by learning how to measure options. This is really important. And it’s a balancing act. It’s also a great way to feel responsible for your choices.
Finding inspiration
Finding new ways to get inspired is the real challenge that lasts all year round. Examining examples serves to give a global knowledge, to learn how to evaluate the pros and cons and to diversify the solutions adopted in your projects. A quick and easy approach to expand your design horizons could be to analyze the individual components, and the topics can be broad or specific according to your choices. You have to look forward to a new year that’s all about reflection, but also about looking forward to really appreciate the times when things have gone well and be able to say (to yourself and others): “You did well”
To learn more: The most anticipated architectures of 2024
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