Welcome back to campus. I hope that your break was relaxing.
As I sat at my parents celebrating Christmas over break, I thought back to my past Christmases and quickly realized how closely I connect some of my memories with places and buildings.
I wonder how many of you out there have had similar experiences. How often does the memory of a time or event in your past rely on the setting in which it took place? This is what I seek to do as I design and create.
As I design a place or space, I do not seek to simply "keep the rain off," but to create a space and a feeling: a memory.
It amazes me how much my memories entwine with spaces and buildings. It has been more than 14 years since I last celebrated a Christmas at my grandparents' house, but that is where my thoughts go during this time of year. Of course I remember the people, feeling, sounds, smells and tastes associated with visiting on Christmas, but it is the building which first comes to mind and that I associate with Christmas to this day.
My grandfather built that house to function: to keep his family safe and dry. It was not meant to be amazing or even state-of-the-art, but nevertheless it has become more to me. It is only a house, but it will be immortalized in my mind and my heart. Do you have something that does that for you? I sure hope so.
As an architect, I feel it is important to remember this through all of my projects. No matter how small a project may seem, it is likely that it will come to mean more to others. Time has a strange ability to change perspectives and add worth to a place. Memories compile and strengthen a space and saturate a space. They can be felt upon entry and help the space to be remembered long after having visited.
When I was doing my undergraduate studies here at Ball State, I went on a trip through Europe, Africa and Asia called the World Tour through the College of Architecture and Planning. As an alumnus of this trip, I am fortunate to have visited many spaces and places which are full of memories and history. Many of my memories are related to areas, but these places in turn capture the history of the place as well.
However, the importance of space should be remembered by more than just supposed "designers," such as myself. Your space is yours even for a brief period of time. I currently rent an apartment off campus and have chosen to do nothing to make it my own besides move in my stuff. I would not suggest this to anyone.
I thought that since we were only planning to be in the apartment for a year that the work required would not be worth it. I was wrong. My friends who took the time and effort to simply paint a wall have more of a home than I do. Make it your own, you will always remember it and it's worth it.
My job as an architect will be to make a space, but, more importantly, it is to make a place that can hold memories. It is your job to provide those memories. Whether it is a space which will hold a family's past, the evolution of a town or the history of a culture, a building must reflect that which was and is and could be.
This is true of your small apartment, your parent's home, the local library, a new apartment building and the next national museum. Spaces and memories are connected and help to create one another. It can be easy to forget this fact, but not often does one ask "What were you eating when you … " Instead, it is "Where were you when … " The space and the memory are connected.
As an architect, I promise to create spaces worth remembering as long as you promise to create memories for those spaces.
Christopher alexander is a graduate architecture student and writes ‘Eclectic Inquiries' for the Daily News. His views do not necessarily agree with those of the newspaper.
Write to Christopher at cpalexander@bsu.edu
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