Designers are control freaks. Volume, proportion, color, texture, views—you name it, we like to control it. Rooted in the concept of “total art” born out of the Art Nouveau movement at the turn of the 20th century, the idea that every element of a space should be integrated into a coherent whole has dominated architectural practice ever since. Frank Lloyd Wright, for example, famously designed not only furniture but gowns and silverware for his clients because he couldn’t stomach another designer’s work compromising his overall vision.
Maybe we need to relax a little.
Some huge cultural shifts in the way people use the built environment are tearing across building typologies, geographies and demographics, and conversations at the proverbial watercooler reveal that designers at CallisonRTKL have taken note. The overarching theme emerging is the need for flexibility in the way spaces are designed and used, or, to borrow a phrase from Sir Alexander Gordon, “loose fit, long life, low energy.”