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Interesting topic to reflect on.

Thomas Fisher on The Ethics of Architecture and Other Contradictions Why don’t architects often consider the ethics of what they do? Thomas Fisher’s new book, The Architecture of Ethics, digs into this topic in great...

The architect must aspire to a betterment of the human condition through his or her work rather than dwell on fancy materials and superficial beauty. The beauty of architecture lies in the fundamental human principles it invokes. One must live the design, not merely visualize it or merely dress it up in fancy clothing for people to coo over. Design is not vogue.

Architects today are constantly obsessed with form. Actually most of them are obsessed with shape or ornament or even so called styles, the latter especially true in California. While all of these may play a minor role, the crux of the architectural exercise is the making of space. Space is the true core of all architectural design, for it is that within that counts most. Buildings need to be designed from the inside out as a user experiences it rather than lay stress on the outer face, shape or form. Form is different from shape because form is inherent in the order and organization of space. Shape is superficial, not always observed, as in a dense urban setting. The Taj Mahal is a shape oriented building in space, therefore valid as exterior form, an objet d'art. So are the Pyramids and Ziggurats, as well as certain types of skyscrapers ; but these are monuments. Not all architecture is monumental. In that regard, the house, the workplace, the street and square, even the city are all spatial ensembles. Space, then, lies at the core of the architectural experience. It draws in, directs the flow, provides pauses, orients the mind and provides the ground for life's events. Space is everything.