A colleague of ours is a professor writing a book on the social architecture of the art world.
She hasn’t had a cell phone since we’ve known her. The other day she mentioned one of the reasons she enjoys not having a cell/smart phone is that it gives her space and time for contemplation without the distraction of a constant electronic notification or request. She notes one of her friends asked how they would find each other when meeting for coffee without a cell phone? Sbe noted that the time and place were pre-arranged and just as before cell phones, they would agree to meet at a specific location at the place of meeting. In other words, people worldwide were meeting with only a watch and a previous discussion.
Martin Luther King delivered his famous “I have a dream” speech on August 28th, 1963 at the Lincoln Monument in Washington D.C. Over 250,000 people all showed up at the right place, time and day without the use of anything but the technology of the day: wired telephones, television, radio and newspapers.
Technology is a tool. It’s not a expectation, mandate or requirement. As evidenced by history both recent and further, technology effects social behavior and therefore can become an expected behavior. However, regardless of how much commercial or sociological saturation a specific technology has, each individual or groups of individuals have the choice to Use or Not Use technology and how to use the technology. Society at large would be a good example of constant usage of technology, and our friend without a cell phone would be an example of an individual who chooses to use the technology in a way that works for them.
In design as with all creative fields, the creative process is very personal. And yet contemplation is widely accepted as an essential part of the design process. Contemplation for some is a walk in a quiet garden and for others watching the news on TV; and of course everything in between.
At DHDI our use of contemplation in design is paramount. Our experience shows that greater contemplation of a design in various points of view, times of day, states of mind and across various times leads to a better design. Better Design means better buildings, products and better results all around.
Technology at DHDI ranges from the latest software/hardware (ACAD/Rhino/Adobe/Custom) to other technologies like drafting tables, custom made sketchbooks (99% recycled), sharpies, highlighters, white out, paper clips, scotch tape and paper. Over time with experience (i.e. trial and error) we find that what works is a mixture of technologies. And unsurprisingly, there is no one solution for all of us in the team but rather a different mixture for each individual. One architect works best with PC’s, pencils and sketch paper, the webmaster is all things Mac/Apple, admin are pens, sketchbooks and imacs and printers and the Sr. Designers draw by hand, sketch by hand and do all the IT/Networking on both Mac and PC.
It turns out the perfect mixture of technology to create wonderful designs is as unique as snowflakes. No two are the same yet they are all beautiful.
