Lucas Almássy
Folding, Unfolding, and Refolding. The dialectic of architecture is a force of human reason propelling us to dissolve trite distinctions into endless spectrums. From loud to quiet, bright to dark, public to private, hot to cold, the list goes on. Too much of any of these extremes is not good for a built environment. A flattened homogeneity is not good either. The designer who has the pluralistic comfort of humanity as its premier end-in-itself finds a dialectical game and a three-dimensional puzzle in the articulation of form.
This designer will discover that any design move already implies its counter-move: design is the folding, unfolding, and refolding of oppositions until space is crystalized with ever-greater potential for sociality.
The dialectics can be distinguished in a metaphor: between the Tombstone & The Dining Table. Dialectical architecture can be enjoyed both in lonely solitude and in the ecstasy of the crowd. It serves not just the lost wanderer but also the tightest of groups. Within it, the tombstone coexists with the dining table, at any moment, humanity the opportunity to laugh and to cry. Form has the potential to welcome hearty laughter and uncontrollable tears of a lonely heart.
Somerville, MA - April 5, 2025 8:23am