The empty space surrounding an object can be shaped and manipulated so as to draw out a form that has existed within all along. Consider a block of clay on a sculptor's bench; he removes the clay releasing the thing that only he knows exists inside. By considering what we take away we eventually come to the solution. The empty space on a building site is the clay that we remove, with every concrete block, partition wall, cladding system or pitched roof we implement. These are the negative spaces of a building, the dead or lost spaces within a wall or roof.
Lifestyle will occur only where it is allowed to flow freely. Therefore the open space that surrounds and penetrates through any built structure is far more important than its solid mass. Public space shouldn't be the residual component or the remainder of an unbalanced equation left behind by a careless architect or designer. The spaces between buildings are more important than the buildings themselves.
If home is where the heart is, and the schools, galleries & museums are where the mind is; then the gardens, parks & public spaces are where the SOUL is. A person's soul is often considered subjectively and is not normally for the concern of those who deal purely with science and mathematics. As an architect is placed equally between the two camps of science and the arts it is perhaps important to consider the soul of a building or space, and ultimately of course our own one. As with the previous definition of the heart, the first part of the dictionary definition of a soul is the most important and relevant when discussing the development of our cities. According to it's meaning (as the centre of our personality, intellect, will, emotions etc), it is our soul 's capacity that is the limiting factor to the activity of our heart and mind and determines the kind of person we are. If a space can help our soul to flourish then it has the power to enhance our personalities increasing our intellect, our will and our ability to display our emotions. Disregarding what personal prejudices we may have about the existence of a person's soul, if a space can do this for us then it is surely deserving of our full attention. I am therefore convinced that these kind of spaces that help invigorate our souls are of the greatest developmental importance and are the kind of spaces I we like to explore.
"The political theorist Michael Walzer has classified urban space into two distinct groups; 'single-minded' and 'open-minded' spaces… The residential suburb, the housing estate, the business district, the industrial zone, the car park, underpass, ring-road, shopping mall, even the car itself provide 'single-minded spaces. But the busy square, the lively street, the market, the park, the pavement café are 'open-minded'. When we are in the first type of spaces we are generally in a hurry, but in the 'open-minded places we are readier to meet people's gaze and to participate. Both categories have a role to play in the city. Single-minded spaces cater to our very modern craving for private consumption and autonomy. They are very efficient, in those terms. In contrast, 'open-minded' places give us something in common: they bring diverse sections of society together and breed a sense of tolerance, awareness, identity and mutual respect."- cities for a Small Planet.
At this time of world wide financial conflict it is of great importance to understand ways of bringing people together and how to get the best out of humanity and its communities. Perhaps it is our cities and their 'open-minded' public spaces that can set the stage for this social regeneration/realignment.
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