Architecture (3)

What would be the ideal building of the future? How do we build it and with which materials? We already mentioned how important are the location and the use of natural, ecological material. For what reasons does an architect concretize an edifice, a building, a house? The reasons can be multiple in a practical way, but are they profound? Whether it is to express one’s personal creativity, to earn a living, or to be recognized, all these reasons may be valid, but unfortunately, they do not transcend man and do not touch higher, Divine realities. If we would like to go beyond the purely human or utilitarian, we must radically change our point of view on ourselves and on our profession. By that we mean that the architect is either at the service of the human, or he is conscious of the fact that he is serving a higher cause and what cause would that be? That cause is to create a home, literally, for the Divine in this world. Modern building has driven God out. Not so much because we no longer seek to build churches, or temples, but because the architect does not address this reality beyond himself when designing a building. Very few architects are aware of their true mission: to create a home for higher, spiritual energies in this world. Moreover, to do so, it is not enough to only ensure a good location or to build with sound materials, for we are talking here about the seed of materialization, the origin of the building, its original conception. The moment a building appears before our eyes, we see an original idea incarnate, becoming tangible. It is this idea that is the germ at the origin of this building, and it is this germ, this idea that is, in principle, the most important. Everything else is grafted onto it, like the body of a child developing in the mother’s womb. The building is the “child” of the architect, and it is his basic idea that becomes concrete. If this idea is purely materialistic, utilitarian, or selfish, to glorify the human brain, the result will be the image of this idea. No material or place will be able to neutralize this fact. It is the original idea that expresses itself and then gives its fragrance to this world, a good smell or even a bad one.

That requires a completely different conception of construction and of the architect’s role, a conception that touches a reality that goes beyond appearances. One of the reasons that the present world has become so mundane, pecuniary or materialistic is precisely because of this reality, this truth. If we build, each day, houses and buildings that are only based on mere functionality, earthly reality, we are not helping the emergence of a world that is more human, and therefore more spiritual, here on earth. The insensitive, hard world has no regard for the individual and the architects who built it seem to be the ones who have left all feelings behind. Of course, they are not the only ones who contributed to this; there are many other factors, which come into play in this unfortunate situation. The reality is that architects in their profession are dealing with sustainable development, and their less successful attempts cannot be erased with a pencil eraser, once they have been built. That means that an architect has a great responsibility in this world, as much as pedagogues or doctors. A building is designed to last, and it is this truth or reality that the architect must be aware of, which will compel him to give shape to what deserves to last, to be seen, or better, to be experienced. Because what is the effect of something that we see every day? If a painting is less than ideal, it can be removed, but a building? What do the people who see it on a daily basis, or who live in it, experience? Here we touch on the whole meaning of existence, and as such, what does human well-being mean? A comfortable chair, or a house with an ‘interesting’ visual aspect, may fuel our search for physical or intellectual well-being, but is this the purpose of human presence in this world? For many people it is, but maybe they are wrong and stay too much on the surface. Because beyond the physical or intellectual well-being, there is an aspect of the human structure that touches the soul, and how can we nourish this part in us? Man’s soul seeks contact with what transcends us, with the invisible, Divine reality, and in order to create a connection with this reality through architecture, it is necessary for the architect to focus his activity, his profession, in this field, in this reality. The architect of tomorrow will once again place the fruits of his labor in this invisible reality, to nourish the human soul and create a foothold for the Divine in this concrete world. The visible forms that will emerge from this new conception may be diverse, but they will certainly be more elegant, flexible and lighter than the square buildings of today. For solidity is not synonymous with straight, square, or cement and steel.

The home of the soul is based on the principle of “breathing”, of light, of warm welcome, and of openness. In order to make these principles concrete, it is necessary to first look for these principles, this reality (of the soul) in oneself, in life. The architect of the new era will seek above all the links with the soul, his soul, before conceiving anything outside of him, without this support. It is the soul which leads him to the best location, the best building materials and that will inspire him towards the best shapes for the house of his dreams, Divine, of his soul.

Mother