If you went to architecture school in the United States, you would have heard the term ‘parti’ often, as well as the question “What is the parti for your building?” Emerging from the western tradition, with its roots in the formal architectural education prevalent in the Ecole Des Beaux Arts in France in the 1900s,…
As I try to move my work forward with many competing interests (equity and diversity, sustainable and regenerative design, design thinking, creativity, systems change, writing, drawing, speaking, art making, parenting, home care and gardening, to name a few) within limited or finite time (twenty four hours in a day, seven days in a week), I…
This morning I have been thinking about the need to make empathy be the core of design and development, of connecting to people and places and of working to create a future, one community at a time. The current short version of the idea in my mind is ‘Love. Connect. Create.’ Drawing from the field…
I’ve just returned from the first national Rural Creative Placemaking Summit ‘Next Generation’ organized by the Rural Policy Research Institute (RUPRI), Art of the Rural, with other partners and held in Iowa City on October 12-14th, 2016. It was completely energizing to be in the company of national and state level policy makers, farmers, designers,…
Last Friday, I had the honor and pleasure of being part of an exciting event, Ignite! Talks, organized by the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota. There were 19 rapid, provocative presentations delivered by ‘University of Minnesota’s most future-focused faculty’ on the future of public health. Below is a summary of my talk. — Perhaps you…
Have you seen this incredible work by Fernanda Viegas and Martin Wattenberg, found here? You can see a real time wind map of the United States showing the ‘the delicate tracery of wind flowing over the US.’ What strikes me is the minimalism and apparent simplicity of representation, which can have been anything but simple…
Our creative work is often influenced by the work of others. Mine certainly is. Two divas of inspired information are Maria Popova of Brain Pickings and Debbie Millman of Design Matters. Maria Popova, in her own words, is ‘a reader, writer, interestingness hunter-gatherer, and curious mind at large’ and founder of Brain Pickings. Brain Pickings…
In 1980, Forrest Wilson wrote in the foreword to Paul Laseau’s ‘Graphic Thinking for Architects and Designers’: “The building of great buildings is no longer the creation of master craftsmen led by a master builder but of architectural offices organized along the lines of industrial production. The task of the architect has been divided and…
I can’t say that I recall hearing the word empathy often while studying and practicing architecture in India or the United States. That said, any design project from my experience started with an immersion in understanding a client’s needs. For the design of a home the focus was on who was going to live there,…
Returning from a meeting yesterday where colleagues from across the university in data collection facilities were discussing issues of seamless data transfer and the challenge of offering better services to users of the data. It made me ponder on the value of design and design thinking. My design team and I are charged with bringing…
Virajita Singh 