T ansien condi ions
Human ac i i y con inuously modi ies
a chi ec u e. I may in ol e a delibe a e o in olun a y,
pe manen o e e sible, indi idual o collec i e, punc ual
o con inuous, o ganised o chao ic ac ion and,
occasionally, a chi ec u e may succumb o his p ocess.
In any case, he conside a ion o ime is c ucial o
unde s and a chi ec u al space as a ecipien o ou
capaci y o ac ion.
To pu i in o he wo ds, we can ask ou sel es
whe he he ba e spaces o a house cons i u e a home.
All we can say is ha hey ha e he po en ial o be a
home, jus as hey could become some hing else; bu no
much mo e han ha . The e o e, he ac i i ies ha may
occu amids he walls o a building – ei he a house o
any o he – should powe ully a ac ou a en ion,
beyond he simple dimensional o unc ional checking o
some schema ic u ni u e d awn by du y.
Wha i he undamen al condi ion o a chi ec u e
was change? Wha i con ingency was key o
unde s anding and p oducing a chi ec u e oday? The
Li ing Sphe e Mani es o calls o a i m s ep in his
di ec ion by conside ing con empo a y a chi ec u e as a
new ision on he buil en i onmen . In his sense,
making a dis inc ion be ween he new and he exis ing,
be ween he designable and he unp edic able, is no
longe ope a i e. Con ex is no longe a ca ego y
bo de ing on he a chi ec ’s ield o ac ion, bu an
inhe en pa o i . The o dina y e en akes command
and ex ends i s ules wi hou conside ing limi s o scales.
The sphe e, as a geome ic a i ac , b ings ac i i y
o he cen e. Th ough his mo emen , i en elops he
inhabi an wi h space, hings, and ime o e e yday li e.
Wha is s imula ing abou such a way o ope a ing is ha
he e a e no passi e elemen s in his ela ionship; hey all
become ac o s. Focusing on objec s and people in he
li ing space allows o design using ac i a ion de ices,
a he han s anda d layou s. In his espec , i is essen ial
o know how o iden i y and p ope ly ead he exis ing
elemen s and hei wo king logic in o de o p opose any
change.
The in ol emen o he a ious ac o s on s age
also compels us o econside he ools o ep esen a ion.
As in a g aphic sco e, he cou se o ime and he
changing ole o each ins umen makes us hink o a
composi ion, a s o yboa d, ins ead o a s ill pic u e.
This change o pe spec i e en ails he cons uc ion
o a na a i e on eali y and he speci ic ocabula y
behind i . All he e ms a e al eady w i en, bu he
mani es o gi es hem a new pu pose as a whole, seeking
he p ecise meaning and signi icance ha an au ho gi es
o hem; bo owing – when equi ed and wi h he due
ca e – a wo d om ano he neighbou ing discipline like
philosophy, an h opology, ecology, sociology, geog aphy,
as well as biology and li e a u e. Always by he hand o
quali ied oices, which makes i an excellen wo k o
cu a o ship.
As a esul , he Li ing Sphe e is ela ional, because
i es ablishes links wi h o he disciplines and also a plu al
way o seeing and ac ing, wi h an open end o o he
con ibu ions. I is diagnos ic, as i poin s ou p oblems
o con empo a y a chi ec u e, such as he hype
p oduc ion o images and he excessi e au onomy o he
discipline. I is p oposi ional, since i has he explici will
o be ans e ed in o a se o a chi ec u al p ac ices. And
i is ansg essi e, inso a as i plays wi h amilia images
o Mode n A chi ec u e o e eal he implici
con adic ion o me iculously planned bu uninhabi ed
in e io s – who knows whe he o lack o a eal
inhabi an .
In addi ion, he book has managed o ead in a
e y sma way he e ec s o he 2020 pandemic and
global lockdown on ou homes – hose ha ha e passed
he s ess es hey ha e unde gone – o show he deg ee
o simpli ica ion wi h which housing is usually explained
and planned. E en he c i icism o he specialisa ion o
ooms, and he subsequen demand o g ea e lexibili y
in he s anda ds ha egula e hem – wo ecu en
exp essions in he a chi ec u al ield – ha e aced an
unexpec ed si ua ion ha has o e aken hem as being
oo con en ional.
S epping in o he homes h ough he doo ,
images, media o social ne wo ks, coun ing on he s o ies
old by anonymous inhabi an s o a chi ec u e s uden s,
and simply wi nessing how hey a e being used, allows us
o isualise a capaci y o adap a ion o domes ic spaces
ha has no ye been p ope ly quan i ied o assessed; a
dynamic epai in he ull sense o he exp ession coined
by Richa d Senne in The C a sman
i
. A small e olu ion
made wi hou a chi ec s and wi h he exis ing esou ces
o he home, which dese es o be conside ed.
The Re olu ion o Sławomi M ożek
ii
– an i onic
sho s o y abou habi s and change – appa en ly ends
whe e i began, e en hough his has equi ed a long
p ocess o ailed ials. I is oo soon o know whe e he
e olu ion o he li ing sphe e can lead bu once again, i
is he way o wa d ha is inspi ing.
Pe e Fue es
i
Senne , R. (2008). The C a sman. New Ha en-London: Yale Uni e si y P ess.
ii
M ożek, S. (2006). La Re olución. In La ida di ícil. Ba celona: Acan ilado.