ArchiGreen LLC

Traditional or Contemporary?
It is an ongoing debate about architecture.
Shall we live in a traditional or contemporary house?
Shall we build traditional or contemporary architecture?
Is it about the budget? I met clients with an unlimited budget that have resurrected ancient designs to live in a contemporary world.
Is it about culture? We see contemporary architecture arising between ancient worlds and vice-versa.
Is it about the norm? I can almost hear somebody saying that to Beethoven.
-"Are you deaf? Can't you just listen to what has been written? It says that symphonies are supposed to be without chorus"- and yet Beethoven composed the most amazing "choral symphony."
Beethoven had in mind newly created sounds; some instruments had to evolve to reach Beethoven's "vision."
Is it about education? Hmm... Let me think for a minute.
I see my colleagues, very well educated in Harvard and so on and so forth, building the same old, traditional, anachronistic Queen Ann style, not in England, but America for the "new" rich, of course, pretending to be the "old monarchy" in 2017 here in America... ​Let's just remember that America, the "new world," was founded on a simple principle of freedom. We were finally free to build our future without heavy chains and ancient shadows of monarchies and religions respectively. Our new world was destined to shine the light of freedom to the world to unlock the human spirit, embracing arts and science, innovation and creativity. That's how I found myself dreaming of contemporary architecture, in love with new forms, seduced by the feeling and touch of a newly created design, of a newly invented space.
When I asked my students to write a synonym word for architecture they did not relate the word "invention" to it, but, rather curiously, every single style from the past was written on the board. What are we teaching to our creative minds? Are we educating thinkers to create and invent new solutions for this challenging world, or are we indoctrinating them to copy, and emulate a particular style? If we look at the world around us we can tell the difference between a thinker architect and a snobbish architect. You tell me. Albert Einstein used to say, our mind works as a parachute does, if it doesn't open it doesn't work.
So, it is not about the budget, culture, codes nor the education. It is about being true to ourselves. It is about being true to our time and place in history. It is about our legacy as a human-being to our future generations to come.
Homo sapiens did not survive using the same tools as the Neanderthals did. We had to invent, to create, to imagine and finally, we had to make it happen. We had to build contemporary architecture. That's why we are here. For better or for worse the debate is over.

Innovation and creativity is what I love the most. For us, innovation is about being able to play and experiment.
Is there such a thing as "playing" at work? Yes, we play and experiment at work as long as the final product makes a happy client. Innovation doesn't come from a traditional approach. Innovation comes from a different approach away from conventional thought. Play and experiment until we reach "Nirvana"!
Certainly, there are no magic recipes to create something new, but there are indeed good practices and habits, and we have mastered them.
I associate creativity with a certain degree of a "healthy uncertainty," as Frank Gehry would say. Certainty is what we all know, and it has been done in the past, but we are exploring the fascinating world of the unknown, the unexplored, the future that has yet to come.

What inspired me the most is that we are in the business of shaping alternative better futures.

I think that our clients keep coming back because of our original clever ideas and sustainable designs.

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