Space vs Place

Architecture, for me, was the gradual realization that space only becomes place through intention. Being a designer means that I also must be a problem solver, but there are moments in space that don’t need problems solved; they need thought, they need emotion, and they need someone to tell the story of why they must be. I started making these connections growing up in Denver where my version was not the newly renovated city, we see today but one where I had hour long drives to get to the nearest school, I played in construction dirt for fun, and with two non-English-speaking parents, there were a lot of not friendly stares. Through all of this though I noticed the spaces that were attached to these moments. They were never grand, never obvious, but somewhere the meaning of these spaces transformed them into something more.

This is how I came to define the tension of what separates a building from architecture, space vs place. My family moved to Orlando after the birth of my sister and both our parents were not present in the transition to this new foreign cul-de-sac environment so there was just a building; it was not profound, or grand, but it was just for my sister and me. This was my first place. It didn’t just serve as a function of shelter like my last house in Denver, it was somewhere that my sister and I felt safe. It became a home. We’ve since moved out of that home and into our own separate lives, but I have found the most invigorating path for me is one that pursues not just the creation of space but finding the perspective that invites placemaking.

Waffle House comes to mind as a basic space whose architecture might as well not exist, yet when I find myself there after a long night something magic happens. The service is always jovial, depending on how late, there might even be an element of danger, yet its enduring charm is that all of that is understood and expected even. No matter who you are you will get the same experience at any Waffle House. I celebrated a birthday there recently and it was one of the most memorable ones I’ve had. When I think of my idea of heaven (if it exists), it would be a flash of bright white and as my eyes start to focus, I see all of my best friends sitting at the counter and a smile asks me “What are you having today?” That’s the place where I want to end up, space and architecture be damned.