Eva-Maria Hogrefe: BUSINESS

Inspiration

Its endurance is found in:

Sincerity

Patience

Prudence

Diligence

Resolve

Service

The term Science, properly understood, refers only to the laws of God and to His government of the universe, inclusive of man. From this it follows that business men and cultured scholars have found that Christian Science enhances their endurance and mental powers, enlarges their perception of character, gives them acuteness and comprehensiveness and an ability to exceed their ordinary capacity. The human mind, imbued with this spiritual understanding, becomes more elastic, is capable of greater endurance, escapes somewhat from itself, and requires less repose. A knowledge of the Science of being develops the latent abilities and possibilities of man. It extends the atmosphere of thought, giving mortal access to broader and higher realms. It raises the thinker into his native air of insight and perspicacity. –Mary Baker Eddy, Science and Health, p. 128—

Patience is the best
remedy for every trouble.
--Plautus--

A picture I took on a recent trip to Bern & its Old Center/ Switzerland --

…it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Do all things without murmurings and disputings: …

That ye may be blameless and harmless,

[and] shine as light in the world.

–The Bible, Philippians 2:13-15—

a picture taken by Gary Finn -- Architect & Photographer ...

THE SIMPLE GENIUS OF

THINKING DIFFERENTLY

Mr. [Steve] Jobs showed when design permeates a product it taps into something deeper. In Leander Kahney’s 2008 book “Inside Steve’s Brain,” onetime associate (and later rival) John Sculley described a meeting between Jobs and one of his heroes, Polaroid inventor

Edwin Land. Each man talked about how he could envision his baby (the Mac, the Polaroid camera) as a real thing before it was built.

“Both of them,” said Mr. Sculley, “had this ability to – well, not to invent products – but discover products. Both of them said these products have always existed, it‘s just that

no one has ever seen them before.”

--John Yemma, the Editor of The Christian Science Monitor--

BOSTON/USA

Fortune varies not only among men but even in the same man. You may be fortunate in one enterprise and unfortunate in another. I have been successful in those gains that are made without capital, applying only personal industry; in others, I have been unsuccessful. Things were hard to get when I sought them; when I was not looking for them, they came running after me.

– Francesco Guicciardini, Maxims and Reflection, Series C, p. 62--

The lightnings and thunderbolts of error may burst and flash till the cloud is cleared and the tumult dies away in the distance. As St. Paul says, “There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God” (of Spirit).

–Science and Health, p. 288—

BERN/SWITZERLAND

Take care to be an economist in prosperity;

there is no fear of your being one in adversity.

--Johann Zimmermann--

potted flowering plants for sale ...

For as he thinketh in his heart,

so is he. –The Bible, Proverbs 23:7--

You whose labors are doing so much to benefit mankind will not be impatient if you have not accomplished all you desire, nor will you be long in doing more.

My faith in God and in His followers rests in the fact that He is infinite good, and that He gives His followers opportunity to use their hidden virtues, to put into practice the power which lies concealed in the calm and which storms awaken to vigor and to victory.

--Mary Baker Eddy, Miscellany, p. 204—

Above the fogs of sense and storms of passion, Christian Science and its art will rise triumphant; ignorance, envy, and hatred — earth's harmless thunder — pluck not their heaven-born wings. Angels, with overtures,

hold charge over both, and announce their Principle and idea.

–Miscellaneous Writings, p. 374—

Sincerity is more successful

than genius or talent.

– Mary Baker Eddy, Message for 1900—

Interlaken ...

The mine knows naught of the emeralds within its rocks; the sea is ignorant of the gems within its caverns, of the corals, of its sharp reefs, of the tall ships that float on its bosom, or of the bodies which lie buried in its sands: yet these are all there. Do not suppose that any mental concept is gone because you do not think of it.

The true concept is never lost.

—Science and Health, p. 87--

Don’t be afraid to take a big step

if one is indicated.

You can’t cross a chasm

in two small jumps.

--Davis Lloyd George—

When problems pester, too little love is in a person’s life. A lack of love painfully disconnects. That’s why love is the most important subject in the world. We need to take that big step to love more generously -- we need love to effectively communicate -- we need love to serve and work -- we need love to heal. We need to love to live! When we love we listen, and as we hear we cheerfully pick up God’s love-call to us. Or as a man deeply versed in human motivation has said (Dr. Blanton),

“We must love or perish.”

–Eva-Maria—

Love and pity and wish-well to every soul in the world; dwell in love, and then you dwell in God;

hate nothing but the evil that stirs in your heart.

-- William Low, poet--

God [Love] is at once the center

and circumference of being. –Science and Health, p. 203--

grapes growing on a steep incline in front of a medieval castle

Buy the truth, and sell it not;

also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.

–The Bible, Proverbs 23:23—

Question: List Architects that inspire(d) you the most in your own work, and also those who had/have the greatest impact on humanity?

4 months ago

Fermín Beltrán, Robert Scheren and 13 others like this --

191 comments •

Joe Alam • In my opinion, Le Corb and Mies, along with few others, have set the base for modern architecture....they have initiated a revolutionary approach and broken the boundaries to what was happening back then (late 1920s...).  Of course not everything they've done was "good", for example the Housing units around France by LC which turned into ghettos few decades later ..... but their impact on architectural design was huge, and lessons were learnt from what they have achieved.....e.g. Notre dame de Ronchamps by LC is a piece of art until now ( in my opinion) as Barcelona pavillion by Mies ....I'm not saying here that these works are perfect, but they are solid proof of the generosity of these architects.  One more thing I would like to add, even though I like Gehry, Metamorphosis, Eric Owen Moss, Jean Nouvel, Zaha Hadid, Coop, etc..... I think we have to give those two the credit for what they have triggered.

Eva-Maria Hogrefe • Joe: Yes, I wholeheartedly agree! And Yes, I too feel that architects give proof of their generosity – sharing creative ideas -- for us to live in comfortable and functional home-, and inspiring community-environments -- responding to our need for originality or aesthetics, beauty, strength and safety, and so much more …   Please continue to let your generosity in this discussion flow …

Joe Alam • Eva-Maria: at the end, architects have a significant impact on people's lives: they are responsible for our well-being. Bad designs affect people (from urban scale, through architecture all the way to furniture and product design....) we cannot deny it, we have to build for people, the "Human factor" should always be the main focus.....

Carlos Ovalle • Shelter is a right and not a privilege. Or so it should be. Starting from that premise, at some point a shelterless person will not have high in his or her priority list whether the home is manufactured or bespoke, or whether it looks like a box or a faux something or other "revival". Beyond that, an educated though shelterless person will prefer a functional home over a not so functional gingerbread house. Or so one would expect.   I know a family who lives paycheck to paycheck. Parents and three grown children, all adults, living in a one bedroom apartment. Together they are solidly in what is considered poverty level. I've been suggesting to them in very kind ways, mostly with examples, sometimes a little more forcefully than others, that they should improve their living conditions. Though they constantly gripe about their living conditions, when they have enough to spend beyond food and shelter, they've spent it on a large flat screen TV and on a brand new large SUV. "there", they say, "we improved our living condition".   What do you make of that?

Eva-Maria Hogrefe • Thank you, Carlos. Regarding your question, “What do [I] make of that?” The family confirmed that we all want to improve our living condition, but according to our own design.

Carlos Ovalle • Eva, to me it confirms that the least educated are the most susceptible to the relentless consumerism pushed by advertisement. By what measure is a large screen TV and a gasoline-wasting SUV an improvement on our living condition? Countless studies have shown that advertisement work, otherwise companies would not spend countless billions on it. If TV and auto manufacturers are able to convince us that purchasing their largest and most expensive products is an improvement on our lives, it doesn't necessarily make it so.   In less obvious ways we are convinced of purchasing bigger and more wasteful homes, or homes that remind us of the more opulent styles of the rich and famous or the titled nobility. This is why I mentioned that 'an educated though shelterless person will prefer a functional home over a not so functional gingerbread house.' Educated is the key operative. Unfortunately, in the United States where I live, spending on education is much less a priority than say Ethiopia, who is one of the more than 40 countries ahead of us in per-capita spending on education. I have to say though, that it's not just about money, but that is one important measure.

Eva-Maria Hogrefe • Carlos – I agree with your premise that education is needed but so is personal choice and the experiences that follow – often the decisions we make in life are our greatest teachers. How did Einstein put it? That circumstances or events that are simultaneous to one observer are not simultaneous to another observer – and I feel that this observation does not only pertain to the velocity of light. We all perceive things differently – a natural phenomenon, and one that teaches us respect for our fellowman’s view even if we seem to see something different, or more … In the context of the discussion, and my earlier question -- I feel if a design is simple and affordable but attractive, too, therein lies for an architect an opportunity to educate us – to be a thoughtful end user or consumer (or consumer advocate), who with less can make more improvements in the personal, and all-around environment … would it not satisfy an architect’s creative insights (if it’s feasible), and at the same time earn him sweet surprises of consumer-satisfaction?

Robert "Paul" Hale Burton • I have been greatly influenced Frank Loyd Wright, Bucky Fuller (Triton City Project), Lawrence Saint Germain, Rhondal Lee Burton Jr (My Father) and the list goes on.

Eva-Maria Hogrefe • Thank you! -- Robert "Paul" -- and my best wishes to you for a speedy employment of your talents.

Robert "Paul" Hale Burton • Eva - Thank you for the words of encouragement on my career choice.

Nina Briggs • Glenn Murcutt for his philosophy that we should live simply and in harmony with nature. He quotes the Aboriginal proverb: “Touch the earth lightly.”

Eva-Maria Hogrefe • Nina – Thank you! I love what you’ve said –it reminds me of how each of us can live in harmony with our own true nature – when we touch it gently. As the word-smith or word-architect -- the English poet (1552-1599) Edmund Spenser said, “For, of the soul, the body form doth take, For the soul is form, and doth the body make.”

Nina Briggs • Amen Eva-Maria !

Dan Gorski • I may have mentioned him in this string, But take a moment to check out Samuel Mockbee.  Perhaps not the great and soaring space that engage the human soul, but for impact on humanity he should be recognized.  http://samuelmockbee.net/citizen-architect/

Eva-Maria Hogrefe • … The thought “to take something ordinary and elevate it to something extraordinary,” – is for me one of the definitions of art, and I was not surprised to read that Samuel Mockbee was influenced by the doctor/poet William Carlos Williams – who insisted on the simplicity of experience, beautiful illustrated in his little poem “The Red Wheelbarrow: so much depends/ upon /a red wheel / barrow / glazed with rain / water / beside the white / chickens.”

Gordon R. McArthur • ...... and look what trouble the various European 'Education Acts', for all their merits, did for the minority languages of The Isles of the Sea (Atlantic). Carlos & Joseph: I'm now proud to be both an Architect, an unreformed 'North Britain' and a mild dyslexic; I've wasted a lot of time trying to be 'None of the Above'. G+

Carlos Ovalle • Gordon,   I'm proud to be an architect, because I became one of my own free will through great effort and expense. I frequently ask myself, how can someone be "proud" of national origin and other issues that are really accidents of nature, that is, for which one didn't have a choice? But if that makes you happy…   As for languages, whether we like it or not, we live in an increasingly globalize world, a global village or what have you. Romantic as it may be, there is no room for nostalgia for what are really dead languages. By this I don't intend to belittle these languages but the harsh reality is that there is no going back. These languages have outlived their usefulness and they rely on isolation for their existence, and with cars and airplanes, not to mention telephone, television and the Internet, there is no such thing as isolation. I don't mean to be insensitive about the subject, but my family's first language, Kekchi (a Mayan language) is rapidly giving way to our second language, Spanish, which in turn is giving way to English, the de facto lingua franca.   Carlos

Gordon R. McArthur • Kekchi sounds like a beautiful thing. Where is the land of the Kekchi-speakers now?

Carlos Ovalle • Kekchi is widely spoken in the central highlands of Guatemala, among other places. My understanding is that its range extends towards the east including certain regions of Belize (formerly British Honduras).

Eva-Maria Hogrefe • This conversation is very enjoyable – and to learn to know each other better is always of great value. However, I hope you don't mind if I interrupt it to get back to the topic of the discussion?   What do you think of designs regarding mini-homes, for example, a 258-square-foot apartment that looks like an empty cube -- to create a room, Christian Schallert has to build it everyday – “the tiny apartment morphs from kitchen to bedroom to living room to dining room all within a matter of minutes.”   Have you seen the Mini-House Man, or the Mini-House Now? How do you feel about it?

Carlos Ovalle • Eva-Maria,  I’ve been a proponent of "smaller is better" for a long time. Where I come from and most places I've traveled to and through (Latin America and Europe) it seems like people get by with much smaller spaces, regardless of economic status. The "Mac-Mansion" craze seems to be most prevalent here in the United States. I don't know the precise statistics but from anecdotal experience and empirical knowledge, the size of the average home has doubled in the last 40 years while the size of the household has decreased to 60% of what it was. With the increased miniaturization of components one can't help but wonder why, and whether we can sustain such largesse. Already I am seeing a reversal of the trend, albeit slow and rather insignificant. since most of us in the architecture and construction industry are now "green" oriented to some degree or another, with many of us being "LEED AP", we tend to overlook the fact that the simplest move to designing a green home is to reduce the size proportional to the size of the household. Of course there are myriad ways to make smaller spaces feel larger if we take advantage of design tools and new technologies. We as architects have known for a long time that natural and artificial lighting, combined with colors and materials, fenestration, and most importantly the distribution of spaces and the walls that confine such spaces can make a smaller space seem larger than it actually is. If we add new advances in technologies like appliances that take up less room (flat screen TVs, stereo systems that fit in the palm of the hand, built-in refrigerators, operable partitions, better insulated and larger windows, etc., etc.... you know where I'm going with this. Bottom line, if we reduce the size of a home to where it was 40 years ago and incorporate what technology is available off-the-shelf, we will have a greener house than say, Al Gore's huge solar powered mansion*.  The technology of expandable spaces has been around for a long time; excellent examples can be found in army field hospitals from various countries and there is no reason why this "old" technology cannot be adapted to current design. The Modernist concept of opening up to nature and letting interior and exterior spaces flow together is as relevant today as it was when Schindler and Neutra were around. Speaking of topics, we need to focus this to the subject of this forum, Architecture for Humanity. Mini homes is a step in the right direction.  *Not quite a good example except for illustrative purposes.

Eva-Maria Hogrefe • Carlos – EXCELLENT – a fine exposé!

Gary Finn • I'm inspired by Dr Paul Torzillo and Mr Paul Pholeros. Now.... if architecture can be as permanent as the pyramids or as ephemeral as an un-realised idea.... Paul's is an example of an architecture for humanity at it's finest. He developed a systematic way to improve the health of housing by identifying and targeting key health elements in indigenous housing. It might be a form of architecture at it's most modest... but it has impacted indigenous households across Australia... probably numbering in the thousands ... You can see more here: http://www.healthabitat.com/  I first noticed his work when his small team interrupted a project I had under way. His program crossed paths with some work I had scoped and had earmarked for funding. It probably annoyed me at first that I had to adjust my scope reports and adjust another program, but you know... I'm happy to acknowledge a great idea when I see one.

Excerpts from a Group discussion Architecture for Humanity – on LinkedIn.

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