The stories we tell: collaboration and the architecture of neighbourhoods

Who tells the story? Who hears it? Why should architects hear these stories? Are we not supposed to design buildings? We should hear them because we have the privilege of making stories seen and voices heard, beyond architecture and academia. We can make stories visible, not just by designing new spaces, but by interpreting and representing those that are already there. To make stories heard, the language of architecture needs to be simple. Why talk about genus loci? When we can talk about sense of place, why tectonics or materiality? When we can simply talk about materials. If we want to deal with conflict and the complexity of the world, we need to hear the stories, speak the language of those stories, and only then, we can start to think about how design can work with and around those stories.