What are we Doing Wrong?

Functionality is not enough. This was the immediate response when this question was presented. Following this initial response came some deeper reflection about the structures we interact with every day. We are creative beings who are profoundly affected by our surroundings and our environment. Each of us responds to aesthetics and beauty emotionally and intellectually, even when we don't all agree on the specifics. We have a strong innate sense of proportion and balance and a connection to the natural world which we often overlook. We have become masters of function in many ways, but often at the expense of other equally important considerations. Our built environment is a very good example of this. Often we choose the bare minimum functionality in the pursuit of perceived economy and efficiency. These solutions often prove to be somewhat short sighted and do not adequately address our human interactions with each other, our environment, and the natural world. Now that we have achieved stripping our buildings to their bare minimum, we have begun to cycle back around to more holistic approaches and designs. How can we create pleasing, functional, deeply sustainable, cost-effective buildings to live, play and work in and around? Our more integrated future awaits us as we exercise our creative genius on the built environments that significantly affect our lives every day.