Introduction - Seeing Again

My architectural education has trained me to look outward. Every project began with the same starting point: analysis, regulations, context, and circumstances, which of course shaped the form and its function. I was taught that design was framed as a response to external realities. The better the analysis, the more sensitive we are toward its conditions, resulting in a stronger proposal.

In practice, this method developed and became an instinct. Over five years of working on 20+ projects with different needs and contexts, certain responses became immediate. I began to visualize the “bubbles” or “boxes” I would put each project in. For example, let’s say a project came forward with a simple brief — the needs of a function, location, and the client’s taste. I could somehow map the path I could take to create a “successful project.” That is coming from someone who has only been working in practice for five years — can you imagine Foster’s instincts or Kengo Kuma’s, who have been here since the Stone Age (lmao jk). You get my point though: this resulted in my decisions being made faster, and solutions feeling somehow familiar.

At some point, while I was working on my architectural portfolio (2nd version), questions emerged beneath each project. “Did each of these projects come from the result of my initial and first response?” “Why did I prioritise one concern over another?” “Why did a certain spatial awareness feel more correct without deeper examination?” “Were my decisions shaped only by context, or were they shaped by habit?”.

I began to recognise that my architectural outcomes are not only produced by their needed function or context alone. They are also shaped by me!

My intentions influence what I emphasise.

My assumptions influence what I overlook.

My care determines what I protect.

My carelessness affects what I neglect.

This realisation is not an exercise in self-criticism. Architecture and design is a complex and “moody” industry; not every outcome can be controlled. It is about Seeing Again, a reflective forum to revisit every project through a different lens. Each reflection may ask: “What did this decision actually produce?” “What assumptions shaped this?” “Did my intention and impact align?” “Why did I choose one idea over another?” Though it is also not about looking for the answers or judging my mistakes.

It is simply about Seeing Again.