Architecture offers the possibility of refuge from excess and noise, and a way to deal with complexity—not only understood as the act of building to physically and literally provide shelter for people, but also in all the attitudes and actions involved in creating an intellectual refuge for individuals, including those who work with architecture.
This is not about an evasive attitude or excessive irony; rather, it can be seen as an approach aligned with what metamodernism refers to as ironic sincerity—combining the hope for positive change with the acceptance of defeats and, at times, the exhaustion caused by dominant economic and political systems that promote excess, waste, and falsehood.Architecture can find rest in the remembrance of its own distinct and intrinsic interests—its internal, purely disciplinary conversations—as a source of relief, even if temporary, from its relentless dedication to great social and environmental causes.
Ivan Delgado, Architect
Arkosis, Costa Rica
This contribution is part of our ongoing survey “TOO MUCH? What is just enough?” where we collect personal reflections on excess and balance in life, architecture and design. We are gathering diverse, thought-provoking answers that will help shape future discussions and content.
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