Too much? What is just enough?
Just enough is a house made to fall. With the Guarani Mbya of the Jaraguá Indigenous Land in São Paulo, I encountered architectures grounded in renewal rather than permanence—where rebuilding is not a failure, but a ritual of care, memory, and continuity. These houses defy what I was taught in architecture school: that buildings must endure, require no maintenance, and resist time. Instead, the Guarani house teaches that what is built must live and age with its people, its forest, its spirits. Through alliances between Guarani world-making and architectural practice, I learned that just enough is not what dominates, accumulates, or lasts forever—it is what holds relationships together. It is presence without possession, knowledge that listens, and action that regenerates. In times of too much, just enough is what sustains life—not by being more, but by knowing when to build, when to let go, and how to begin again.
Text by:
Rodrigo Quintella Messina
messinarivas
Architect from Brazil
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.
