As the world is becoming more and more urbanised, we find ourselves surrounded by buildings. Most people spend most of their lives indoors - on average 85% in the so called developed world - and yet we have very little say about the quality of our built environment.
Our buildings are often quite elaborated and efficient, yet most lack 'soul'. Many traditional buildings, although more crude in construction and appearance tend to have "a quality with no name" (Christopher Alexander) -- and this is what we should consider of utmost importance when new buildings are put up. In these pages over the next few months, I am going to explore what makes 'good' architecture. Since I live in a rural area of England, I am going to focus more on what surrounds me. Rather than focusing on taste, style and personal preferences, I am going to attempt to look at timelessness and universally appreciated qualities of designs.
