Architecture is a hazardous mixture of omnipotence and impotence. It is by definition a c h a o t i c a d v e n t u r e... In other words, the utopian enterprise.
Rem KoolhaasRead
The acceptance of certain realities doesn't preclude idealism. It can lead to certain breakthroughs.
Interpretation
Accepting reality does not mean giving up on ideals; it can actually foster innovation.
This quote emphasizes the importance of recognizing and accepting the realities we face in life while still maintaining our ideals and aspirations. By acknowledging the world as it is, rather than as we wish it to be, we can find new ways to innovate and achieve breakthroughs in our pursuits, blending practicality with idealism for greater creativity and progress.
In practice
In a speech about overcoming challenges in innovation, this quote can inspire the audience to innovate despite obstacles.
Architecture is a hazardous mixture of omnipotence and impotence. It is by definition a c h a o t i c a d v e n t u r e... In other words, the utopian enterprise.
What is now called 'green architecture' is an opportunistic caricature of a much deeper consideration of the issues related to sustainability that architecture has been engaged with for many years. It was one of the first professions that was deeply concerned with these issues and that had an intellectual response to them.
Architecture is a dangerous mix of power and importance.
Japan lives with drastic segregation between the sublime, the ugly, and the utterly without qualities. Dominance of the last 2 categories makes mere presence of the first stunning: when beauty 'happens', it is absolutely surprising.
We live in an almost perfect stillness and work with incredible urgency.
The City is an addictive machine from which there is no escape
Were the stars out when I left the house last evening? All I could remember was the couple in the Skyline listening to Duran Duran. Stars? Who remembers stars? Come to think of it, had I even looked up at the sky recently? Had the stars been wiped out of the sky three months ago, I wouldnβt have known.
Both individuals and societies tell themselves stories to simplify and make sense of the messy chaos of reality.
The world in which we live can be understood as a result of muddle and accident; but if it is the outcome of deliberate purpose, the purpose must have been that of a fiend. For my part, I find accident a less painful and more plausible hypothesis.
No one has ever become poor by giving.
A lawyer is either a social engineer or he is a parasite on society.
Civil officials have no business meddling in private religious affairs.
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