This is a mixed post: part pride and part relevant.
My brother, Declan Keefe, is the director of a environmentally-focused Architecture firm in (Placetailor) Boston. His firm was recently featured in what I am told is The Architecture magazine in the U.S. and I wanted to both give him some press (seriously, folks who read this blog will also likely be people interested in Placetailor) and reflect on the fact that his vision for architecture is almost exactly parallel to mine in regards to theology.
…Placetailor was started in 2008 by Simon Hare, Assoc. AIA, a designer and builder passionate about developing new models of design and construction that challenge industry standards. Placetailor’s first project was the Hare family’s home, Pratt House, which garnered attention for its energy-efficient renovation and small physical and environmental footprint. Hare recruited a team of young designers and builders turned off by design-firm hierarchies and an industry they see as pitting architects against contractors. The company has had an evolving cast of characters, united by the conviction that designing and building should be joined together as a cooperative enterprise.
Declan Keefe, who has been with Placetailor from the beginning, took over as director when Hare went back to Israel….
“Design needs to include input from the entire community,” Keefe says, “rather than being imposed by architects from above.”
Whenever a profession or field of study becomes too distanced from those for whom it is supposed to work… well… things get wonky. At best.
I'm excited whenever there is a vision in which education isn't held up as a tool for elitism but rather as a means by which to more fully connect and serve. That my brother shares this vision is sweet.
Good stuff.
Check out Placetailor (they've got a great site) and there's a copy of the article from Architect Magazine below: