Our designs are measured by human values. We value things like light, air, beauty, equality,shelter, justice, optimism, health, security,happiness, efficiency, education, respect... Butultimately these goals compete. One objectiveoften constrains another. When building shelterwe may block out light, or when creating beautywe may hinder efficiency.

 

An architect’s agency lies in their ability tomeasure tangible, intangible, or future variablesand construct design measures to guide theirprojects.

 

The ways in which we read measures can alsocompete. A room may be too dark, or it mightjust not have enough light.

 

I believe that design is all too often reservedfor those with the means to acquire it, andthe built environment can act to further divideus. This work is optimistic and ultimatelymeasures the value in a design not merelyby aesthetics, but by its ability to enhancehuman rights.

 

The cover shows 16,500 designs for a givenproblem, a small portion of the 5969 possiblesolutions made possible by the chosenparameters. Each line and color indicatesthe degree to which an objective was met.Ultimately the design of measures allowedus to search for solutions that best met thevalues envisioned.

 

Each project takes measured action towards ahuman right: a place to live, a place to gather,sustainable infrastructure to provide, naturalsystems to engage, or a border to dismantle.The projects Stitch, Scale, Wait, Vault, Peer,Power, Evolve, Live, House, Dwell, Blur, Preserve,Plant or Model measured change.