timeless principles

©2005 mark laurence

subject:	Our experience of the world is governed by timeless principles
problem:	Spaces and designs which have no connections to, or observance of, timeless principles will not succeed in the longer term.

Whether we realise it or not, our daily existence is full of threads and connections to deeper, more subtle aspects of the world. We connect to these things in a subconscious way - without these connections we are not fulfilled.

problem:

Modern design tends to be an intellectual, style-led affair of the here-and-now. Many designers and architects strive to take their designs to the outer reaches of ideas and technological ability. This can lead to fantastic new living or working experiences but more often, it seems that simple human needs get forgotten about. The danger is that such creations become monuments to the designers ego, while ordinary people get left with the daily legacy of such work. Once the architect or designer has moved on and a project is no more than a picture in his or her portfolio, real life has to continue in and around that space. Such design does not endure the test of time, for it does not truly meet the needs for which it was created, or it cannot adapt to future needs. In the end, such design will cause profound disharmony, until it is pulled down and recreated, observing truer criteria.

solution:

Design either needs to be seen more as a public service, where environmental harmony and the needs of the end user are put before the ego of the designer, or design needs to be carried out directly by, or at least involve, the end users. It is not always possible for the end user to design their environment - they do not have the skills, experience or perhaps even the ideas to carry this out. But they should be intimately involved in the creation of their home, garden or place of work, wherever possible.

As the first note of all these design notes, this is the single most important principle. It underlies all successful design, throughout all disciplines. Timeless principles are the simple checks and balances which should ensure that a design will fulfil it's needs both now and in the near and distant future.

In the context of a garden, the element of time is incredibly important. Much of the atmosphere of a garden might come from the planting within it, and sometimes from plants and trees which are adjacent to it. The growth and decay of plants over time creates different moods which effect the long term success of the garden. Plants that are young can therefore be in vigour, or insignificant. As they grow, they can start to gain their true stature and beauty, or they can start to loose their best shape or flowering vigour. As they get old, they might be venerable, or merely decrepit. In all this, which is nothing more or less than the play of life, the structure of the garden is the constant factor.

Structure, materials, plants are all the elements which create both good and bad gardens. It is therefore how we choose the elements, how we assemble them and how we interact with them, through time, that determines the success or failure of that space. The purpose of these design notes, is to give guidance as to how this end can be achieved and all the subsequent notes are elements that build towards the creation of the timeless principle, that is, a place which is always relevant to the time in which it stands.

The generation process that leads to the timeless principle begins with structuring the space by the process of “many layers”, which is the subject of the next design note.