“Boxes” Versus “Architecture for People”

Abstract

Designing for people must be the main goal of architecture, or, in other words, not designing following fashion or fame, which can bring serious consequences in what really matters, as energy, environment or yet functional problems, in the literal sense of the word. With the proliferation of what I call the “boxes”, clean, minimal, we observe a mischaracterized monotonous architecture, missing often the good sense, what brings the need to rethink the main purpose of architecture: people, environment, cultural, social and historical context, local resources, climate, all factors in prowl of a sustainable and consistent attitude towards architecture.
This paper aims to review what the concept “designing for people” means, beginning research through a critical reflection of what happens when we follow fashion tendencies “versus” an attitude where architecture should be a human right.