Architectural Journeys

By Gordon S. Grice, OAA, FRAIC

Whether they are physical journeys, involving travel from place to place, or the metaphorical journeys we all experience as our lives and careers unfold, no two journeys are the same. Each is unique and one-directional.

A journey may have an itinerary and a destination or it may have neither of these. In every case, it’s the journey itself that matters. Our lives are consumed by journeys, geographical, emotional and intellectual, great and small: driving to work, going on a walking tour, researching an interesting topic, sustaining a career. Every journey has the capacity to enrich our lives and conceivably the lives of others. Life itself is a journey.

We asked our contributors to tell us about a personal journey—specifically, an architectural journey—that has been important to their lives. A defining characteristic of architecture is that it is (with some exceptions) immovable; static; rooted. People move; architecture doesn’t. An architectural journey then can only be a human journey with architecture as the goal (travelling to), the vehicle (travelling through or among), or the motivator (travelling because of). If you view the world through the eyes of an architect, every journey is an architectural journey.

The submitted work deals mostly with metaphorical journeys—spiritual and philosophical—in some cases abetted by physical journeys, but always with architecture at the core. Ryan Martin, at the beginning of his career, lays out an encouraging route map for his future professional journey. Christopher Moise compares a recent European tour to the path his own career has followed. Rocco Maragna finds surprising parallels between architecture and migration, and between his own lifelong migratory journey and that of the Roman poet Ovid. Bill Birdsell’s journey leads to the realization that architecture is about people. The editor recounts his own career journey, following several paths, geographically, professionally and spiritually. We are also pleased to feature the paintings of Clarence Porter, whose haunting images invite us to get moving and see what lies around the next corner. Life’s journey is full of surprises.