Architecture involves a longer duration and a wider geography than we typically consider. Buildings begin with material extracted from the earth and end with matter sitting in a landfill. Architectural materials should no longer be considered static and permanent, nor should buildings be considered isolated objects, but instead dynamic and continually transforming. Architects should take the initiative to actively design these transformations. They involve energy, labor, and resources that come from around the globe. In this sense, buildings should not be considered static and permanent objects, but instead dynamic and continually transforming systems. And with these broad extents in mind, architects might change the way they conceive and design architecture for the climate crisis.

David Benjamin is Founding Principal of The Living and Associate Professor at Columbia GSAPP.

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