CREJ

DECEMBER 2017 \ BUILDING DIALOGUE \

I’m somewhere halfway down a long list of people who

include many subject matter experts, makers, managers

and mavens who make our city happen.

There is a mythology around key people, such as the

developer, the star architect and the master builder,

which suggests that one person can be responsible for

creating a building. In truth, we all know that without

teamwork and a supply chain, nothing is built. Sure, you

could build a modern (nontiny) home all by yourself,

over the course of, like, 500 years. From the hammer and

nails, to the lumber, to the trucker who delivered it, we

rely on a broad network to get us what we need at our

stage of the process. Bootstraps and the self-made build-

ing are a myth.

So, as we round up this year, it might be time to tip our

hats of gratitude to all of the people who make it happen,

from the engineers to the financiers, from the sales reps

to the construction managers, from the plumbers to the

people who clean the site when the building is finally

complete. Every screw, window and built-in cabinet had

someone’s hands on it. Notice the details as much as the

façade; don’t just look through the window but look at it,

and join me in saying, “Thank you.” And, while you’re at

it, the next time you pick up a Lego brick, you might just

pull out your Danish dictionary and say, “Tak.”

A Lego project is a good starting point to consider

all parties involved in real-world building design

and construction.

In the Details