In use
A building becomes public when people change it
Architecture is not finished at opening. Built Here follows the daily adjustments that show whether a space is actually welcoming, durable and useful.
In this issue
modern-magazineBuildings / 01
The first rainy day is an architectural review
Water, waiting and a crowded entrance reveal what drawings cannot always predict.
Materials / 02
The case for surfaces that can show age
A material does not have to stay pristine to remain dignified.
Cities / 03
A curb is a piece of public furniture
At street level, the edge of the roadway tells people where a pause is possible and where it is not.
From the desk
Built Here is a Canadian design magazine about places after the render. We look at buildings, interiors and public rooms through the people who enter them with a stroller, a sketchbook, a delivery cart or a wet umbrella. Design becomes legible in use, not only in presentation.
Our stories attend to material choices and municipal decisions, but we do not treat either as isolated. A bench, a canopy, a window line and a zoning clause can all decide whether a street feels passable or closed off. Good criticism starts by noticing that chain.
This issue visits a timber civic building on a wet Vancouver afternoon. Its form is clear. The question that follows is harder: how does the building behave once the rain, the bikes and the unexpected waiting time arrive?