the practice of bnim : beauty

The Practice of BNIM

BEAUTY

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Though human history is full of efforts to define and capture it, beauty in the end

does reside in the eye and heart of the beholder. There are times when we have

perhaps universally agreed upon the beauty of a given form or composition or

space or spirit, yet there seem more times when we find ourselves in vigorous

debate over what is beautiful and what is not. It is elusive, immeasurable, and

yet we believe we have a clear process with specific techniques that will help us

collectively understand each other’s view of beauty and how it might be made

manifest within the context of this work.

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An appreciation for beauty connects all human beings, yet the diversity of what is considered beautiful

is larger than any one mind can comprehend. It is a magnificent paradox. In part, nature defines beauty.

There are universal measures that are inherent in nature, such as the golden ratio and the golden spiral.

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Often, beauty is dependent on an understanding of climate.

Early Santa Fe is beautiful because the architecture responds to the sunny, dry climate with flat roofs

and thick earthy walls that encase heat and coolth. Finally, culture creates beauty. Gothic cathedrals and

Louis Sullivan’s early skyscrapers both soar into the air based on cultural cues: spiritual exuberance in

the former and high real estate values in the latter.

There are certain buildings and places that are commonly held as examples of beauty. The Taj Mahal, Piazza San Marco and the Parthenon

each have their own attributes and widely appreciated iconography. The universal lauding is partially because of what we know--that

beautiful buildings have perfect proportion, balance, symmetrical or asymmetrical relationships of the composition, elegances, simplicity,

harmony, materiality and relationship to the public realm, the site and the building. But lasting beauty comes from a much more complex

equation than is implied by these rules of design.

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We offer that beauty is composed of three primary tenets, each of which connects us to a sense of grandeur.

1. SeNSory experIeNce

All of our senses work in harmony to observe the essence of a space.

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2. MeNtal INtereSt

The relationship between us and our culture stimulate mental

interest. The built environment accomplishes this by contrasting

complexity and simplicity, the expected and the surprising.

3. coNNectIoN to the eNvIroNMeNt

A consistent connection to the natural world and environmental

systems adds the required vitality.

“The Science of Architecture, followed out to its fullest extent, is one

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It is our belief that true beauty in architecture involves all of the senses and must

be experienced to be truly appreciated. Beautiful buildings provide rich visual, aural,

olfactory and tactile experiences. Our memories of beauty are built around how the

building and spaces between feel as we walk across the floor or glide a hand across

a handrail. The contrast between silence and echo of Lincoln Memorial is a memory

for all visitors. The same is true of the aroma of the wooden structure of Fay Jones

Thorncrown Temple, which intertwines every visitor with a rich understanding of this

soaring structure that is perfectly integrated into its natural setting.

01: Sensory Experience

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02: Mental Interest

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Great buildings appeal to our inner intellectual needs. It is the relationships between the people that occupy a space and

the buildings that frame a space that convey meaning. A carefully considered urban plaza is subject to the whim of its

potential users. The character of a place is the result of the collective consciousness that gives deep meaning and layered

experience. Careful consideration of the potential of a space to engender interaction and to challenge inhabitants with

nuance, surprise and comfort forms the foundation of what, through the patina of use, emerges as a beauty.

Another component of beauty ties to the rigor required to craft functional buildings that perform exceptionally well.

Spaces that elevate the workings of those who occupy the interior spaces--such as classrooms that inspire improved

learning or offices that improve productivity--are signs of inner beauty. Integrated building elements that perform to

reduce energy demands, harvest renewable energy, harvest sunlight, reclaim water and other elements that make the

building itself perform better are all forms of beauty—if expressed in ways that are delightful and contribute to the overall

composition of the architecture.

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The Science of Architecture, followed out to its fullest extent, is one of the noblest of those which have

reference only to the creations of human minds. It is not merely a science of the rule and compass,

it does not consist only in the observation of just rule, or of fair proportion: it is, or ought to be, a

science of feeling more than of rule, a ministry to the mind, more than to the eye. If we consider how

much less the beauty and majesty of a building depend upon its pleasing certain prejudices of the

eye, than upon its rousing certain trains of meditation in the mind, it will show in a moment how many

intricate questions of feelings are involved in the raising of an edifice; it will convince us of the truth of

a proposition, which might at first have appeared startling, that no man can be called an architect, who

is not a metaphysician. John Ruskin, Poetry of Architecture

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Our connection to natural beauty is innate. Nature is the greatest source of beauty

and is often considered the measure to which all other beauty is compared. Regardless

of our backgrounds, human beings respond to nature in similar ways and share

emotional and intellectual beauty of natural systems.

03: Connection to the Environment

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We believe that this moment in time presents designers of all types with an

unprecedented opportunity to reshape the built environment while harmoniously

regenerating the natural world. We are a diverse world community that is both a

melting pot and a collection of distinct cultures. These social and cultural conditions

present unique and interesting challenges for designers at a time when climate and

regionalism increasingly shape our work. At BNIM, we believe that design dialogue

is powerful and universal. We strive for beauty and delight that is deeply rooted and

transcends place, culture and time.

our work

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Our work consciously does not fall into any particular stylistic formula. Every design is unique in terms of its site, context,

functional requirements, technological potential and role in its community and culture. We strive to construct a design

process that is collaborative, integrated and participatory, where all voices can be heard, from specialist engineers,

designers and constructors to clients and users. The result is a collection of buildings and environments that are distinctive

in their conceptual clarity and visual and spatial intensity.

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In our practice, we design private and public realms that work in concert to contribute

positively to community and nature, no matter the scale. A building has a role and

responsibility to improve and give life to its surrounding public realm. We believe that each

work of architecture, regardless of scale, should embrace its cultural, community, urban and

natural contexts so that the final outcome defines an idea of the public realm.

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We practice among a group of talented, diverse and passionate designers from many disciplines of design.

We share common goals and aspirations for design. Together, we define design excellence by the triple-

bottom-line—people, planet and prosperity. As a result, we are committed to producing work that maximizes

human potential, productivity and health.

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Every project is committed to minimizing the consumption of

resources, reducing waste and pollution and restoring natural systems.

Our work and design process promotes responsible stewardship of

economic resources through design and operation.

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When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe. John Muir

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As architects, we sometimes too easily forget that what we really do is

serve the needs of people while striving to make the world better one

building at a time. It is important to remember that we impact every

natural and man-made system through our designs. We aim to do well

by both. We design to make each individual life and nature more whole.

We strive to shape places that offer a welcoming presence, nurture

souls, inspire minds, provide comfort, pleasure and lift us all.

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Nature is our model and inspiration.

Like a flower opening to accept the sun and morning dew or closing for protection from rain,

our work aspires to behave in concert with nature and surrounding environmental forces.

We value all resources and treat them with respect and practice conservation. We strive

to realize designs that eliminate waste in construction and operation, are in balance with

climate and place, adapt to changing environmental conditions or functional requirements,

regenerate natural systems and are beautiful for what they are.

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Lastly we strive to delight.

We do so by seeking design outcomes that appeal to

the inner feelings that we share as human beings for

pleasure in our relationships with others, with nature,

man-made objects and environments and all art forms.

We seek to provide gratification and satisfaction for

the immeasurable inner needs of human beings—by

providing pleasure and delight in every design.

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A great building must begin with the immeasurable, must go through measurable

means when it is being designed, and in the end must be immeasurable. Louis Kahn

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BNIM people. prosperity. planet

Kansas City | Houston | Des Moines | Los Angeles | San Diego | bnim.com©2008 Berkebile Nelson Immenschuh McDowell Architects