“Look before you leap” – this common proverb rewards those who are prudent and reflect deeply on all outcomes before taking action. I’ve often applied this wisdom when designing buildings by being mindful of what not to do before proposing a solution. There’s wisdom in knowing what to avoid so that we can maintain order in a world that would otherwise crumble into chaos. We are creatures that naturally assess risk—we calculate in favor of a positive outcome by ruling out the negatives.
In this issue of Columns, we explore how risk influences both the built environment and the way we practice architecture. There’s a risk in choosing to eliminate a city’s built legacy, as described by Nancy McCoy’s story about Dallas’ own relationship with its built history. As Eli Tomlanovich’s experience with Cunningham Architects’ Shadybrook office building attests, there’s risk in failing to reconsider the typical design approach to a familiar building archetype. Sometimes risk, as Shreya Jasrapuria writes, involves the path not taken: when leaders make decisions to protect their city’s inhabitants from natural risks at the cost of establishing a one-of-a-kind place-making that adversely affects that city’s identity in the long term. Other times, risk arises when we fail to do our due diligence when serving our clients, to which Mitch Milby provides advice on the best ways to mitigate it. This collection of stories reminds us that every decision is fraught with a certain amount of risk, and that it really is up to us to reflect, be critical, and be accountable to all who share in the places we create.
Julien Meyrat, AIA
Editor-in-Chief
