RISE Guest Editors

In architecture, to rise alludes to upward momentum, such as achieving height and growing the skyline. But cities do not truly rise because buildings grow taller. They rise when people inhabit them more fully. They rise when streets become social spaces, when their infrastructure supports culture rather than mere movement, and especially when their architecture participates in civic life.

This issue explores the theme of rise through a broader, more human lens. In “People First: Fueling the Rise of Downtown Dallas,” architect Sophie Bramall examines her home city, historically shaped by movement and transaction, and poses a central question: what does it mean to build a downtown people actively choose to belong to? The answer lies not in spectacle or singular megaprojects, but in the quieter work of stitching together neighborhoods, repairing the public realm, and cultivating everyday experiences of comfort, dignity, and connection. Her video walking through downtown Dallas vividly describes a bleak status quo and calls for action.

That same relationship between form and experience appears in “23Springs” by Amanda Kalescky, project leader in GFF Design. Rising in Uptown Dallas, the new office tower demonstrates how density, openness, and structure can coexist within a rapidly evolving district. Its expressive x-columns transform engineering into architectural identity, shaping a building that contributes to civic presence as much as commercial function, and reinforcing the idea that architecture gains meaning through context and intention.

In “Can We Shoot the Rendering?” Stephen Walsh reminds us that architectural photography must be understood as interpretation rather than replication. He argues that images should not merely reproduce renderings, especially when the architect’s vision appears at its most idealized in a project’s earliest phase. Instead, designers should resist overreliance on the rendering and allow architecture to reveal itself through composition, light, timing, and point of view. Photography becomes a narrative act, shaped by collaboration and trust between architect and photographer, capturing how buildings are experienced rather than simply how they are conceived.

Together, these perspectives reflect a broader shift in architecture and urbanism—from mere optimization, such as building higher or larger, toward experience, connection, and civic life. To rise is not simply to ascend, but to align design with lived experience. It is a gradual process built through collaboration, stewardship, and the belief that cities can become more connected, generous, and deeply human places. We hope you will come away from these pieces with the sense that we can rise above the well-known challenges of creating a more harmoniously built environment.

Julien Meyrat, AIA
Columns Magazine, Editor-in-Chief