The Beauty is in the Connection

I recently listened to a story told by a woman who was the sole survivor of a plane crash that occurred several years ago in Vietnam. She lost her fiancé in the crash, and managed to survive 8 days in the jungle, despite her injuries, by collecting rainwater in a poncho. Delirious, and suffering from serious injury, she entered a state of incredible calm and appreciation for all the beauty of the natural world. She was in a state of bliss and love, sensing the intimate connections of the world, and wanting to remain in that awareness forever.  Ultimately, she was rescued, and she recovered from her injuries to tell her story. She ended her story with a simple phrase: “The Beauty is in the Connection.” 

I grasped on to that phrase and have been thinking about how if there were a soul to what our work is in this industry, the work we all do, that would be it!  

Our work is intimately connected. The relationships we create and the trust that bonds our international teams and our team here in the US, are deep and lasting. Our clients want to create something beautiful, and we are entrusted with the great task of helping them create what they envision. Our partners in Mexico, Italy and domestically are inspired as we are to work together to create each project and to meet each unique and challenging idea.  To me, there is so much beauty in not only the final product on the building or in the landscape, but in the connection that starts with the idea, and the vision of the designer, and is then fulfilled when the last piece of stone is set in place. And these connections go beyond our collaborations with international partners and our clients. There is the alchemy of skills sets within our team and with our construction and design partners. There is the interplay of various materials we use for projects. And there’s the masterful incorporation of nature in some designs, and yes, even the way custom cuts create perfect seams - all of these connections make me jump out of bed in the morning ready to work.

I believe that our connections go beyond the current time too, as we feel connected to the great architecture over the centuries, from the Ancient Greeks to Palladio to Art Deco to the moderns. Our work is a dance of interactions, in both relationships and ideas, and there is a constant awareness and appreciation of the great history of architecture that influences us and the creatives we work with. Yes, The Beauty is in the Connection!