What is motivating us to do this?  Why now?

The 2020-21 season of disruption, of recalibration, of pausing due to the Covid pandemic revealed the many gaps in our communal fabric.  Whether these gaps be social, environmental, personal, racial, economic, we understand better that centered individuals can better navigate life’s often rocky terrain, and can more powerfully contribute to and create vibrant selves, families, communities.

In pondering how to achieve progress in any one of these collective issues, Marcos Lutyens and Cynthia Campoy Brophy have turned focus to the individual. Can we create spaces for individuals to find stillness, to reflect, to discover their own creativity?  Can we design places that inspire awe? Can we design environments for people to discover personal liberation leading to communal resilience and renewed capacity for societal vibrancy?