A Common Bond

By Mario Arbore

Louis Kahn said, “If you think of brick …you consider the nature of brick. You say to brick, ‘What do you want, brick?' Brick says to you, ‘I like an arch.' If you say to brick, ‘Arches are expensive, and I can use a concrete lintel over an opening. What do you think of that, brick?' Brick says, ‘I like an arch.'”

For me, Kahn's allegory is about clarity in purpose. There is no question or doubt. It's imperative to honor one's character, whether it's a building block or a human being. Creativity breeds creativity. This is what inspired me to build upon the sand castle workshop we had in August 2003. Over a hundred children and young adults from Good Shepherd's Red Hook Community Center Beacon in Brooklyn were given an opportunity that day to think about buildings like they hadn't before. It was a day of miracles, even for the most resigned among us.

“What could we do in the winter?” I wondered. Thinking back on what made me gravitate toward architecture, I recalled my childhood Lego^® blocks. What a joy it was to create a miniature world from those little plastic bricks. One hundred twenty kids. “We're going to need a lot of Legos,” I laughed. It seemed ridiculous to me.

A heartfelt letter to Lego Systems, Inc. followed up with a heartfelt call to their marketing department left Good Shepherd Services and our crew of dedicated architects with a kind apology stating that Lego receives a number of requests like this from many non-profit agencies and could not oblige.

Yet, in the face of “no,” there is always possibility. Case in point: Good Shepherd coincidentally received a donation from the tech department of Credit Suisse First Boston. After a quick call, it was confirmed that part of those funds could be used to purchase the toy construction materials we would need to make A Common Bond a reality.

Wheels were in motion. We had the date set of Saturday, March 13 th to be held in the gymnasium of PS 15 in Red Hook, Brooklyn. The folks at Good Shepherd Services were very excited, and so were we. The architects met on a sporadic basis. It's a busy profession, after all, in the busiest city on the planet. We had a game plan: each architect would head up a group of 8 kids; we would have 15 groups, and each group would be assigned a building type to design. The younger kids would work on “simpler” buildings, like a house or a school, while the older kids would have more complex things to design, like a skyscraper or a bridge.

There is nothing more exciting than creating something spontaneously in the moment, with each person contributing to the larger idea. We all concurred that we would extend the invitation to contractors and friends.

Probably the toughest part of the project was estimating the number of toy pieces we would need. With Lego being the most costly block on the market, we had to find an alternative. We explored Tinkertoy^® , K'Nex^® , Lincoln Logs^® and Megabloks^® after having priced them online and in the stores, all working within the budget allotted by Good Shepherd, we opted for the latter, a less expensive but equally fun block company out of Canada. We determined that we would need around 200 Megabloks^® per child, or 20,000 pieces.

It was all set! The architects were excited. We had assigned building types to each architect, giving preference to those who wanted a specific age group. Rob Abbot from the Red Hook Community Center placed the order for the Megabloks, and we were to be receiving them the week before the event.

Then the unexpected happened! One week before the event, Rob received word from the online toy supplier that the blocks were not in stock and would not be shipped until the week after the 13 th . It's in times like these that you stop and consider the level of commitment you have to people and what it means for others. For a moment, we thought of postponing the event. I recounted to Rob how my friend, YiRu, had planned her trip back to Taiwan around this date. If it were going to happen, it would have to happen on the set date.

How could we save the event? Everyone brainstormed: Rob and Jennifer sought out toy suppliers in Brooklyn, finding what they had available. The architects put forth using recycled materials and other items from our offices: foam core, packing tape and old fabric samples that we could use. This last-minute squeeze brought forth a greatness in us all. Finally, Rob found a supplier who could meet our needs with Megabloks and Legos.

And then, of course, came the comic relief: A number of us architects met in the Library at Gensler's midtown office. Joyce Young, a fellow architect wondered aloud, “Why don't we see if Jay Ting has any Legos?” Jay is Gensler's model maker, and, as it turns out, a huge Lego fan. He lent us THOUSANDS of blocks for the day! We were all amazed at our luck and thankful for Jay's obsession.

Finally, the day of the event arrived. It was a cold, wintry day, bright and crisp. The beginning was frenetic and wonderful: We all scrambled to set up a “toy materials supply station” in a corner of the school's gym. We divided up the supply boxes equally, giving the younger kids the bigger blocks to work with.

The event started with some games to get the kids and the architects/contractors acquainted.

Then it was on to work. Each group began to discuss what each building type meant to them, evoking images and thoughts. One group asked their kids to draw a picture of their assignment (City Hall) using charcoal and newsprint paper. The drawings these kids produced were beautiful!

The gymnasium was filled with an intense creativity that was focused, but fun. One group used blue fabric samples to serve as the “water” for their model of a boathouse. Another group diligently separated their colored blocks in piles and carefully arranged them to create a model of a public library. I couldn't contain the smile on my face to see all the fantastic energy that was in the space that day.

The model making came to a close. We all moved with youthful exuberance to the auditorium. The models were set on the stage for all to admire. There were some amazing creations that day!

Students from the PS 15 did a dance performance, and then Rob handed out awards in various categories for the Lego models. Every child received a certificate to acknowledge his/her accomplishments for the day. There was a buzz of excitement that lingered long after the day was done.

The day had worked out to be as joyful and wondrous as Castles in the Sand had been.

Shortly after, a group of the architects convened at a local pub for a few celebratory brews and some of Brooklyn's tasty pizza. Words couldn't describe the fun we all had that day. Kahn's parable about expressing the nature of materials still rang true for me.

But, moreover, in allowing people to express the true nature of who they are, we can all better express ourselves as architects.