At the Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce Trustees Community Luncheon last week, Dan Kirby, AIA, AICP, Boyken International, Inc., provided an inspiring message about the importance of architecture and engineering in building community as he introduced the Luncheon Program. He and his colleagues mentioned here, were instrumental in suggesting and securing our special guest speaker, Former Mayor of Pittsburgh and Urban Land Institute Fellow, Tom Murphy. Following is a copy of Dan Kirby’s introductory remarks.
Thank you, Jacob…I’d also like to thank a few of my architect brethren... Bob Burke, John Ehrig, and C.T. Hsu for their part in planting the seed to bring today’s speaker to Orlando.
One of the coolest things about architects is that through our education and training, we learn to understand linkages, and in turn, how linkages shape the experiences of people. We learn the relationships between columns and planes, between light and texture, between structural systems and mechanical systems, between building codes and aesthetics. We learn that each part of our interaction with the built environment shapes to the whole experience.
Architects know that the experience of a building does start when you cross the threshold…we know that the linkage of buildings and plants define external spaces and that these spaces define our environment. It is in these spaces…in how we create them, the experiences we share in them, and how we care for them, we speak volumes about the values that we hold dear.
The linkage between values and places exists on many levels. If you want to know what a business thinks of its employees, just visit the space that it provides for them. Does your company provide its workforce with a place to flourish and do their best? The business proposition here is that the quality of workplace relates directly to employee well-being, retention, productivity, and in turn to the bottom line.
Linkages can also be explored a regional basis. Through understanding regional linkages we can see how the parts relate to the whole…how urban relates to suburban…how agricultural relates to industrial. Through exploring linkages we can understand why a stay-at-home mom in Maitland should care about the education of a student in Sanford. They tell us why a lawyer in Lake Mary should care as much about the new medical school as a neurosurgeon in Lake Nona. They tell us why providing public transit options is just as important to a truck driver in Deltona as it is to a housekeeper in Kissimmee.
And remember this…By exploring linkages we can see that building a performing arts center is not just about going to the ballet, that building an events center is not just about basketball team, and that renovating a stadium is not just about going to football games. These things are investments in the regional economic infrastructure that provide us with opportunity. They strengthen our very fabric as a community. These types of investments in places where we live, work, and play…speak volumes about our values as a region. They can help to transform a place from merely being livable to being vibrant, sustainable, and yes…even magical. They are as important to you if you live in Apopka as they are to you are sitting in Downtown Orlando.
When we choose to explore these linkages, we can see them in our own families and in our own neighborhood. When neighbors express concern for each other they become activists, when great thinkers give voice to these concerns they become visionaries. When elected officials act on these concerns, they become community builders and through their leadership they can build a legacy that goes far beyond the next election cycle.
Luncheon guests were inspired by Mr. Kirby’s opening remarks and we appreciate that we have young leaders in our community who understand, communicate, and motivate all of us as we work together Building Community!
