what w​e do

 

Buildings are artifacts, objects wrought in the crucible of culture that reflect the inner world of those who create and dwell in them. In an ideal world, they are neither technical objects nor commodities, but expressions of spirit essential to life.

 

Livingstructure is an autonomous architecture collective. Our interests in sustainability arose out of collective worry not only for the environment, but for the effects of contemporary building methods on those who do the work as well as those who live within the results. Above all our deepest concern is to create structures that are emotionally, spiritually, and environmentally healthy. 

 

We seek an alternative to the modern built environment: where labor is empowering, not dehumanizing; where architecture is soulful, not sterile; where materials are alive; and where the landscape is respected, not degraded.

 

We strive to create life-affirming spaces by building upon the ideas and methods of the Center for Environmental Structure , a movement began by Christopher Alexander that desires to continue the little-known tradition of buildings created not by architects, but by common people.

 

"A house is not just a shell for habitation, it is also an unfolding of our experience. A house is not an act, but a series of acts; it is not an object but an experience; it is not a commodity to be bought and sold but an activity essential to life. Instead of being the unfolding of our existence and the expression of our freedom, our houses have become the imprisonment of our existence, the denial of our lives."

- Christopher Alexander