Essential centers not gimmicks

A living process works only to the extent that it is based on patterns which go to essentials: patterns which really create centers that support the deeper aspects of human life. A picture of wholeness will be a true picture only to the extent that it describes essentials. It is the essential content of the centers in a place which creates its life; their basic content, not their outward form. The life comes about when the centers have been chosen for their essential character. They go to the root of the life in a place. It is the essence which is contained in the centers that define the life.

In each of the examples, the “design” is less important than the choice of just this center. That is what governs the life and atmosphere of that place. […] On the left of each pair, one sees examples of developer architecture and postmodern “image” architecture, which put the accent on image, not on the essentials.

In each pair of examples, the left hand one is image-conscious, and sterile; the right hand one is simple, often cheap, and goes to the guts of the situation in a way that matters, and in a way that has the capacity to enhance life. The right hand ones are real; the left hand ones are phony.
In addition, the Ravello centers illustrated on the right of each pair, are the ones whose presence is already latent in the culture. They go to the heart of the structure that is already there, they summarize and encapsulate the essence of the real life that is going on in people’s hearts.

#book/The Nature of Order/2 The process of creating life/13 Patterns#