1: Buildings

摘要

'Step this way': The friendly invitation of your host, still a little formal as you arrive, welcoming you inside. Underlying the kind words an acknowledgement of the need for guidance and direction, a light hand on the shoulder, another outstretched, open-palmed, a human signpost. Way-finding never promised so much. And truly, it is only the smallest of spaces that are hosted in this way, homes, res- taurants, an emporium of promise and mystery in some foreign souk; the outsize foam hands on greeters at the London 2012 Olympics pointed and high-fived their way to clarity at a grand scale. Architects promise and prompt with the more subtle clues of plan, materials and layers of light and colour, each written as an invitation and welcome. In an era of easy supergraphics remember, you are hosting.