When in Rome...

When in Rome…

I was discussing the ideas of the book, A Timeless House, with a friend and I was confronted with a stunning revelation. . .

One of the main ideas in the book is that our houses tell a story. Our houses provide a narrative that communicates who we are, and what we believe. I use the example in the book of the pyramids. That by studying the Pyramids, we learn about the Egyptians. The pyramids tell us a story about what the Egyptian’s believed, their technological prowess, their social structure, and even their daily lives.

If we take this lens of study and point it back on our lives, what do our buildings and homes say about us. What narrative are our homes telling about what we believe and value. I think this is a compelling and worthwhile discussion and is the reason why, what we build matters.

As we bantered back and forth, my friend commented that it wasn’t fair to look at the average man’s house, but instead we should look at civic buildings. So I did a quick google search and it turns out the most expensive building built in the United States is Jerry’s world. . . Cowboy stadium in Arlington Texas at 1.3 billion!!! It is an amazing place. It is huge, and admittedly a spectacle beyond the games played there.

It was quickly obvious that the comparison and distance between us and the Romans may not be so great. Is “Jerry’s world” our modern-day coliseum? If it is, does that mean Jerry Jones is Caesar? Lets hope not…

The Coliseum in Rome is one of the great and most distinctive monuments from antiquity. It in turn tells us a great deal about the Romans. What does the Cowboy’s stadium say about us? I think this is a discussion worth having. What we build matters. Whether we are building a sports venue or a home. We shouldn’t build haphazardly, future generations will know us by the homes we build.

-B

The Coliseum in Rome is one of the great and most distinctive monuments from antiquity. It in turn tells us a great deal about the Romans. What does the Cowboy’s stadium say about us?