architecture

[Harrison Owen]

At 12:30 AM 8/9/00 +0000, you wrote:
>Dear OSLIST,
>
>Wouldn't it be wonderful if some architects worked to design an ideal
>community building expressly for Open Space events?
>
>What would it look like?
>
>Chris

********************************
I am not sure -- but I think we might have to add another principle.
"Whatever space is the right space." My experience has been that there is
no ideal space. There are only spaces which encourage useful conversation
between the people, and oddly enough, the space and the people.

Two extreme examples sort of make the point, I think. In one OS -- somebody
(the hotel I think) had badly screwed up so that it was necessary to change
our location 3 times during a two day Open Space. I was predicting
disaster, but it was wonderful. The journey between spaces became an
incredible stimulus for juicy conversation. In effect, we had to create our
own space as we went along. I wouldn't recommend something like that as
"normal" practice -- but I surely learned a lot.

At the other extreme was an OS I did in Brussels. The hostess had found
what she thought was the "ideal" space. It was a conference center
originally built by IBM and now privately run. What caught her eye was that
everything was in circles. The main ring was a large pillar-less circle,
surrounded in a circle by the break out rooms, a circular corridor and
more  breakout rooms. What could be better? Circles within circles.

Well the interesting this is that after the first session, all the groups
choose to meet outside or in the adjacent inn. It turned out that the whole
things was just too symmetrical. People really wanted difference.

 From then on, if I had anything to do with site selection,  I have always
looked for places that had the fundamentals (a big room) and then also had
all sorts of different nooks, crannies and lurking space.

Harrison



Harrison Owen
7808 River Falls Drive
Potomac, MD 20854 -- USA
phone 301-469-9269
fax 301-983-9314
Website www.mindspring.com/~owenhh
Open Space Institute websites www.openspaceworld.org
The MetaNet OpenSpace Conference  www.tmn.com/new
Everybody Welcome -- Register upon arrival and slide down to
"Other Conferences" Type openspace (all one word)
Open Space Listserve (egroup) http://www.egroups.com/group/oslist

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