Theory Of Architecture – Part 1 : What Have We Forgotten? // Saturday Studio AB EP 50
Saturday Studio | Architecture Beyond
With Brandon Gibbs, Principal and Design Director of MotionFORM Architecture
When architecture moves us, what does it ask of us?
Some spaces stay with us long after we leave. Through light, proportion, material, and their relationship to place, they awaken something: belonging, wonder, reverence, or a deeper understanding of how we could live.
In this Saturday Studio reflection, Brandon Gibbs explores architecture as both lived experience and an ancient gift—a calling that carries responsibilities toward people, community, and the natural world.
Does the architecture we have experienced match the architecture we have been tasked to create—or taught to understand?
An encounter with great architecture can give us conviction to pursue something more. Yet that conviction may challenge what society considers effective, profitable, or sufficient. What happens when the architecture we believe in asks more of us than the systems around us encourage?
Inside this reflection
- Architecture as experience: What have the places that moved us revealed about the purpose of design?
- Architecture as an ancient gift: What enduring relationships between shelter, land, community, and sacred meaning should guide our work?
- Conviction and calling: How do we respond when our understanding of architecture exceeds what we are expected to deliver?
- The challenge of practice: How can we turn that conviction into buildings, homes, and spaces people can inhabit?
- A society that makes architecture possible: What must change in our shared priorities for meaningful architecture to flourish?
This opening chapter of A Theory of Architecture invites listeners to examine their own memories and expectations. Whether you design buildings, commission projects, or simply care about the places you inhabit, your experience belongs in this conversation.
About Brandon Gibbs
Brandon Gibbs is the Principal and Design Director of MotionFORM Architecture, based in Nashville, Tennessee, and the host of Architecture Beyond.
Through practice, design research, and conversation, he engages the truth and purpose of architecture while responding to people seeking meaningful design in a world where less is often accepted. This segment brings that pursuit into a personal reflection on what architecture gives us—and what we are called to give in return.
Watch or Listen
Join Saturday Studio for Theory of Architecture, Part 1: What Have We Forgotten?
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