matthew ridenour

“TOGETHER”
(Cultural Perspective Essay)

The summer of 2007 marked the culmination of my life’s direction to that point. I had finally received the coveted “holy grail” that comes by nothing short of blood, sweat, and tears: a degree in Architecture from Cal Poly. I had buttoned up the design portion of my fifth-year thesis project. I had accepted my first offer of full-time employment at a top tier Architecture firm.

I found myself on a plane to meet the Maasai of Karero in Southern Kenya. My thesis all year had been devoted to designing a medical clinic - from fundraising efforts to building a partnership with Staff of Hope, the non-profit liaison with our local contractor.

Arriving on site expecting to see our vision constructed, my excitement gave way to terror. I was immediately struck by the realization that the site was just that: a site. There was NO BUILDING. Not. A. Building. As I attempted to mask the horrified appearance on my face, my best friend and design accomplice quietly took me aside: “It’s okay, we will build this with them- together.”

In the heat of the moment, his words failed to ring through my frenzied mind as purely as they do now. Looking back, however, this was not only a perspective shift, this was a major turning point in my life. I was forced to focus on building relationships as opposed to simply building a clinic. This was NOT what they had taught me in design school. I had to work alongside my fellow Maasai brothers and sisters, leaning on them for communication, local methods of construction, and cultural capital. I had a vision for a solution; they had a vision for “TOGETHER”. And their method worked. Looking back, I am incredibly grateful that I was there for the inception of construction: driving the first stake in the ground with my new Kenyan friends. We also quickly realized that our foreman Jeremiah was unfamiliar with our system of dimensioning - so had we not adapted to the Maasai culture of togetherness, the final product would not have reflected our design.

Once a young, buttoned-up architecture school grad, I left the Maasai village humbled, with a new perspective on design. Through the dust and sweat of Southern Kenya, I learned that design is more than creating a structure. Impactful design is holistic, entering fascinating new environments and collaborating to the point of understanding human needs. Together, we constructed a space where human life thrives in a resource-drained sector of the world.

My perspective-shift toward “design through togetherness” is evidenced in my current approach to Architecture, emerging recently on a design competition in Shanghai. I was sent to complete a task– but more importantly, I knew I was there to connect. As I designed alongside my Chinese colleagues, we formed an immediate bond– consequently creating a beautiful product.

YES we all search desperately for “the solution” to the world’s problems– and for good reason. But we must go further. Lasting change is found beyond a medical clinic... transformation occurs through connection.