In an essay entitled The Hedgehog and the Fox, Isaiah Berlin quotes the Greek poet Archilochus, “The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing” (Berlin 7). The essay was written as a commentary on Leo Tolstoy’s view of history, however, the text can offer an understanding for how one might practice architecture as well. For us, this understanding reveals itself in perceiving the environment as a fox and believing in it as a hedgehog.
Perceiving the environment as a fox requires “plenty of full light” (Albers) and a methodical rigor aimed at exploring forces and processes including climate, culture, economy, atmosphere, and material.
Believing in the environment as a hedgehog requires a confidence and trust that the projects we build and discussions we nurture “feel the pull of life” (Martin 159) and contribute positively to our clients and the world around us.
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Albers, Josef. Poems and Drawings. Ed. Nicholas Fox Weber. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2006. Print.
Berlin, Isaiah. The Hedgehog and the Fox; an Essay on Tolstoy’s View of History. New York: Mentor Books, 1957. Print.
Martin, Agnes and Briony Fer. Agnes Martin. Ed. Frances Morris and Tiffany Bell. London: D. A. P./Tate, 2015. Print.
Explore
The Tree Farm Golf Club
New Holland, South Carolina
Commercial
Located on an ideal site featuring sandy soils and rolling topography near Aiken, South Carolina, The Tree Farm seeks to bring to life a transcendent modern golf experience that respects, amplifies, and blends in with the natural landscape. In line with this vision, there will be no flashy buildings driven by a desire for luxurious experiences. Instead, the master plan and buildings for the project all work toward creating simple, thoughtful spaces that are rooted in and responsive to the place, climate, culture, and rich history of the game of golf.
Michelle Haynes
Swing Dancer, Fitness Coach & Entrepreneur
Culture and Community
In this episode, our resident architects Joe Rivers and Kevin Barden visit with Michelle Haynes, a swing dancer, fitness instructor, and entrepreneur from Houston, Texas. Michelle Haynes is a veteran of the competitive swing dancing community, both in Houston and at the national level, and about two years ago turned her enthusiasm for dance, movement, and teaching into an entrepreneurial venture, opening a group fitness gym. Joe and Kevin sat down with Michelle to discuss her beginnings in swing dancing and how her passions evolved into her new business.
Staff Travel: The Swiss Chalet
Rafia Imran
Writing
In August of 2023, Rafia visited Switzerland for eight days. Her travels took her from sampling chocolates in Zurich to exploring the UNESCO city of Bern to hiking in the Swiss Alps. Here, she fell in love with not only the beautiful landscapes of the Bernese Oberland region, but also the elaborately decorated Swiss Chalet.