I was just glancing at the structural systems of Butler Buildings, and I realize that I'm looking at the reality of constructing in the suburbs today. Structural elements have "already been designed by Butler engineers" so I don't have to. I get maximum use of interior space, and the only mathematical calculation I really need to do is to calculate the number of 25' bays I need. I could pick a skylight option, add an overhanging eave, perhaps even a translucent clerestory ribbon window. Every attempt is made to create the most cost-saving solution.

The main problem of these popular systems is that they do not inspire. They are meant, essentially, to keep water out. The question is, does a mall NEED to inspire? We go to them, we shop, and we rarely look at how the building is made because it is pretty much obscured by drywall. If the interiors lack interest, the exteriors are even more dismal. Just thinking about these things give me a headache. The answer, though, is yes- malls do need to inspire. They are the only public places in the suburbs. They do need to be more than just warehouses.

How do I reconcile the fact that any deviation from the normal is only going to be expensive? How do I justify acrobatics? What is the appropriate architectural response? Does it matter what kind of materials I choose?

Simply put, there are two hermeneutics to my project:

Transience and Translation

• rethinking the social within the mall type: an effective public realm for the suburb that recognizes our necessity to be freed from the dependence of the car
• the cultural role of the tectonic: a reconciliation of Eastern and Western tectonic paradigms that reflects the heterogeneous cultural identity of the Chinese Canadian

What's scaring me right now, and after losing some sleep last night over this, is that I have to have a clear thesis. What am I trying to do? At the moment, I don't know how tectonics is going to enter the question, because frankly we have not been trained to actually turn a building into reality. If tectonics is going to be a mainstay for my project, it has to be more than just an articulation of a joint- and I've thought of many things already: pre-fabrications, geometries. However, I'm also in favor of a more populist approach where things don't necessarily have to be designed, but simply fall where they fall. That's what makes cities interesting. I may need to jumpstart this project by looking at Cor-ten steel again. However, I'm also interested in combining materials, especially along the Semper's paradigm. Reinforced concrete versus steel. How do you merge the Chinese pagoda-podium paradigm with Greco-Gothic of today because this merging would be symbolic of the merging of the two worlds within a Chinese Canadian. Can there be a modern architecture that stems from both traditions?