A Really Good Question
“What contributions do you want your project to make to your neighborhood or community?” It’s a question architect Malini Srivastava brings to the design process with every client.
Interview by Laurie Junker | May 2, 2022
Architect Malini Srivastava, AIA. Photo by Chad Holder.
2022 PRINT ANNUAL
This feature appears in the 192-page, 2022 ENTER print annual, available for purchase here.
When clients first meet with an architect, they’ve usually thought about their budget and how they want their project to look and function. Many come equipped with photos from magazines and social media. Less frequently have they considered the question Malini Srivastava, AIA, asks all her new clients: “What contributions do you want your project to make to your neighborhood or community?” Srivastava, an associate professor in resilient and regenerative design at the University of Minnesota and cofounder (with Mike Christenson, AIA) of the architectural research and design firm dandelab, believes it’s an important area of inquiry—both for the integrity of projects and for the practice of architecture. ENTER spoke with her about it.
Why is this a worthwhile question?
It’s important to acknowledge that architectural structures aren’t just about the people who pay for or occupy them. Every building creates relationships and has environmental impacts beyond its lot lines. Architects already consider how new buildings will cast shadows on neighbors or create runoff, but this question goes deeper. For example, a conversation that begins with a goal of reducing the amount of construction waste going to a landfill might lead to a decision to design and construct a house using surplus materials. This was the case at one of our projects in Moorhead, Minnesota, where we used high-performance windows that had been rejected from other projects due to size, color, or operation.
“Even if the pieces don’t all come to fruition, having the dialogue is a way for us to learn how architecture will need to adapt to changing conditions, be they environmental, technological, or cultural.”
Are clients surprised when you ask it?
Yes, but we usually have interesting conversations about what it means for them and their neighborhood. Then, of course, the challenge becomes one of execution, which can be daunting given the reality of limited resources and the hierarchy of site, client, and community needs. But, even if the pieces don’t all come to fruition, having the dialogue is a way for us to learn how architecture will need to adapt to changing conditions, be they environmental, technological, or cultural.
What are some interesting ways you and your clients have worked those conversations into finished projects?
One of our clients in Grand Forks, North Dakota, wanted an energy-efficient home, and the project became the first LEED Platinum house in the state. We realized through our early discussions that one byproduct of the project would be education—educating the community about the potential of green building and working with city officials, consultants, contractors, and inspectors unfamiliar with some of the LEED requirements. Our clients embraced that aspect and have become enthusiastic ambassadors, hosting workshops, giving tours, and talking to local media about their house. Another client we’re currently working with on a lake home is exploring ways to honor the Native American roots of the property and incorporate their own traditions of multigenerational living. So, the question led to a very tangible outcome in one case and something more open to interpretation in the other.
In Process highlights an important step or tool in the design process.
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