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I don’t exactly remember how the thought came to me, but I remember how impressed I was by the depth of the Earth in comparison to the height of the Chicago skyline, let alone the 5’9” column I call home. Even when I take into consideration the very limit of our atmosphere, simple math suggests 0. And yet, within this sliver of atmosphere, in which my entire existence most likely will unfold, there is an abundance of activity, of which I am confident equally confounds all that lies underneath it. The amount of energy produced, not by weight, but by evolution, suggests that the edge is the center of activity.
I’m not just talking about photosynthesis (or maybe I am) but also the energy produced by the sum of all living things, we humans in particular. The ability to raise a structure one thousand feet into the sky, wrap it in glass, illuminate it, and still have the energy to want to do more is fascinating, and yet, in one respect, it does not compare to what lies beneath and what stands above. So why bring it up? As a student of architecture, and as a construction professional, a building of zero height compared to the radius of the Earth, is the manifestation of a network that encases the globe.
This network is not limited to design and construction, nor is it limited to the wealthy, although the wealthy certainly benefit from it the most.
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