The Architecture of Morale
Can a crumbling institution truly be improved by something as simple as a fresh coat of paint? Annette John-Hall of the Philadelphia Inquirer thinks so. Yesterday, she wrote that spiffed-up hallways, newly painted lockers, repaired windows, and a closed-down third floor has turned notorious West Philadelphia High School into a place where people “actually want to learn.”
Alain De Botton writes in The Architecture of Happiness that “buildings speak—and on topics which can readily be discerned. They speak of democracy or aristocracy, openness or arrogance, welcome or threat, a sympathy for the future or a hankering for the past.” In Jonathan Kozol’s seminal work, Savage Inequalities, he spends as much time lamenting the poor state of schools themselves (the toilets that don’t flush, the corroding facades, the barrack-like appearances) as he does the institutional shortcomings.
If the places we inhabit do have such an emotional impact, what do run-down schools in West Philadelphia say to us? Outdated public buildings? Fluorescent lighting? (My personal anathema).
And if buildings do need to up their “happiness-inducing quotient,” who should be consulted? Certainly not everyone is on the same page as to what that would look like (as evidenced by today’s controversy over tropical color schemes in Dallas housing developments).
I’d love to create a photo gallery where people could submit photos and tell stories about places that have been transformed by basic maintenance. The rules are simple: only places that have undergone aesthetic, and not structural changes need apply.
Go forth and submit.
