This random term, ‘H-our-chitecture’ (prounounced “ah” “wah” “ki” “tech” “cha”) attempts to acknowledge both the “hour” and the “our” within architecture. Time is a central aspect of architecture, stretching across generations, carrying stories that outlive its original makers. A building is not static; it changes with the seasons, adapts with the people, and weathers through the decades. The meaning of architecture is layered in time: the hour of its construction, the hours of its use, and the hours of its endurance long after the architect is gone.
The “our” reminds us that the built environment is a shared inheritance. For as long as we are living, we are custodians of the natural and built environment: users, pedestrians, caretakers, critics, and storytellers. When a family builds their home, when a shopkeeper paints his kafunda to the rhythm of the street, when children play football with a plastic bottle between two stones, they are architects in their own right. They extend and reinterpret design through use. In this sense, architecture is less about authorship and more about stewardship.
Architecture is a community responsibility. No one understands place better than the community which surrounds it, the young boy trekking the shortest walkable route to the water well or borehole daily, the boda-boda stage which forms in the shadow of a shop building for 8 hours a day, and the time of the month when the moonlight facilitates outdoor activities through the night are patterns most times deeply engrained in the culture and lifestyle of the community. Professionals designing for the human experience ought not to consider themselves above the typical farmer or trader, but should rather try to wear the shoes of those on the complete opposite side of the social and academic spectrum, to create a more empathetic shared experience.
For one second, think about ancient ruins anywhere in the world. I could bet that you hardly remember the names of most of the guys who designed the Parthenon, but the cycle of it’s architecture continues to speak and attract centuries after their origin. That reminds us that architecture isn’t merely the creation of form but the creation of legacy. The hand of the architect’s hand may fade, but the imprint of architecture never dies, outliving its maker and shaping giving new generations the chance to imagine their own worlds. Humility is key. And this is where the humility of the profession lies: architecture doesn’t become timeless because of the designer’s ego but because of its ability to be remembered by others.
From how you arrange your bedroom, to the route you use going to work you assume in that moment, the role of an architect. To say that isn’t to diminish the discipline but to look at it from a more expansive point of view. It is to recognize that architecture does not end at the moment of construction but begins at the moment of use. The mukadde who turns the street corner into her kasooli stand, the youth who paints a mural on a neglected wall, the boda guys that argue about Arsenal and Manchester under the same tree every year, each is contributing to the cycle of architecture. They are shaping spaces of belonging, memory, and identity. This further highlights the contribution of community to creating a built environment that is context specific, and grounded in cultural values.
H-our-chitecture, then, is a gentle call for responsibility. If the built environment belongs to all of us, then its care is a collective duty. And if you agree that we’re shaped by our environments, then to neglect it is to neglect ourselves. To nurture though, it is to invest in the future we may never see. The hours we spend with architecture, whether designing, building, or simply living your daily life, we contribute to the story of our shared world.
Basically what I’m trying to say is, architecture is ours, and its hours outlive us all.
About the AuthorAdam T M Alesi is a graduate of Environmental Design (Part 1) from Uganda Martyrs University. With a background of business, he believes architecture like business, is an exchange of value, ceasing to be architecture without value addition. As Adam steps into the built environment as a professional, a deep passion for sports and entertainment serves as the fuel driving his idea that architecture well done creates community, preserves culture and offers mutual social benefit for all.