This is an editorial by Frances Hogan Steffian, writer, bitcoin investor and wife of an award-winning architect.
What should Bitcoin’s architectural style be? In the history of our world, our immortal buildings dignify our best ideas and enshrine our core beliefs. Recognizing the potential of Bitcoin to reshape the global financial system, and if Bitcoin communities emerge around the world, how will our ideas and ideals about Bitcoin be expressed in these newly constructed environments? should it be?
power of architecture
Don’t underestimate the power of architecture. It lives through the ages. Whether it’s an individual architect or a cultural project built over time, it always conveys the worldview of the people who built it. The physical act of walking through a building imprints in each visitor a visceral experience of the ideas the builders and architects intended.
Medieval fortresses, for example, tell the stories of the people they housed and protected. Architects and builders aren’t usually one of him, but as these structures have evolved over time, the message becomes less controlled and more honest. These ancient fortresses channel our best and worst ideas: security, family, enforcement, control, materialism, victory over the material world.
And what do our best buildings represent? Most of the time, it is human beings who want to transcend their everyday physical limitations and live on another level of beauty, freedom and connection with God. This is my wish. The classically tidy interior of the Roman Pantheon Centered on the oculus that opens to the sky, is a constant reminder of the immensity of existence far beyond human comprehension. In India, the sublime Taj Mahal offers the experience of being in a higher dimension based on a physical foundation. We can walk through heaven now. This resembles a better reality that most hopeful Bitcoin enthusiasts dream of.
Representing Bitcoin’s ideals in a built environment
North Korean defector Yeonmi Park spoke at the Bitcoin 2022 conference about how private and secure financial independence is important in the fight against human exploitation. A link to her talk went viral, Even Jack Dorsey’s tweetHer personal victory over human trafficking represents the best hope for Bitcoiners. It is to break the chain of financial slavery that binds the planet. Bitcoin enthusiasts also covet private and secure personal wealth. With global adoption of Bitcoin, its potential value could really reach the moon.
So now is the time to think about the message that Bitcoin’s architectural style conveys and how we want to express these ideas in the built environment. As mentioned earlier, the global community can start with concepts such as freedom, empowerment, stability, privacy and elegance.
However, Bitcoin’s architectural style should not be built on or specific to just one civilization on Earth. The point of Bitcoin is to liberate and unite the world. This means that the architectural style of Bitcoin as expressed in Asia is different from the style conveyed in Central America, for example. A variety of stories and cultural experiences are built.
There are now Bitcoin communities popping up all over the world. It’s best known in Central America, but it appears more frequently around the world.
El Salvador has a Bitcoin community built in El Zonte, An extraordinary city planned at the foot of the dormant Conchagua volcanoGuatemala has Lago Bitcoin and Costa Rica has Bitcoin Jungle. Bitcoin Ekasi originated in South African towns and other African communities.Similarly, Bitcoin communities in locations around the world, including: sea breamare participating in Global Bitcoin Fest.
Architectural style must convey beauty and the desire to live beautifully. This is actually a very practical point. Civilizations tend not to care about maintaining ugly buildings. Again, we want our vision to be permanent.
The existing Bitcoin community has already expressed its ecological sensitivity. A vision of peace and harmony is already manifesting itself in eco-friendly designs, especially in a proposed new development in El Zonte, El Salvador. But do they express beauty and confidence?
Importantly, Bitcoin is decentralized. Everyone who participates in the Bitcoin economy uses Bitcoin in the same capacity as everyone else. It has been called ‘egalitarianism’ or ‘grassroots’. It comes to mind that efforts by famous contemporary architects such as Le Corbusier, Mies van de Rohe and Walter Gropius have sought to embody similar ideas in physical form. These architects are notorious for creating spaces that are equally accessible rather than elitist. They used everyday materials accessible to everyone and adopted designs focused on improving everyday life. They created a spatial experience rather than a decorative display of architectural costs. The intention of the modern architect was to use mundane materials to create an extraordinary and uplifting experience for everyone to enjoy.
What should Bitcoin’s architecture style be? No be?let’s start with Federal Reserve Building in Washington DC The sheer scale of the building can make visitors feel insignificant.The narrow windows and minimal details convey a sense of unwelcome and inexplicable.Federal Reserve Board Describing the building’s style as “stripped classicism,” Completed in 1937, the building displays many features of Fascist architecture.
Nearby, known as Washington DC’s outdoor common areas, National Mall It was designed to impress visitors with the grandeur and size of the American Apital. Whether intentional or not, sprawling shopping malls swallow most people, conveying the idea that no matter how big the crowd numbers, the government system still overwhelms people. , It makes me feel a constant sense of security and, conversely, a sense of helplessness.
We also need to be fully aware of all possible interpretations of Bitcoin’s architectural style. For example, a Bitcoin cynic might joke that Bitcoin’s dangerous volatility is perfectly represented as a city built on a volcano. , is the time to demonstrate the efficiency, stability, endurance, beauty and tranquility of harnessing the geothermal energy of an inactive volcano.
The 20th century has torn apart local cultures around the world. We must pick up the frayed edges and connect them to the future. We have to take back any achievements, no matter how small. We have to be very idealistic when envisioning the built environment we want to live in in the future. Bitcoin’s architecture, through his style, gives us the opportunity to recapture the best human efforts and build a carefully considered vision of the future.
This is a guest post by Frances Hogan Steffian. Opinions expressed are entirely their own and do not necessarily reflect those of her BTC Inc or Bitcoin Magazine.