Combinisme

Abstract

Combinism is not the same as Communism. Although the Combinist is interested in collective systems, theories and dogmas, he never loses sight for the individual perceptions and minds of people. The only slogan of the Combinist is ‘Form Follows Dialogue’. The Combinist is both a traditionalist and a modernist; sometimes even a dreamer, a futurist and if it cannot be otherwise an utopist. The Combinist perceives Combinism as a combination of arts & humanities, natural- and social sciences, but he will never consider this mentality and approach as a limit. New challenges, ideas, collaborations etc. will constantly lead the Combinist to new combinations of existing and new ideas, technics, models, forms, materials, etc.. Combinism is a dynamic and creative way of thinking and acting aimed at quality action and quality changes. Combined interests, qualities, values and ideals should go hand in hand with the interest of individuals, institutions and specialists. The Combinist in architecture is looking for a creative, complex, future proof, aimed at wellbeing-win–win, worldwide oriented (action) philosophy of architecture and urbanism (‘Space Science’). Knowledge of history, styles, building techniques, design theories, aesthetics, sizes, colors, materials and forms will be linked to knowledge of human needs and creative processes. Because the world is becoming more and more complex, teamwork of like-minded people, Allianceand Action-teams (‘A-Teams’) will become more important than ever. A Combinist is thinking out of the box, as well as creatively and imaginatively, but also to the point, businesswise and functional. He has a focus on both the outside world (economics, culture, society, nature, sciences) and the inner world (the world of the mind and the senses). Using Combinations he tries to bridge classic opposites as ratio-emotion, female-male, western-eastern, beautiful-ugly, order-disorder, simple-complex, natureculture, individual-collective, inside-outside, stupid-intelligent, urban-rural, etc.. He tries to establish a synthesis between people and their environment on the levels of chair, house, city, region, country and continent. The Combinist is not only interested in the classical themes as order, harmony, composition and building technique, but he will also involve in more modern themes such as context, irony, humor, entertainment, citizen participation, DIY, ICT, future proofing, affordability, maintenance and management, flexibility, and (why not occasionally?) disharmony, formlessness and deconstruction if it is necessary to wake people and encourage them to new experiences of each other and the surrounding space. During planning processes the Combinist tries to utilize the creativity, knowledge and experience of others and he will look for the “best” team- and project solution. “Best” will be defined collectively on a complex, integrated, multilayered, all-inclusive way. When making new acquaintances, he prefers showing the joint business card of his planning team over the business card of his own company. The Combinist combines content with process, theory with practice, soft with hard and he will try to accomplish something wherever possible and to make (fast) results. He considers nature and history as infinite sources of inspiration. The Combinist prefers a (creative) action-culture instead of a (bureaucratic) meeting culture; he will not avoid conflicts and does not hesitate to oppose those who possess power if necessary. He will try to get hang of projects quickly and combines the interest of the project with his personal interest without lapsing into egoism and self-enrichment at the expense of others. He tries to enhance the happiness of people with their life and existence. Creating quality, beauty, sustainability and comfort is more important than just making money. Eventually the Combinist, or rather the Team of Combinists, strives for the realization of a ‘Combi-environment’ that has been defined earlier as: A future-proof environment that provides a synthesis between people and their environment, that enables interactions between individuals and the collective, indoor and outdoor, that offers comfort, that is safe, clean, future-proof and beautiful, that stimulates the mind and senses, touches the heart and evokes feelings of general well-being. Use values, aesthetic values, value of ethics, sustainability values, values of culture and nature and perception enter into a mutual connection (combination). (CONTENT). By leaving things as they are, but also by creating or transforming things with eye for the human dimension, in our time we can take up the challenge of creating “wellbeing- win-win-worldwide” situations that highlight the quality of people and their environments, not motivated by greed and self-interest, but by a (natural) need for beauty, sustainability, comfort, safety, happiness and creativity. This result can be achieved through teamwork (Combi-work) of like-minded people. (PROCESS). Making good combinations ad creating cohesion between old and new is an inevitable and perpetual dynamic process. Therefore it is strange when people stick to welldefined styles, theories and beliefs. Combinists look to the past and to the future. They try to combine tradition and modernity. They develop new concept of housing and working in order to make a bridge between country life and city life. A Combinist likes to meet people in order to share knowledge, experiences, and make new plans for the future by means of multidisciplinary cooperation. Practical theory and theoretical practice are combined. The preservation and transformation of cultural heritage are very important. New concepts of energy-saving and energy-productions will be used in transformation projects. The dynamics and change of life itself is embedded in the formation of combinations. A style / theory / idea low on combinations is doomed. A Combinist is eager to develop new concepts, questionairs, models, actionlists and checklists. Other people can use these information and use them in new projects. A Combinist likes more debates, more reflections and more great perspectives overwhelming individual interests. Eventually a Combinist wants to integrate alfa, beta and gamma sciences: the sum of parts is more than the parts: 1 + 1 = 3. (CONTENT + PROCESS).