It's striking that at no other time has the enlightened architect had the horizons available to us today — not even with the library of an empire or a university close at hand.

From the biographies of artists, we know what a creative burst and shift in consciousness a visit to a foreign exhibition or a trip could spark. Afterward came the choice: keep doing what you were used to, or dive into the new thing you had just seen.

The sheer amount that we and our clients have seen is vast — historical and fashionable styles, materials, approaches. Everyone has seen it all. So what do we do with it? Combine it? Choose from it? Create something new?