Appreciating architecture can take many forms: some find visual images of architecture inspiring, while others may argue that direct engagement with architectural subjects is the best form of experience one could possibly attain. As for me, reading about architecture can be deeply motivating and fulfilling to keep my passion burning.
My name is Ed Chew, and I am a graduate of Deakin University, Australia. I started the ArchiQuotes.info website in 2004, two years after graduating from architecture school.
Like many fresh graduates, especially those who are more inclined towards academia, I had difficulty reconciling the reality of the architectural profession with the architecture’s ideals that I had been taught in school. As time passed, the constant feeling of discontentment with what I was doing in the office gradually sets in.
Thus, to keep the enthusiasm and passion for architecture flowing, I began to source architectural news or articles on the Internet practically every night after work to keep myself abreast of the latest architectural updates available from around the world. This pastime activity of quenching mental thirst soon becomes habitual and gratifying.
And from time to time, as I came across interesting statements made by architects or architecture-related citations while doing my reading, I would jot them down on a notebook. But as the Internet became more widely accessible, I began to explore alternative media to store and create my personal anthology.
An online platform, which offers many advantages such as easy indexing and searching, seemed to be the perfect medium for the task.
ArchiQuotes.info soon became my "commonplace book".
A commonplace Book
Many of us might not be aware of just what a commonplace book is. The term commonplace, which is a literal translation of the Latin locus communis, simply means “a place to collect common items or thoughts.”
Historically, commonplace books have been the companions of many great men and women of the past who used them to collect passages, excerpts, and other quotes from various sources in which they have read. A commonplace book is essentially a personal journal to store information so that its compiler may use or retrieve the information for future reference.
PS: I founded the ArchiQuotes.info website in 2004, but as of 2020, I no longer own it. I now use this Facebook page as my new commonplace book: facebook.com/archiquotes