In order to solve these problems architects must embrace the concept of the kaleidoscope using it as inspiration and as a tool for design. Architecture lacks any sense of play and no longer interacts with its users creating spaces that a dull and uninspiring. The universal nature of design has also led to a disconnection between architecture and people. The only way to fix this is to start designing buildings that consider everything about the surrounding context. Universality has meant that much of the time architecture is out of context and unrelated to its location or the people that use it. The beginnings of universal architecture can be attributed to the pursuit of the ideal, a quest that has resulted in sameness. It is defined by similarity and regularity. Instead of reflecting the climatic, cultural, historical, social, technological and economic situation in which it is built architecture today has become universal. In these three words we can begin to see the connection between architecture and the kaleidoscope.Īrchitecture has lost its sense of place. The word kaleidoscope comes from the Greek kalos ‘beauty’ + eidos ‘form’ + s cope ‘to see’ 2. The Kaleidoscope is an instrument that has brought joy to many for centuries, its popularity stemming from the incredible idea that one could look through a small tube and see the world transformed. Designed by David Brewster in 1816, 1 it is an incredibly simple device consisting of a tube, mirrors, small colourful everyday objects and a glass lens. The kaleidoscope is a device that transforms tiny portions of the world into colourful ever changing images.

Kaleidoscope images