-Which are the preexistences?
-The commission, the future dwellers, the climate, the topography, geology, ecosystems, history, local culture, techniques and material availability, are important parts of the existences. Some are from out of the site, others come from far, the others are implied or explicit in the brief. We need to integrate all the data related with the how (resources, techniques) in this stadium. This starting point is dynamic, not static.
-What documents do we produce here?
-In this phase we don’t imagine anything yet, nor we draw. The result of this process is a list with multiple relations. It doesn’t necessarily have to follow any order, we must register every data that we gather, either from direct or indirect observation. The more intensity we can devote to this step, the better. The way we think, the way we see -the way we are- will always determine the elements on this list. However, it is important to do a thorough research so we don’t miss any important factor. This step is not necessarily time consuming, but it is crucial to keep our eyes open and embrace facts or unexpected events that might rise when we are way into the process.
-We keep all the digital data in a folder on our computer, the physical data like material samples, books, either on our desk or a wall nearby, and the experiential data we nurture and revisit on a daily basis to make it grow in us.