D E S I G N /// ck

Starting the design series of posts...
This is a cool architecture firm that made the unlikely decision to move to a "secondary market" aka anywhere but New York. They practice in Louisville, not exactly the hub of cutting edge architecture. I really like the tectonic nature of their designs- they seem very comfortable weaving parts together into a complex yet clear whole. Not complexity for its own sake, but a complexity of the parts that that enhances their holistic, simple concepts. They have a good slideshow of their work on arch record 2. Aside from their design, I think they make the important point: you need to make good design WHERE YOU ARE. If you need a pretentious scene like NY to feel cutting edge, you're a PARASITE.
A lot of people I went to school couldn't wait to get to New York and distance themselves from their provincial roots. "I'll go work for so-and-so!" They never looked around and saw the opportunities in these "secondary cities."
It was Mockbee that made me first realize that you have to try to do good work wherever you are. He did it in Hale County, Alabama with the poorest clients. It would have been easy to take a Habitat for Humanity attitude and just come up with a generic solution and call it a day- Mockbee saw a chance to do some good AND create architecture that New York architects travel to the Deep South to see.
You have to create your own scene. Look for opportunities where you are. Don't let your location determine the quality of your design. There's no such thing as a "secondary city" for architecture. Every place deserves the best we can give it.