First Principles Thinking

First principles thinking breaks systems down to their fundamentals. It replaces convention with inquiry.

In design, this means asking what space must do—not what it has done. It means deriving form, system, and sequence from physical, ecological, and social constants. Gravity. Load. Light. Comfort. Culture.

Thinking from first principles encourages precision, clarity, and originality. It aligns architecture with physics, ethics, and context.