I personally met architect N. John Habraken in Boston when I attended the “Architecture in the Fourth Dimension Congress”, 2011. I do not know if I was more impressed with his generosity talking to everyone who came to him or with his wisdom expressing ideas and criticisms on contemporary architecture. Those days in Boston were productive but also exciting especially when researchers from the Open Building movement deservedly honored Habraken for his unquestionable contributions in the field of architecture - an unforgettable event organized by Prof. Stephen Kendall from Ball State University, USA.

N. John Habraken, a Dutch citizen, was born in Bandung, Indonesia in 1928. He is one of the most controversial architects of his generation essentially concerned to the redefinition of the role of the architect. His book, entitled 'Supports, an Alternative to Mass Housing', was first published in 1962, (English edition 1972), in which he proposes the separation of 'support' from 'infill' in residential construction and design: the support to be designed by the architect and the infill to be determined by the individual occupant.

Since 2008, John Habraken and I have been exchanging ideas, and thoughts about his Support’s theory and how the Brazilian architects could approach it if they are interested to be an active agent in the design processes of a city, but aligned with dwellers and all the other agents. This is the universe to be shared here.

N. J. Habraken [Habraken’s archive]