“Architecture strengthens the existential experience, one’s sense of being in the world.” 
— Juhani Pallasmaa

Proponents of modular architecture often boast of its many quantifiable benefits: dollars saved, materials recycled, waste diverted, construction time minimized, injuries avoided, carbon emissions offset. While these are all legitimate and worthwhile objectives, praising only its utilitarian virtues paints an incomplete picture that fails to capture its full potential. 

Lost in the conversation is a discussion around the things that get to the heart of what architecture is all about: the ineffable relationship that exists between people and buildings, the natural and the built, the spiritual and the material. 

In the commercial race for higher efficiencies, better optimization and lower costs, it’s understandable that these other softer topics might get overlooked. But despite the inability to measure intangible qualities like beauty, aesthetics or experience, proponents of modular architecture shouldn’t shy away from them.