Where do you want your building?

Humans are changing location more frequently and in greater numbers than ever before in history. But at the same time, the electronic revolution is allowing them to remain in contact with one another to an extent undreamed of only a few decades ago. How does that development affect the concept of architecture? Jennifer Siegal has given some thought to this question. Siegal is founder and principal of the Los Angeles-based firm Office of Mobile Design, which focuses on designing "portable, demountable, and relocatable structures." In the 2002-2003 academic year, Siegal was a Loeb Fellow at the Harvard Design School. The Loeb Fellowship allows up to 12 midcareer professionals in design-related fields to spend a year expanding their horizons with a self-designed curriculum. "I felt there was a need for architects to look at the way people really live and work," Siegal said. "Today you can be living and working without anyone really knowing where you are - like me."