Cracks + Joints

If you think exclusively in architectural terms, a joint between two things – for example, between a sidewalk and a curb – is something you need to fill, to make watertight, in order to restore the integrity of the surface as a solid, built thing. A crack is something to be fixed. But if you think beyond architecture, it is possible to consider this joint as a space in which something can happen: a dynamic interface between constructed and living systems, between pedestrian and vehicular spaces. Cracks connect things with each other: a crack or joint may allow stormwater to percolage, or plants to grow. In ecology, an ecotone supports greater biodiversity than either of the two areas at its borders. A crack may be seen to have positive value.