My name is Marcus Baumgart.

I set up privatearchitecture.com as a mental clearinghouse for thoughts about architecture. It is for those who understand that the practice of architecture, like many human activities, is about more than just the arrangement of bricks and mortar. There is more going on than meets the eye in this strange craft - and yet, simultaneously, less than some might like to believe.

While I claim the medium of architecture as my day job, I describe myself as a writer who designs buildings. (I am not an architect who writes.)

I stray into poetry, prose, speaking, listening, drawing, reading, and sometimes even visual art. All of these (except for the freelance journalism, which is done for both love and money) I do strictly as an amateur, with more-or-less amateur results.

The manifesto has sixteen ‘pillars’ that describe a private architectural philosophy. They are equal parts unorthodox and uncertain. They may change over time: drop by for a catchup, from time to time.