In the late Sixties, during my undergraduate studies in Belgrade, I used to be subscribed to Architectural Design, one of the leading architectural journals at the time. It was quite radical, too. At some point I sent a letter to the editor in which I proposed a small set of principles of architectural and urban design. I think there were only five of them. Among other things, I proposed that most buildings were so poorly designed that they should be shielded from view by vegetation. Therefore, the tallest building should not be taller than the tallest trees that could shield it from view at a particular location. The letter got published, but I cannot find it among my old papers any longer. At any rate, it came to my mind as my bus was trundling through Zagreb yesterday afternoon. No matter how radical I was as a student, I was far from radical enough. Rather than most, all buildings should be shielded from view by vegetation, that is. The exceptions are so few and far between that they can be safely skipped when architectural principles are concerned. Of course, the Croatian capital is entirely free of such exceptions.

Addendum (November 26, 2016)

I did my best to get a copy of my letter from the journal itself, but without any success. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Architectural Design is a bimonthly now. I wrote to the editor, a certain Helen Castle, but she never replied. Apparently, she is bereft of staff. To find my letter, someone would have to go through a bunch of old issues that are collecting dust in the publisher’s library. Who knows, I may find it one day among my old papers. But I am convinced to this day that my basic idea is sound: most buildings should be shielded from view by vegetation. Alas, exceptions are so few and far between that they do not warrant any special treatment, anyway. As far as architectural principles go, mine are no less than sublime. Architects, eat your hearts out.