It is often held as supreme truth by many architects. It does have a ring of simplicity about it. But are we making the design process simple or will it become simplistic?

Point out the average man/woman to me and I may reconsider this!

Who is the average man/woman? Such a concept could be used in statistical analysis, but it is an insult to the capabilities of architects. An architect should be able to design "shoes that fit, instead of pinch" (to quote Herman Hertzberger). The real challenge and pleasure of being an architect is brought out when a design manages to serve the exact requirements of the most differering of peoples, without indulging in 'moving partitions/doors.

For example; while designing a classroom both the shy, and the extroverteds student has to be accomodated. An architect cannot imagine an average 'some what shy and some what open-going' person as the typical student in a classroom (People who know Sabu during his college days would remember how much of a typical person he was then!)