Kevin McCloud is the writer and presenter of Grand Designs, and in watching his interest in sustainable, sensible architecture, I have seen a parallel in the Grand Design of the human body.
I attribute his words to these ideas set before you, and to save a document peppered with these "speech" marks, I will say there are many quotes and paraphrases and inspirations in this article that I thank him for inspiring. I think this reads best if you imagine him narrating this episode, and divorce your DIY mind from recent reality TV building show debacles.
The problem with today's human body is we have settled for the mass-produced, low-maintenance path of least resistance version. But what if we dared to be different just once, but then held true to that course? Many of us fancy ourselves as obtaining the perfect body, but for all kinds of reasons, cost, apathy, procrastination, those dreams become relegated to dinner party conversation. Do we consider the body beautiful to be the domain of the "lycra cling-wrapped", muscle flexing fringe of society, or as a prerequisite to the reasonable expression of human living?
When you consider a Grand Design for your 1.9 square metre section (1.7 for women, 1.9 for men), you have to consider what is necessary in the build to facilitate the best living space. Foundations will have to be laid. Are you going to invest the extra time and money in an excellent foundation, or will you shortcut and skimp in this crucial area, and head straight to exterior design? This is the argument for core stabilisation, rotator cuff development and hip stability versus turning up at the gym and getting immediately stuck into the marquee muscles: pecs, six pack, lats, biceps, deltoids and glutes to name a few.
In the perfect build, we must look at a bespoke design, taking in the elements of structure: the fibrous "hoop stress" protection of the abdominals; the shear force protection of the lumbar multifidi muscles and the intuitive activation patterns of the gluteus medius in the hip, priming the leg for impact in running and aligning perfectly for every step.
We have craftsmen and artisans available to guide the build. The project manager or physiotherapist needs to understand not only the structure the client desires, but have an intimate understanding of the building materials. When things go wrong, or breakages occur, they understand the repair process, times and tolerances. The project manager will work with a team of industry experts to help the design become reality. Nutritionists help to create the materials, occupational therapists help put the build through testing processes and help it to stand up to the everyday industrial stresses. Sport and clinical psychologists are able to smooth the process when it becomes all too intense and the build becomes threatened by external stresses.