The SOCIOARC spiral, created by bringing the dialogic triangles together as a Pythagorean spiral. Diagram by Anita Bakshi

Earlier we spoke of triangles, which have three sides and three angles. But we must recognize that in the SOCIOARC process the angles and the lengths of the sides will be constantly in motion, shifting and changing as we move through the process of working together. After all, there is not only just one discussion, not just one back-and-forth negotiation that happens between the architect, the sociologist, and the community. There are many. We might think of the SOCIOARC process as a “Pythagorean spiral,” a series of stacked right-angle triangles that together form an ever-growing spiral. Thus, the multiple conversations, tensions, pulls, and dialogues (as represented by the triangles) produce a SOCIOARC spiral. Therefore, the SOCIOARC way of understanding the world in depth means that this triangle of relations, between the three main parties involved in the design process, moves from the 2D flatness of the plan view to a 3D form with depth and thickness.