In early March of 2020, as my colleagues and I prepared to speak, live in front of a thirty-plus person audience, the Coronavirus was spreading fast across Asia and had just arrived at our shores here in America. As my colleagues and I gave each other elbow bumps and joked about not being able to shake hands, none of us suspected that over the next year meetings would be held virtually, and that the virus would wreak havoc across the world.

We did not suspect that the coming months would be filled with sickness, isolation, protest, fire, and loss—layers of societal angst that occasionally peeled back to reveal unexpected silver linings of environmental healing, family bonding, societal growth, and technological advancement.

A personal silver lining on the dark cloud of the year 2020 is that all the chaos prompted me to take a fresh look at Strongwork Architecture's Vision, Mission, and Values.