Derived from the Latin initium, the term "inicio" (beginning) is defined by the RAE itself as a synonym for "comienzo" (start), which in turn is revealed as the "principle, origin, or root of something." Therefore, a beginning can be approached from two perspectives: the tangible, related to the existence of an order or a series of elements structured according to specific parameters; and the symbolic, representing a milestone linked to a future event that marks the start of an expression of desire. Indeed, one cannot speak of architecture without speaking of desire—one of the materials from which initial decisions are constructed.
A wide range of questions are open to reflection and may be included in this first issue of VAD. All should foster a broader debate to understand the path ideas take before they materialize. Objective starting data or interdisciplinary associations are important, but so are hidden obsessions and the methods that are glimpsed. In this sense, the concept can be applied to diverse contexts and situations, as a beginning can be an observable—and therefore noteworthy—start. In the words of Louis I. Kahn:
