Somewhere along the lines of recent years, I became the unofficial interviewer for the semiannual Neutra Award, offered by Cal Poly Pomona to highly regarded master architects in Neutra's vein. In the past, it has been awarded to Tadao Ando, Michael Rotondi and now, Enrique Norten of TEN Arquitectos.

The minute I decided to talk to Enrique Norten about modern times and its architecture vis a vis Neutra’s VDL House, the conversation unfolded by itself and modernism in presence. I should add, of course, Mr. Norten, staying in the house as Cal Poly Pomona’s guest, feeling its energy, its humble experimental brilliance, its importance to architecture and, as an anecdotal moment, not missing a second of the much stuffier Green & Green House where he has also stayed in the past.

We became friends and agreed what started as modern architecture still continues globally in its many iterations. How can it not? We agreed, we are all moderns, even if we deny, our ancestors lived differently.