http://guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2013/feb/26/louis-kahn-brick-whisperer-architect
Excerpt:
“Louis Kahn used to tell his students: if you are ever stuck for inspiration, ask your materials for advice. “You say to a brick, ‘What do you want, brick?’ And brick says to you, ‘I like an arch.’ And you say to brick, ‘Look, I want one, too, but arches are expensive and I can use a concrete lintel.”