Topic: Buildings as Species
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Great point. Some of the most interesting discussions I had at Greenbuild focused on this idea of city-scale sustainability. I love the idea of providing carbon (or other) offsets in the form of ecosystem services, rather than just money. There would surely be economies of scale from these specialist buildings, and as a system it more closely matches the natural system of functional adaptation to fill a niche.
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Thanks, The offsets as goods rather than currency is intriguing for sure. A similar abstraction could be to view the city (or planet or...) as having organs. One literal example is that it would not be hard to imagine an "urban liver" which removes toxins.
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The use of Building Automation System (BAS) or integrated home management systems can allow buildings to react to changes in their environment. This could allow building systems to be modeled after the most efficient strategies that plants and animals have to offer.
Use of sensors that measure light, occupancy, temperature, moisture, and other environmental conditions give the building its 'senses'. Use of centrailzed processors give the building its 'intelligence', allwoing the building to process information from the sensors and send out commands accordingly. And controllable systems like light switches, thermostats, irrigation systems, and many other systems that can react to commands give the building its 'organs'. System integration designers and providers need to be involved at the earliest stages of the building design process to allow incorporation of these technolgies and the efficencies they provide. |
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Fascinating! Do you have some good links to pass on for more info or should i just google it?
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The concept of responding the environment is certainly key! BAS systems are a great way to monitor, and react to an ever changing environment. The other area to consider is how does a building 'create conditions conducive to life' - or, how does it interact with the environment to make it better for life? Does the building filter water like leaf litter? Does the building create new niches for organisms, or other 'buildings' (as you suggest). Does the building give energy back to the grid? These kinds of steps are also what we can learn from organisms that create ecosystems (like a tree in a forest).. If we could build a structure that served as many functions as a tree we would be doing a fantastic job.
Yet, as wookster007a says this should be thought of at the beginning of the design process, with systems integration designers - who are looking to do this sort of work. |
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I am finding this all very interesting and fascinating. I have been incorporating many of these ideas into a current building project I am working on - reading these posts sure makes it seem like I am on the right track.
I look forward to more ideas and suggestions along these lines. While the design of the exterior of the building has been substantially completed, the interior systems have not. We have been focusing on the BAS for precisely the reasons mentioned here. Of course we do have a number of limitations with this particular project in terms of zoning, fire code, etc., but we will take all the lessons learned from this project to design and build a living building next - and then nothing but from that point on. The project is an "open" project. All input and feedback welcome and appreciated. You can view a mock-up of the project here: http://www.onesungroup.com/Projects/Projects.html *e |
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Precisely. The architecture would not only derive form from the wind, sun, rain, heat etc as well as its function. but also intrinsically support the infrastructure of its surroundings. Some of this surely could benefit from BAS systems as well, both in design and use.
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building=organism
// BAS is a really interesting point, but I still see this as system integration, and not 'design', although it is important be communicative to person who are skilled in this, it is one the lower end of the conceptual priority list. "carbon offsets" are not enough but the idea of offering them as goods rather than commodities is interesting, esp b/c these 'pods' that are able to develop in this fashion will undoubtedly house individuals that would supports this 'currency'. After all, in a capitalistic society, currency is relative to the value that users place on it, right. I like the idea of the organism being able to 'thrive' as it were, and if successful continue to thrive and 'evolve' into ideal solutions. These solutions allow the formation of niches, or other architecture that feeds on the 'style' (I use that word sparingly) and thereby continue to keep a specific aesthetic of architecture (we must first accept that aesthetics are comprised of systems of inputs). Who do we look to then...Darwin of course? And what does this mean? Well using the precedent of our history, and if we accept Darwin's thoughts in the origin of species, we must conclude that the architecture we learn about and continue to use as reference points are the dominant species... Would anyone care to chime in?... |
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nice thought !!!!..i can see western architectural species having impact in my country..but i wud like 2 see hybridisation !!!
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or are buildings part of the environment? Are buildings humankind's way of modifying our envionment, they are our habitat? Do we view buildings as the programme that goes on inside them, or the environment they create; ie promoting passive cooling/heating. Is a biomimetic building one that lasts for 500 years with different uses and periods of being used and empty, like a cave, or should we live in tents, which use minimal material, are easily moved and flexible, and like hermit crabs we swap to different sized ones as needed.
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over 3 years ago
As time goes by, some such architectural 'species' (building types) will flourish and evolve into exciting, intricate, 'ideal' individual solutions. Others will prove less successful and die off. As the design community embraces this model, the man-made fabric of our world will develop a richness and diversity to rival that of nature, and with this change the boundary between the natural and built could blur into nothingness, allowing human societal needs tol be fully and sustainably integrated into a refurbished world ecosystem.
Jenda Michl, 12/17/08