tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40719372011-04-21T14:25:04.854-07:00Reflections and thoughts on building and ecological design.. . .noreply@blogger.comBlogger241100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071937.post-1100929354197139982004-11-19T21:36:00.000-08:002007-03-15T10:25:09.695-07:00

Ecovillages An ecovillage is a human-scale full-featured settlement in which human activities are harmlessly integrated into the natural world in a way that is supportive of healthy human development and can be successfully continued into the indefinite future. - Robert Gilman, 1991 Holistic Ecovillages are examples of an integral and holistic approach to human life and settlement. They

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Typology In design, applied to any area of human activity, it seems essential to study the underlying patterns of past designs in the particular area. Which patterns survive the test of time? How do they change over time? Are there "universal" patterns across cultures and situations? How do the patterns change depeding on culture, social context, and - in terms of physical structures - material

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Approaches to Sustainable Design There are two main approaches to sustainable design (as outlined by Bill McDonough and others). First, the approach common today which tries to minimize harm. To be less "bad". Second, the approach that focuses on regenerative design. One that enhances ecosystems rather than depleting them. Realistically, we need to work on both. But it is vital that we

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Sustainability & Population What is "ecologically sustainable" is a function of behavior and population. With a large enough population, it is very difficult (or impossible) to achieve sustainability. There are of course natural and built-in population controls, such as ecological disasters, epidemics or wars (all either naturally cyclical or brought about by over-population). Still, it is

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Whole System Our post-industrial history has been one that combined an old worldview with new and powerful technology. We have continued to perceive the world as fragmented: There is an "other" and there is an "away". While in reality, the world (as always) is a seamless whole. At the same time, we developed technologies that allowed us to be remarkably effective in modifying nature: taking

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Culture and Building There are some commonly noticed differences between US and European (as varied as it is) culture. In the US, it seems that work and moneymaking has priority - even at the expense of sinking roots and friendships. People typically move after about 5 years, and most often because of work. Connection with local friends and neighbors is less important. In Europe, family,

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Patterns & Function The Universe embraces all polarities. It expresses and contains both poles in any polarity: existence-nonexistence, nonliving-living, body-mind. One of the polarities it seamlessly and effortlessly expresses is that of function and aesthetics. Everything in the Universe is function, and also - to us - astonishingly beautiful. Every pattern expressed in the Universe and

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Climate Change Although University of Oregon has a relatively good architecture program when it comes to ECS (Environmental Control Systems), with an emphasis on ecological considerations, I have noticed that a crucial factor is left out of the education and discussion: climate change. There is no longer much doubt that we are in for - possibly sudden and dramatic - climate changes (for

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Journeys I have been thinking for a while on ways to create interesting and varied journeys through our built environment. The following is a guideline for developing journeys. It can be developed further into multiple patterns, based on types of journeys/experiences. (This can be a lifetime work for someone - documenting, analyzing and categorize journeys, and develop general patterns for each

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Architecture & Stories I have been aware for a while that all verbal and written communication is about telling stories - even when it takes the most simple form. This is also clearly true in other areas, such as music and visual arts. Whether we are aware of it or not, our communications always contain stories. These are stories about our culture, about our personal experiences, and the

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Project Oriented Learning It seems that project oriented learning (and teaching) is far more effective than many other approaches to learning. It gives you a (close to) real life project to work on, where you must integrate (and learn) a wide variety of skills and pieces of information and knowledge. It shows how these aspects all come together in real life, why it is important to know them

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Pattern Language In our age of abundant (often overwhelming) information on a wide range of topics, it becomes increasingly important to organize it in a way that allows for (a) comprehensive information and (b) easy access to a particular aspect of the information. I have found two approaches that seems to each allow for this. One is the pattern language approach (applied to design and

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Design Strategies Many or all of the strategies below are obviously specific to certain design goals and philosophies (and a specific culture/time). They are by no means "universal". Process General 1. Keep it moving, avoid static cycling. Add something new to the idea each time. Shift scales (e.g. between focus on whole design and specific details). 2. Identify implicit assumptions, and

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Checklist I am helping with setting up a green design review for architecture students at University of Oregon. We plan to include local professionals, instructors, and students. Here is the beginnings of a checklist: 1. Systems thinking - integration of systems and elements, causality loops taken into consideration 2. Elements - energy, heating/cooling, water, waste

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Ecological Design I find it astonishing that ecological design is not more widespread - both in society and in design education. It is such a vital area - to our quality of life and ultimately our survival. What can be a stronger motivation for engaging in any type of practice? Our ecological situation is critical - with toxins in our air, water, and food, soil loss and depletion, depletion of

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Design Beyond Ego Design is, as so many areas of human life, an area where our limited experience of the world is clearly manifested. When we experience ourselves as separate from the larger whole, design often becomes in the service of the ego of the designer - focusing on aesthetics, style, and/or the extraordinary - not on what is appropriate in the situation. Here are two paths that may

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Architecture Studies I am at the end of my second week in the Option III architecture program at University of Oregon, and am so far impressed with the overall quality of the program. I am also struck by a few things. One is what seems as a tendency to servility and wanting to please the instructor. We are after all paying them good money to learn (a) the skills needed in later professional

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Integral Design An ecological approach to design is also a profoundly integral approach to design. It combines a wide range of disciplines and considerations, including long term ecological sustainability (impact on local/regional ecosystems, nonhuman species, future generations), local conditions (sun, wind, water, terrain, material availability), culture and traditions (including local

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Design & Humanure It is often what is closest to us that offer the best lessons. In the realm of design, looking at how we deal with human output (aka shit) reveals our thought patterns and how our designs follows our views. The current situation: In our culture, we operate from several assumptions - all revealing a fragmented and dualistic worldview. We think there is something called "away".

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Patterns & Flow Patterns and flows connects everything with everything else. We all share in the same patterns (born from the characteristics of the Universe we are part of) and matter flows through and binds together all phenomena. The patterns of emergence and dissolving (life and death), flow and disruptions, compaction and expansion, gathering and dispersion, are shared by all phenomena -

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Patterns Pattern Languages The term Pattern Language has been applied to several different areas. Here are some. (a) Architecture - Christopher Alexander (b) Sustainability - Stewart Cowan (c) Programming Functions Patterns in nature serve certain functions. A branching pattern indicates distribution or collection. Explosion patterns indicate distribution. Cracks indicates expansion or

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Innovative Solutions There are a large number of tools and techniques to help us find creative solutions to meet our needs. Many of the basic tools have to do with awareness and choice. As lack of awareness leads to habits, awareness leads to increased choice. Needs & Strategies A central tool from Nonviolent Communication is to differentiate needs and strategies. When we are clear about our

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Terroir & Buildings I talked with Cynthia, another student at ProtoTista, last week. She is exploring an expanded meaning of the term terroir, and asked me how it could be applied to buildings. Here are some early ideas on the topic: First, some definitions of the term: Terroir: The overall environment within which a given variety grows. Derived from the French word for earth, terre.

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Timeless Buildings I am reading Christopher Day's Spirit and Place - a wonderful book by one of my favorite designers. It reminds me of an intuitive sense I have about timeless buildings. They seem to share several key characteristics. Timeless buildings tend to be close to nature - in materials and design. They use natural or less processed materials. Their forms often reflect/mirror

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