It is no secret that connections to our natural environment are widely beneficial to the health & wellbeing of individuals and communities. Part 2 of 2.
A range of well-integrated natural systems bolster cultural identity, drives economic development, and presents synergistic design opportunities which can begin to address larger issues.
Faced with the impacts of a changing climate, rethinking the way that our cities and urban spaces interact with the natural environment is key for the continued health of our cities and communities. On one hand, inadequately addressing the needs of natural processes can lead to disastrous outcomes, as seen by dramatic flooding events in Texas. On the other hand, lack of access to natural resources and insufficient consideration for pedestrian interconnectivity can leave individuals feeling disconnected and disenfranchised. By planning for the integration of diverse natural resources, we can design for “living systems” and encourage the development of active communities and ecosystems. As well, innovative uses of natural materials can further develop the connection of humanity to our environment, thus promoting the health & wellbeing of our communities.
“Living Systems refers to the interconnected relationships between the living world that we humans inhabit. Rather than adopt a perspective of human exceptionalism or the myth of independence from nature, this reframing recognizes that we are a part of nature.”
There are a myriad of techniques and strategies we can use to address living systems as a design opportunity. These concepts can be applied to a range of scales, from the individual to the building, and the community to the city. Synergizing with one or more techniques can result in a wealth of physical, mental, and even economic benefits.
In part two of this two-part blog, explore a selection of strategies and concepts that are influencing the way that we think about our built environment.
Innovation of Architectural Materials
Materials also play a part in the health & wellbeing of our communities, as well as in the overall health of our environment. Innovating the way that we build and think about our materials will be instrumental in taking the next step towards integrated systems.
For example, the thermal modification of wood was first developed to strengthen the material and prevent decay and decomposition. This has opened the door for the increased versatility of wood – a sustainable material which has positive effects on the human psyche - for exterior and interior applications.
Below is a brief outline of some captivating material experiments which are currently being developed.
Baubotanik's "Green Living Room", Nicolás Boullosa | Flickr
Baubotanik Architecture
Baubotanik describes a building method utilizing living trees as structure through the interaction of technical joining techniques and plant growth. Inspired by the ancient practices of tree shaping (think bonsai, grafting, and the ‘living root bridges’ of the Khasi people of Meghalaya), Baubotanik meticulously shapes trees throughout their growth to form a composite material; the fusion of the tree flesh and foreign materials such as plastics and metals. As living organisms, the trees used to form the structure provide continuous benefits of carbon absorption, converting greenhouse gases into biomass, and preventing the erosion of the soil.
Click to See an Example Project
Mycotecture, Ars Electronica | Flickr
Fungal Materials in Architecture
The use of fungus in architecture is an evolving field of design and development. It has been shaped largely by the work of companies fabricating mycelium products as substitutes for conventional packaging materials and insulation boards and has been further perpetuated by the work of students and the design of experimental pavilions. Artists like Phil Ross and Sophia Wang exhibited a series of vaults, wall segments, and pavilions using forms of interlocking mycelium composites in their series ‘Mycotecture’. The potential use of fungus as a material is fascinating due to its ability to self-heal, self-regulate, and its adaptive and automotive growth capabilities.
AuREUS – Photovoltaic Film
AuREUS, a product developed by engineering student Carvey Engren Maigue and inspired by the Aurora Borealis, takes crop waste and transforms it into a window film that generates clean energy. Different from traditional solar panels, which are only efficient under clear conditions and direct visible light, AuREUS is a translucent film which generates energy from UV rays. The film can function even when not directly facing the sun as UV gets scattered through clouds, bounces along walls, pavement, and other buildings. As a result, AuREUS can produce energy close to 50% of the time - a large improvement from most commercially available PV panels which yield less than 23% on average.
Community Planning
Urban planning can have the most impact on the community at large. This is where the effects of a living systems approach can most readily be seen and enjoyed on a large scale. The integration of pocket parks, trails, and the equitable access to natural resources is incredibly important for the creation of healthy, vibrant, and sustainable communities. To take it a step further, could we imagine a future where neighborhoods are treated as a collection of like-minded individuals working towards a more renewable future?
Mixed-Use Site development Proposal | Pirie Associates
Trail Towns
“A Trail Town is a community through which [a trail] passes that supports [trail users] with services, promotes the Trail to its citizens and embraces the Trail as a resource to be protected and celebrated. Trail Towns are built on a relationship between a town, the Trail and its volunteers.”- North Country Trail Association
The integration of a robust trails system considerably boosts the health & wellbeing of surrounding communities. Trails provide an accessible active opportunity which engages residents of multiple ages and abilities. Walking trails foster a sense of community through the intermixing of multiple groups of people and generally boost happiness. Culturally, there is an increased sense of pride and ownership of place by the activation of the trail as a rich resource to be utilized, celebrated, and protected. Economically, an influx of users can increase spending in local businesses.
Mixed-Use Site Development Proposal | Pirie Associates & Pelli Clarke Pelli
Eco Villages / Urban Villages – Intentional Communities
“An ecovillage is an intentional, traditional or urban community that is consciously designed through locally owned participatory processes in all four dimensions of sustainability (social, culture, ecology and economy) to regenerate social and natural environments.” – Global Ecovillage Network
Ecovillages make conscious efforts to restructure the relationship of settlements to the natural world, valuing self-sufficiency and interdependence with the ecosystem. Utilizing bioregionalism - a region defined by natural boundaries with a unique geographic, climatic, hydrological, and ecological character - ecovillages visualize a decentralized society which is self-reliant, small scale, and ecologically harmonious to better utilize local resources and achieve self-sufficiency. Low density communities are preferred for eco-villages, while urban villages have a capacity of 30,000 inhabitants – neither of which are appropriate for the dense urban centers that we have today.
However, could we imagine extracting these principles and applying them to the scale of a neighborhood in a dense city? Imagine creating self-sufficient and ecologically sensitive ‘neighborhood villages’ which work together to form a network of environmentally conscious intentional communities to make up our cities. Promoting walkability and multi-modal pathways, employing traffic calming measures, providing access to greenhouses and gardening spaces, creating connections to high quality natural resources and landscapes, and simply ‘dreaming big’ when engaging in urban planning exercises can be a step in the right direction when it comes to moving us from independent individuals towards interconnected, intentional communities.
Final Thoughts
All of this to say: the future of the health & wellbeing of our communities is dependent on our approach to modern construction and on the adaptation of systems thinking. As our climate changes in response to our past policies, we must be willing to adapt new and innovative applications of environmental health as it relates to the scale of the individual, our communities, and to our buildings as a whole.
The biggest challenge when it comes to this is education. Without education, increased awareness, and a shift in priority from ‘sustainable’ to ‘renewable’, the impact of these strategies and approaches is greatly minimized. As always, collective effort is required to produce progressive change.
The integration of natural resources and the applicational of new, innovative, and renewable strategies is a fantastic start to this evolving and ongoing issue, and it will be fascinating to see how our approaches adapt over time.
