Built Environments as an Organism
The opening of the "Transformation and Control" section immediately grabbed me; I was so taken by the poetic description of the built environment and what we do as architects.
"Built environment, in all of its complexity, is created by people. Yet it is simply far too complex, too large, and too self-evident to be perceived as a single entity, and artifact... Moreover, built environments have lives of their own; they grow, renew themselves, and endure for millennia. Conservation may serve to freeze works of art in time, resisting time's effects. But the living environment can press only through change and adaption... In growing and changing through time, the built environment resembles an organism more than an artifact.. In short, the very durability and transcendence of built environment is possible only because there is continuous change. In this respect, built environment is indeed organic; continuous renewal and replacement of individual cells preserves it, giving it the ability to persist." (201)
Designing good architecture is almost like raising children, at least from the perspective of Habraken. You spend all this time and effort and passion to create a built environment; because down at the basics of the essence of architecture, it is for people by people. It is not an object or an artifact; it is faceted. Once we walk away as designers, it becomes its own entity that you must trust to create a positive life and environment for the masses.
The way Habraken speaks to a created and growing organism, I can't help but think of architecture as artificial intelligence, which, to be honest, can really freak me out.
No matter how much planning and design goes into a built environment, after construction and ribbon cutting, and the architect walks away to let the project create a life of it's own, there are always affects that could not be accounted for. A built environment will literally take on a life of its own. We can only hope that through our experience and expertise, that our built environment organism will do something good with its life and use its power for good.
"Built environment, in all of its complexity, is created by people. Yet it is simply far too complex, too large, and too self-evident to be perceived as a single entity, and artifact... Moreover, built environments have lives of their own; they grow, renew themselves, and endure for millennia. Conservation may serve to freeze works of art in time, resisting time's effects. But the living environment can press only through change and adaption... In growing and changing through time, the built environment resembles an organism more than an artifact.. In short, the very durability and transcendence of built environment is possible only because there is continuous change. In this respect, built environment is indeed organic; continuous renewal and replacement of individual cells preserves it, giving it the ability to persist." (201)
Designing good architecture is almost like raising children, at least from the perspective of Habraken. You spend all this time and effort and passion to create a built environment; because down at the basics of the essence of architecture, it is for people by people. It is not an object or an artifact; it is faceted. Once we walk away as designers, it becomes its own entity that you must trust to create a positive life and environment for the masses.
The way Habraken speaks to a created and growing organism, I can't help but think of architecture as artificial intelligence, which, to be honest, can really freak me out.
No matter how much planning and design goes into a built environment, after construction and ribbon cutting, and the architect walks away to let the project create a life of it's own, there are always affects that could not be accounted for. A built environment will literally take on a life of its own. We can only hope that through our experience and expertise, that our built environment organism will do something good with its life and use its power for good.
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