Political Biomimicry
Alejandro Zaera Polo discusses the idea of the envelope as a living element of a building in his article, "The Politics of the Envelope." He mentions the idea, "Like the skin of a living creature, the envelope is the primary actor in the complex process of maintaining homeostasis in the building."
Just like the skin of a human body protects our internal components while reacting to external sensory elements, the facade of a building can perform in the same way: a symbiotic element capable of dual functions. What can we do as architects to ensure this dual functionality? It is transparency, materiality, or accessibility?
Perhaps if we thought more about the envelope as a living, breathing skin for our designs, our buildings would be more apt to interact with their surroundings, both externally and internally, and both physically and politically.
Just like the skin of a human body protects our internal components while reacting to external sensory elements, the facade of a building can perform in the same way: a symbiotic element capable of dual functions. What can we do as architects to ensure this dual functionality? It is transparency, materiality, or accessibility?
Perhaps if we thought more about the envelope as a living, breathing skin for our designs, our buildings would be more apt to interact with their surroundings, both externally and internally, and both physically and politically.
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