Mark Wigley “Recycling Recycling”

Mark Wigley’s whole argument about the recent changes in the culture of space is outlined through his redefinition of the work ecology. Through changing the way ecology is understood, you understand how the architecture of our habitats has evolved. A definition of ecology as used in his essay:

e·col·o·gy   [ih-kol-uh-jee]

–noun

1. the world of gadgets and communication technology has dematerialized ecology into an organization of information flows: (a)“The technological world becomes the new nature, the artificial nature that needs to be analyzed in ecological terms.” (b) “In ecological terms, human flesh is but a transitional event in the continuous redistribution of energy. With the arrival of the artificial body, ecological management is nothing more than the management of hyper-extended flows of nervous energy.”

2. mobilization of the home and transformation of architecture into continuously recirculating images has already integrated it into the ecological framework: (a)“It is the ongoing extension of the house that has produced the idea of a single ecosystem whose flows can be managed with new ecological principles,” (b)“The ‘cyclical mobility’ of images through space and time is aligned with the reconfiguration of architecture on ecological principles. Simulation is understood as a means of species survival.”

3. Ecological thinking, as the management of resources and flows, is relevant to an architecture comprised of a flow of images: (a)“The expendable image circulating through popular culture becomes a model for an ecology of resources” (b) “Ecological theories of flow are more useful than ever before.”

habitat | transition

hab·i·tat   [hab-i-tat] 

–noun

1. the natural environment of an organism; place that is natural for the life and growth of an organism: a tropical habitat, a marine habitat.

2. the place where a person or thing is usually found: Paris is a major habitat of artists.

3. a special environment for living in over an extended period, as an underwater research vessel.

4. a place of residence; dwelling; abode.

tran·si·tion   [tran-zish-uhn, -sish-]

–noun

1. movement, passage, or change from one position, state, stage, subject, concept, etc., to another; change: the transition from adolescence to adulthood.

2. Music . a. a passing from one key to another; modulation. b. a brief modulation; a modulation used in passing. c. a sudden, unprepared modulation.

biophilia

Edward O. Wilson “Biophilia”:

bi·o·phil·i·a   [bahy-oh-fil-ee-uh, ‐feel-yuh]

–noun

1. love of life or living systems; an appreciation of life and the living world.

2. The innate tendency to focus on life and lifelike processes

American biologist Edward Wilson’s biophilia hypothesis puts forward the idea of an instinctive bond between human beings and other living systems. He uses his expertise in biology, particularly evolutionary psychology and biodiversity, to create the constructs behind his approach towards the relationship between humans and ecology, even venturing towards a new take on conservation ethics. The way he combines his knowledge of multiple fields towards an idea that bridges the gap between ecology, psychology, and biology is really just brilliant, and a surprisingly easy to follow.

Following these ideas, biophilic design attempts to create environments people would thrive in that are more like habitats, instead of isolated spaces, and in general blurs the distinction between buildings and landscape. While similar to green building and other morphologic design, biophilic design brings in a whole new set of considerations aimed towards pleasing the user. Considering Wilson’s ideas on the need for conservation ethics to cater towards people’s selfish desires to generate motivation, perhaps biophilic design’s hedonistic aims could be used towards making a more appealing case for green building.

somewhat random but interesting quote from the book:

“The unique operations of the brain are a result of natural selection operating through the filter of culture. They have suspended us between the two antipodal ideals of nature and machine, forest and city, the natural and the artifactual, relentlessly seeking, in the words of the geographer Yi-Fu Tuan, an equilibrium not of this world.”

collective | hybridize

James Corner "Eidetic Operations and New Landscapes":

col·lec·tive   [kuh-lek-tiv]

–adjective

1. forming a whole: the collective assets of the city and its citizens.     

2. of, relating to, characteristic of, or made by a number of people acting as a group: a collective decision, collective memory, collective consciousness     

3. organized according to the principles of collectivism: a collective farm.

–noun

4. collective noun: a noun, as herd, grove,  or clergy,  that appears singular in formal shape but denotes a group of persons or objects

5. a collective body; aggregate.

6. a business, farm, etc., jointly owned and operated by the members of a group.

7. a unit of organization or the organization in a collectivist system.

—Related forms

col·lec·tive·ly, adverb

non·col·lec·tive, adjective

non·col·lec·tive·ly, adverb

un·col·lec·tive, adjective

un·col·lec·tive·ly, adverb

hy·brid·ize   [hahy-bri-dahyz] 

–verb (used with object)

1. to breed or cause the production of (a hybrid); cross.

2. to form in a hybrid manner.

–verb (used without object)

3. to produce hybrids; cause the production of hybrids by crossing.

4. to form a double-stranded nucleic acid of two single strands of DNA or RNA, or one of each, by allowing the base pairs of the separate strands to form complementary bonds.

5. to fuse two cells of different genotypes into a hybrid cell.

—Related forms

hy·brid·iz·a·ble, adjective

hy·brid·i·za·tion, noun

hy·brid·ist, hy·brid·iz·er, noun

in·ter·hy·brid·ize, verb (used without object), -ized, -iz·ing.