Studying Ecological Identity Through Architecture And Built Form

Abstract

The feats achieved by human beings in all sectors are remarkable, but with this constant need to grow, the entire species has exhausted the natural resources that are essential for survival. In order to continue these advancements, the human species has forgotten that they are a part of a system that is interdependent and interconnected. The human species has divided itself into two perspectives: one is where the humans are saviors of nature; the other where the humans exploit the natural resources in the name of development. In a situation, where climate change becomes irreversible with each passing day, there is an urgent need to reflect upon the way we relate to nature and the environment around us. It is important to look at nature from a perspective that is different from the above-mentioned. The research is based on this relation and the contribution of the architecture fraternity to the same. It amalgamates the concept of ‘ecological identity’ with architecture and built form. Ecological identity describes the connection of humans with nature and identifying a space or object by its relation and response to nature. Connecting this to architecture means studying the built form and its correspondence to the existing natural conditions. It also involves studying how the human is connected to nature through the means of architectural gestures. The study of ‘ecological identity’ for this research would involve studying the human association to nature and how the user identifies the place by the presence of nature and ecology of the site from the human perspective. The research analyses multiple built examples where the built is not harming the natural aspects of the site but enhancing it. A segment of the research also compares the approaches taken by the respective authorities at two different sites with the presence of similar landforms. The intent behind this comparison is to understand how architecture can be created in a manner that responds to nature but also honors the presence of it. The other segment of the research compares institutions situated in three different contexts: urban, rural, and ecologically pristine environments. The selection of case studies in different contexts is done to study the relation of built and nature in the varying presence of the latter in each of the contexts. This analysis is done through the means of a combination of Abstract 15 different parameters derived through literature studies and surveys. Studying multiple examples and their comparisons forms a matrix that would identify the several design gestures taken up by the architect of the respective buildings and how these enhance the natural elements of the site. This research is a means to establish connections between the concept of ecological identity and architecture. It is also a medium to study the co-existence of built and nature, where the latter can be respected while fulfilling the programmatic needs of the former.