Life as a house, part II: A house is a work of art
Virtual friend Bethany Buffington, who wears philosophy on her brow and has poetry in her heart, judiciously commented on part I of this post (as it appears on Myspace), suggesting that the proper way to create a house is as an outer expression of one’s inner beauty. One who cultivates inner beauty and chooses to let it shine by expressing it in the material realm in whatever form (house, object, performance, etc.) is certainly an artist. And I wholeheartedly agree that a proper dwelling should be a work of art. And this invites a proper digression into the concept of beauty
Read the rest of this page »
Tags: architecture, art, beauty, Buckminster Fuller, design, energy efficiency, engineering, Eugene Tsui, evolutionary architecture
Posted in Environment, Health and well-being, Quotes and wisdom, Shelter, Spirit, Unlocked | 116 Comments »
Evolutionary Design: design according to Nature
The way we currently design houses, consumer products, and other technological artifacts is obsolete and harmful. While there is a growing consciousness concerning environmental impact and so-called appropriate technology and some progress is noted in the mainstream, the most promising ideas are found at the “fringe,” in the domain of a group of visionaries here called the “outlaw designers.” The inspiration for the right solutions can be found all around us by appropriately drawing from Nature’s design techniques. It requires a profound change in our compartimented way of thinking to properly understand Nature’s systemic and synergetic quality. Applying this holistic view to the design of houses and other products will lead to better integration with the surroundings, with the users, and reduce considerably the environmental footprint. We briefly list architect Eugene Tsui’s principles of Evolutionary Architecture, which represent a Nature-inspired, bold and necessary departure from tradition in building appropriate shelters. In the same spirit, we also propose a series of 12 evolutionary design principles to be applied to small scale technological products.
Read the rest of this page »
Tags: alternative energy, architecture, cosmology, design, Eugene Tsui, evolutionary architecture, evolutionary design, Nature, outlaw designers, synergy
Posted in Environment, Health and well-being, Shelter, Spirit | 69 Comments »
