EARTH VS THE WORLD

 ORGANIC ARCHITECTURE

A philosophy of architecture which promotes harmony between human habitation and the natural world.

Frank Lloyd Wright was born in 1867 and died in 1959. After 92 years on planet Earth, Wright had designed more than 1,100 structures including schools, churches, offices, museums, hotels, furniture and published 20 books.  Frank Lloyd Wright coined the term organic architecture in an article for "Architectural Record" in 1914. He wrote that "the ideal of organic architecture is a sentient and rational building that would owe its style to integrity with which it was individually fashioned to serve its particular purpose. Frank Lloyd Wright's concept of organic architecture is influenced by shapes, patterns, and colors found in nature.  Wright's aesthetic features an emphasis on horizontal lines, often single story structures, with expansive open interiors, and rows of large windows.  Elements of Japanese architecture are also present in some of Wright's work, as he was a Japanese print salesman for a short period of time and an admirer of Japanese culture.  Wright's goal was to create homes that would increase the beauty of the surrounding area with layouts complementary to nature. He employed the use of materials gathered from the site or locally sourced for construction, often using, wood, concrete, glass, as well as integrating the structures into the landscape, as if the were part of the environment.  

So here I stand before you preaching organic architecture: declaring organic architecture to be the modern ideal and the teaching so much needed if we are to see the whole of life and to now serve the whole of life, holding no traditions essential to the great tradition. Nor cherishing any preconceived form fixing upon us either past, present or future, but instead exalting the simple laws of common sense or of super sense if you prefer determining form by way of the nature of materials.  - Frank Lloyd Wright

What Is Sustainable Architecture?

A philosophy of architecture that seeks to minimize the negative environmental impact of buildings by efficiency and moderation in the use of materials, energy, and development space and the ecosystem at large.

Most of the components used in construction are non recyclable materials. The problem is that an enormous amount of materials are used in their production and the manufacturing techniques that produce hazardous by products. The end result is more garbage in our landfills and eventually our oceans. Not to mention industrial incinerators that release greenhouse gases and carcinogens into the atmosphere. There are a number of recyclable and biodegradable building materials used in sustainable architecture, some of which are self replenishing others are contemporary building materials created from recycled materials and eco friendly sources.

Wood has many advantages over more industrial building materials like concrete or steel.  Trees absorb carbon dioxide requires much less energy to produce construction products.  Forests are also a renewable resource for building materials.  Bamboo is a great building material for modern structures because it is a renewable resource, strength, lightweight, and incredibly strong. Bamboo scaffolding is often used to replace traditional metal framework.  NewspaperWood is newspaper and glue compressed into many thin layers creating a composite material.  Fireboard is a fire resistant board made up of materials like magnesium, sawdust, and fiber cloth.

Ferrock is a new material that uses recycled materials including steel dust.  Ferrock absorbs and traps carbon dioxide and as part of its drying and hardening process, producing fewer greenhouse gases than traditional concrete.  Hempcrete if you might have guessed is comprised of hemp which and used as an alternative to traditional concrete.  AshCrete is a concrete alternative that uses fly ash instead of traditional cement. No, it is not made from insects. Fly ash is the byproduct of burning coal. More Than 90 percent of the components in concrete can be replaced with eco friendly materials.  Timbercrete is made of sawdust and concrete mixed together! Timbercrete can be formed into blocks, bricks, and other traditional shapes. 

RePlast which is made from recycled plastics would be used to produce modular technology building projects.  Recycled metal or reclaimed metals such as iron, aluminum, steel, and copper the most recycled metals.  Recycled glass and reclaimed glass can be gathered from a number of places including demolished buildings.

Mycelium is a totally natural building material it comprises the root structure of fungi and mushrooms.  Mycelium can be encouraged to grow around a composite of other natural materials, like a scaffold, then dried to create bricks, blocks, or any other shape you want. With the advent of new technology sustainable architecture has offered us many new options. Nontoxic, recyclable, and biodegradable building materials that create a minimal impact upon our environment. However, for thousands of years people from around the world have been creating structures made of soil or even partially in the earth. Africans created pyramids, mosques, and building from mud and limestone bricks.  European settlements built sod houses and mud walls.  Native Americans created structures out of cliff dwellings and adobe bricks. In Asia, people were creating expansive family structures out of compressed bricks made of soil.

It seems that as a race we have lost touch with our planet. As human beings we have forgotten we are connected to the earth and the world we build must work in concert with the planet's natural systems. Organic architecture and sustainable architecture is essentially a philosophy of harmony and responsibility.