For the last several months, I have been working with Michael Pawlyn on the design of a new temple at Damanhur Spiritual Community. I have been posting about this here and there, but since we are still in the early design phases, there is not much to document publicly.
In case you don't know you Michael Pawlyn is, here is a little background:
Prior to setting up Exploration Architecture, Pawlyn worked with the firm Grimshaw for ten years and was central to the team that radically re-invented horticultural architecture for the Eden Project. He was responsible for leading the design of the Warm Temperate and Humid Tropics Biomes and the subsequent phases that included proposals for a third Biome for plants from dry tropical regions. In 1999 he was one of five winners in A Car-free London, an ideas competition for strategic solutions to the capital’s future transport needs and new possibilities for urban spaces. In September 2003 he joined an intensive course in nature-inspired design at Schumacher College, run by Amory Lovins and Janine Benyus [founder of Biomimicry 3.8 and credited with coining the phrase].
From his TED profile, where he gave one of the most widely viewed talks with almost 2 million views on Using Nature's Genius in Architecture.
Michael is a very humble person--not like your traditional architecture rockstar--and very patient. He manages to not kill me when I ask him a billion questions about how and why he chose specific biological systems for his projects. He finally gave me his book to shut me up for a bit, but I think it backfired, since now I have even more curiosities. He hasn't told me to bugger off yet, though I have given him full permission to do it if my questions start to annoy him. :)
The Biomimetic Office Building, in my opinion, is one of his greatest designs! Have you seen it? Check this out from "BETTR Schweiz":
BETTR: The Biomimetic Office Building from BETTR Schweiz on Vimeo.
Riddle me this batman....
If we have designs like this and people who have proven that they can create beautiful, healthy, efficient buildings, why are we still building wasteful, rectangular buildings that do nothing for the people in them or the local environment?
Image: CC0 on Pixabay
So what say you Steemit minds?
What am I not understanding about the modern building world?
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Let's Co-Create an Urban Plantasy!As a professional keynote speaker and communications entrepreneur with a successful career using cutting-edge strategies for building community, Tigrilla knows how to take a project from vision to completion. Her future-oriented way of thinking helps her build a wide variety of projects, working with artists and scientists alike to bring their projects to fruition. Invite Tigrilla to speak at your event or contact her to collaborate on a project. |