Renegotiating the Interface Between the Built and Natural Environments

Abstract

As human consumption and energy production continue to negatively a ect our environment, a re-conceptualization of our relationship to the wider world becomes a necessary step in the coexistence of humankind and nature. Modern methods of building have sought to establish a universal conception of human comfort that is disconnected from the realities of the speci c and varied climates in which we live. The building envelope is seen as a barrier to nature, a fortress where we have complete control over the parameters of our environment. This degree of control ultimately requires an unlimited source of energy. Through development of emerging material systems and technological integration, this project seeks to create a dialog between interior and exterior environments, recognizing that the two should be connected. This re-envisioned interface responds directly to changing environmental conditions through formal and material adaptations which create a symbiotic relationship between the built and natural worlds