The Symbiosis of Culture, Nature, and Architecture

Abstract

My thesis is that culture and nature are the first to be ignored by the broad arm of globalization, and we cannot afford to recklessly abandon the cultures and ecosystems that define our world. Architecture cannot become yet another by-product of globalization but must reflect on, respond, and belong to the specific natural and cultural environment in which they exist. Given a site in Marfa, Texas and a program of an Institute of Contemporary Art, I studied extensively the culture and history of West Texas in order to understand what a building there should be. In my research, I discovered that living in West Texas boiled down to two very simple things: weather and survival. With this in mind, I studied the dog-trot house and the wrap-around porch house extensively and adapted my design off the precedent of these two styles. Thus, I designed a building that had an equality of indoor and outdoor and space, used the venturi effect to passively cool the spaces, and used natural stone walls and other vernacular materials that work effectively in the climate and create a building that will stand the test of time. This building exemplifies the identity of Marfa.