NATURE & CONSTRUCTED
What’s come to your mind when you think of nature that related to architecture?
Basically, Nature is an important part of the context in traditional architecture, in general. Architecture responds to local conditions such as climate, geology and seismic conditions. Local building materials and their properties are key in the technical design. In short, nature was the cause of the beginning of architecture.
In Marc-Antoine Laugier’s written book, he described about a man appreciating the nature as a gift from the god. But soon the nature force has required him to work out a protection, to get rid of heat, rain fall, storm, or other nature disasters, therefore the man has form a rustic hut.
With the invention of that specific hut, the fundamental principles of architecture are founded which a building included with only necessary component, such as column, entablature, and pediment, carrying a main purpose of protecting human against the nature.
“In architecture order only the column , the entablature , and the pediment may form an essential part of its composition , nothing need to be added to make the work perfect”- claims Laugier, in defining his primary idea of nature inspired architecture.
So, nature has been the reason why man need architecture as protection, but nature has also provided us the materials to do so, and sometimes in the past nature itself are also a type of protection from its own elements, for example when man use cave as a shelter from rain.
But much has changed since nature first influence the creation of architecture. Even so, I believe that the importance of nature in architecture has never faded into the shadows. So, what role does nature plays in architecture today? To me, nature not only served as the metaphor of design, it also refers to a set of physical factors that need to be considered when creating any kind of design.
From the history of architecture, we can see most of the construction method is taking the nature concept as basic consideration. ’’The column must be tapered from bottom to top in imitation of nature where this diminution is found in all plants.’’ Laugier stated this quote as taking the construction of column as metaphor to the nature. Building need to own their natural spatial quality to reach the nature requirement and the several physical elements that need to be considered and solved when doing site planning.
If not, there will be a lot of problems and obstacles coming out when you are approaching toward the final design.
Besides that, people seen nature as a role model, we often take nature (the environment) as the biggest concern in our design. Architects often study and find out how the nature works, their behaviors, their living system, patterns and grains, the intervention of nature leads human to solve complex problems. This eventually create appropriate and more sustainable form that bring benefits back to the environment. Human can’t live without nature.
Although we need concrete shelter as a protection, but we also need nature for fresh air to live. Thus, nature serves as an air filter in the urban area to cool down the whole environment and provide thermal comfort to the people.
CASE STUDIES - The Tartu Nature House , KARISMA Architects
The Tartu Nature House is a symbiosis between a zoo, botanical garden and school inspired by tree stump. The building is situated on a site which has a strong natural character with its steep hillsides and gentle slopes that curve around the building.
The central atrium is the heart of Y-shaped plan and its wings are directed towards the exterior environment. The house is structured into different functional zones.
The study wings with workshops, classrooms, laboratories, kitchen and a library are directed to west and north. The south- oriented two- story high greenhouse wing with a rising floor accommodates birds, animals and proliferating flora and is related to the outdoor activities and courtyard areas.
The Y- shape building is combined by simple cube- like forms, archetypical steep gable roofs and a dense row of upright windows. Finishing materials are natural in tone and nature. Various treatments and surfaces of wood is used on the facades continuing inside on walls, floors, furniture and detailing. The seamed metal gable roof is typical to the historical Karlova district.
The building is constructed with masonry blocks, reinforced concrete and, glue-laminated timber and cross laminated timber. All constructional decisions are influenced by the Clients wish to incorporate as much natural materials into the design as possible.
The greenhouse glue-laminated timber columns and beams are exposed, just as well as the reinforced concrete elements are exhibited in the interior.
To analyze the buildings energy efficiency, Tallinn Technical University conducted an energy simulation. According to the analysis of the simulation less window space was incorporated to the design, thermal conductivity of the windows was improved, demand-based ventilation systems were designed and solar panels were placed. The Y- shaped buildings greenhouse wing has the most glass surface and therefore is directed to the south, the study wing directed to the north has less window space. I think physical factors such as natural materiality is also an influence of architecture today, and that many architects today tend to implement on their design as part of the nature.
In conclusion, we can see that nature play as one of the most important architecture guidelines continuously presenting in designing process, that keen to affect various aspect of architecture and buildings formation. It is an essential element and context to architecture and urban planning. Buildings that form a relationship to the site will become part of its natural environment with the combination of site forces. Therefore, we should achieve the balance between nature and constructed environment to maintain a liveable living condition.
With this we can clearly see how the architecture of this building design incorporates the nature within it and how it complements its surrounding nature. I think this is very important in today’s architecture because of how the world is changing due to pollution, and we can see how the nature affected architecture today both negatively and positively, as architects today has to consider the solution to the problem of today’s nature.