An open system model of ecological architecture

Abstract

This paper presents a model of open systems evolution as a paradigm for ecological design in architecture. Based on evolutionary thermodynamics and complex systems science, the model of open systems evolution is constituted by the mechanisms of the adaptation of open systems to the host environment via natural gradients, the self-organization of open systems so as to optimize resource distributions according to the maximum entropy principle, the generation of diversity and the production of minimal entropy in the host environment. According to this model, the authors propose a conceptual framework for ecological architecture that describes the ecological interactions of buildings with the natural environment in open thermodynamic terms, and actively engages the end-users in buildings into the micro-climate control. In the manner of open systems evolution, these multiple interactions evolve to optimize the environmental performance of buildings, resulting in a sustainable symbiosis of architecture and nature. © 2010 WIT Press.