Developing designs in balance with nature

Abstract

Recent developments especially in the areas of ecology and architecture have identified an unhealthy relationship between the built environment and nature. The breakthroughs in science and technology through the late 18th century saw an explosion in the trends/types of architectures that are presently characterized by their polluted, machine-dominated, dehumanizing, and environmentally unfriendly natures. This trend which in collaboration with other environmental defiant practices also contribute in the fast depleting, explosion-threatened world that is even now disintegrating and disappearing before our eyes. Time is quickly running out for our society to rethink the way we plan for development of the remaining open spaces. The main objective here is to confer ideas aimed at creating environmentally friendly, energy-efficient buildings developed by effectively managing natural resources. This entails passively and actively harnessing solar energy and using materials which, in their manufacture, application, and disposal, do the least possible damage to nature's 'free resources'; water, ground, and air. This involves identifying factors that affect a healthy natural environment such as choice of building site, orientation, choice of building materials (in other words, let where it is be where it is made of) and methods of combining these building materials in order to achieve balance.