Amalgamation Of Nature And Architecture

Dissertation 2014


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DISSERTATION 2014
AMALGAMATION OF NATURE AND ARCHITECTURE




Submitted by- Pradeepan Saha (A/2394/2011)
Co-ordinator- Prof. Shweta Manchanda
Guide- Prof. Sandeep Menon





Amalgamation Of Nature And Architecture
Dissertation 2014


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TOPICS PAGE NO.
1. Introduction
2. Aim of dissertation
3. Objectives
4. Limitations
5. Research Framework













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1. INTRODUCTION
The human race has reached the zenith of excellence in the paradigm of technology. With
their advancement they have nestled an utter disregard for the only thing which has taken
care of the human race since the beginning of time. When man was born, nature had
already created an environment for the healthy and unhindered survival of humankind. Now
that we have learnt so much about ourselves and the different elements of nature, we have
an unreasoned intent to cut out nature from our dwellings. In the recent times, we hardly
find any living element in our modern interiors. Bold usage of architectural elements like
steel and glass has turned our houses into boxes and vaults which does not even allow
natural ventilation. While we are content with the boxes we are living in, each and every box
that are being made is having a profound impact on everything around it. With the
introduction of bio mimicry, we have settled for lifeless inanimate dummies which are
inspired from nature, but we still could not take a bold step toward making our homes more
penetrable yet secure. It is obvious that natural ventilation and lighting reduces
consumption drastically, yet there are rare endeavours of actually trying and achieving the
foresaid.
I imagine what life would be like in the age when the human race came into
existence. There were trees, which were abundant. Man must have found shelter under
them. Then there were threats, the different species of wild animals. Man had to build a
protective shelter to keep the wild threats away. Thus started the fight between nature and
humans, trying to keep nature out of the house they lived in. with time, we learnt to tame
many forces of nature. Now we almost feel invincible as a race that can control the weather
that we experience inside. But now, we have come to a stage where we have started to
eliminate the natural necessities for human survival. We see the effects of such acts in
phenomena like global warming, ozone depletion etc. and also their aftereffects which are
diseases that kill the humans. I dont intend to say that the first fight to keep the wild away
from the home was not just, but at some point in time, the human progressive intent to
dominate or put governance against natural forces should have been shunned or rather
controlled so as to keep a balance in ecology of places. The broader term that incorporates
both the human society and natural ecology is Landscape. The complex study that encases
the realms of buildings, society, history, ecology and the many other aspects that are
affected by the building of one single house, is of Architecture. The people, who are learned
about architecture and practise it as a profession, are called architects. In contemporary
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times, the profession of architecture has become very much in vogue. Owing to the various
malpractices and misinterpretation of the various complex functions of a building, guidelines
have been prepared which has to be followed in order to be affiliated by the municipal
authority. Green building guidelines are one such set of guidelines which cater to spreading
the consciousness about ecological sustainability.


2. AIM OF DISSERTATION
The aim would be to come up with a set of guidelines or a design procedure in which the
architects response is more site-specific for better and logical responses to the landscape,
with the intent of conserving and improving the existing ecology.
Research Question: In terms of ecological sustainability what should be the design
guidelines to build so as to maintain a balance between nature and the built?


3. OBJECTIVES

(a) Documenting the past attempts in framing a design procedure by various architects.
(b) Documenting the existing guidelines for preserving nature and analysing them in the
light of site specificity. (Meaning testing all the guidelines in a site specific condition and
see if they function)
(c) Try and critique the available existing guidelines.
(d) Stating the merits of such a design approach/ procedure/guideline. (In terms of
sustainability, economics, social and cultural conservation)
(e) Some case studies on buildings which have high green building ratings, on the way they
respond to the existing landscape.
(f) Conclude with a set of guidelines for a specific site, which would be ideal, by assimilating
from all the green building guidelines available and also adding some authentic guideline
if possible.






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4. LIMITATIONS AND SCOPE

4.1 LIMITATIONS
(a) The statistical data that I will collect will not be primary. So, there might be a certain
percentage of error in the collected data.
(b) Homocentric approaches to design will be denied in the process of establishment of the
necessity of ecological sustainability, however strong they might be in terms of
economic and political potential.

4.2 SCOPE
(a) The existing green building guidelines provide a basic platform for the research.
(b) The existing design procedures like Thomas Kuhns Layer Cake model can be used as an
inspiration to device design procedures which are site specific.
(c) The research goes into a greater detail of a site, from national to macro climatic regional
zones. If such design guidelines are to be provided in the future, it creates a huge
number of job opportunities for the architects and staffs who would work for
organisations like USGBC, IGBC etc.

5. RESEARCH FRAMEWORK: CHAPTERS
(a) Necessity of ecological sustenance and site specificity of green building guidelines: The
chapter would include the statistics of the natural parameters which are degrading with
time. Degradation of living quality and how ecological sustainability elevates the living
standards of a neighbourhood.
Sub Chapters:
(i) Introduction
(ii) Identification of the degrading parameters
(iii) Evidences of degradation
(iv) Linkage of these characters to buildings, ecology and quality of life.
(v) How elevation of the condition of these parameters will be a step towards
achieving ecological sustainability


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(b) Sustainability and its meaning in ecological context: The chapter would include the
various ethics of sustainability, sustainable growth and yield, development, the
economic, political and social dimensions, new technologies, regenerative design.
Sub Chapters:
(i) Introduction: What is sustainability?
(ii) Ethics of sustainability
(iii) Sustainable growth, yield and development
(iv) Economic, social and political dimensions of sustainability.
(v) New sustainable technologies
(vi) Regenerative design

(c) Landscape Architecture and role of Landscape Architects: The connection of landscape
architects with ecological sustenance and their potential in infusing the concept into
the common mass, through their work.
Sub Chapters:
(i) Introduction: Landscape Architecture
(ii) Scope of landscape architecture to enforce ecological sustainability
(iii) A case study of how landscape architecture has achieved ecological
sustainability.

(d) Existing Green building guidelines: The chapter would be an analysis of the different
green building guidelines that we have available e.g- GRIHA, IGBC, USGBC, LEED etc.
Sub Chapters:
(i) Introduction to all the guidelines
(ii) Critical analysis of 3 guidelines in terms of ecological sustainability and site
specificity.
(iii) Assortment of ecological sustainability enforcing guidelines

(e) Landscape sustainability at regional and national scales: Case studies to justify the
necessity of site specificity of the guidelines.

(f) Existing guidelines that are instrumental towards ecological sustainability: A set of
guidelines assorted from most of the available green building guidelines, which are site
specific. Analysis of each of them as to how they contribute to ecological sustainability.
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(g) An Experiment: Devising a design procedure for ecologically sustainable designs:
Taking inspiration from the available green building guidelines and the works of Thomas
Kuhn.

(h) A site specific set of guidelines for Delhi.