the source of the picture http://blog.bolandbol.com/2013/01/26/applying-the-pattern-language-inviting-entry/
Throughout history, humans have attempted many times to control climate but is it really controllable? After analyzing the reading, clearly the central themes are climate control, the human relationship to outdoor spaces, and how the importance of a garden inside of a dwelling has changed throughout history. The relationship between these main ideas are the central argument of this essay and how all of them are connected to climate.
To understand the present one must understand the past. History has shown us that humans adapt to the place that they live or grew up in and most importantly to the air that they breathe. An interesting example from reading is the journey of the English settlers to North America. As said in the reading they were not the most advanced house builders and knew very little of more advanced building technology therefore the transition from England to New England was a hard one. Their attempt to manipulate the climate of North America was successful in the sense that they were able to control the indoor spaces but unsuccessful with showing no importance to exterior aspects to a dwelling. This building tradition has been used for generations and most surprisingly is still being used today. Houses today manipulate the temperature of the interior space to keep out the external climate conditions, but is this really how it should be?
These current living conditions separate humans from our natural climate and the habitat that we are meant to live in.
The reading also talks about how the garden was historically an important part of a dwelling, but throughout the years that has since changed, being pushed outside of the program of the dwelling.This idea has created an imbalance between humans and nature. The human should consider himself as a part of nature and not as a conqueror. The way the reading talks about gardens is an example that shows the link between nature and humanity to be lost. The idea of the garden as described in the reading should be like an additional room with no ceiling, providing natural ventilation, vegetation, scent, and liveliness to a dwelling. In terms of modern society, one of the reasons why the garden has disappeared from the dwelling is the lack of land. This makes it impossible to create a livable outdoor space for everybody. That’s why humanity has to change it’s perception of nature and reintegrate gardens into the program. The way I view this topic is going back to the roots to recreate the link between humans and nature as long as humans are equal to it rather than being its conqueror. It is essential to return to this historic principle to maintain a balanced relationship between nature and humanity.
Personal Research:
For my future personal research I would like to focus on the idea of integrating nature in habitable spaces. The idea of enclosed spaces or “boxes” is becoming irrelevant nowadays because of growth in population, therefore we need to find the solution in which we can create habitable spaces for everybody.