The reading to analyze is about Saint Jerome, a saint who lived 1100 years before it became an artistic reference for painters between 1400 and 1700.

The artistic movement vary according years of painting and the author. The important thing to note is the cunning of the author of the article in question, as it takes this artistic reference of earlier times to refer to human needs.

The author’s analysis is divided into three main points:

Saint Jerome in the desert.

In the representation of St. Jerome in the desert, the author clearly states the individual’s interaction with nature in the simplest way, without protection of any kind of rock or sand, and in direct contact with nature and the introspection of the individual.

Saint Jerome and the Study

In the analysis of this stage of the monk’s life, it becomes evident the emergence of civilization, the building and the greatness of man through the study, organization and order, developing into community and to the common greatness of individuals.

Saint Jerome and the Grotto.

At this stage of artistic representation, is expressed at a Saint Jerome hybrid, in contact with nature and the study but protected by a cave.

Personal conclusion

It is evident that of the three passages in which is exposed the life of St. Jerome (for me a representation of the human being), the first two are completely polarized.
The first, the life in the desert, it refers to an austere lifestyle and in direct contact with nature, in total isolation from any interaction with other humans, highlighting the spiritual and divine through study and meditation.

The second, the study, it refers to life in the city, the civilization protection in contact with other human beings, more human way , civilized , physical and material where what matters is knowledge and the greatness of human.

Moreover, the third, St. Jerome and the Grotto , is a fusion of both human needs , not only divine but also material, not only natural but also with artificial protection , not only spiritual but also intellectual, making this mixture between “The desert and the study” , reveals the perfect way to complement the man , “enclaves” of nature – civilization or civilization – nature.

This apparent need to blend between two poles “Nature and Civilization”, is precisely successfully expressed in the draft House N by Sou Fujimoto, in which is easily to deciphered the architect’s intention, the need to interact between the house and the street, the city and the nature, getting to generating an advanced architectural project with a simple set of forms, gardens, spaces and the interaction between all previous with the city and the environment.

    Marco Casagrande, 3- 2012, sandworm

In the beginning, as far as I concerned, the building used to be the shelter or the 3-dimension space in which offered human beings to live and stay for while. Therefore, the shape of house was supposed to be fitted to the behaviors of human, not only for useless façade or the values of appearance. That is what the Louis Sullivan’s mentioned, “ form follows function “ in late 19^th century.

However, people have already forgotten the principle of living, which has to coexist with the environment, especially the dwelling block, which usually  drawn up for the building not landscape. What I try to convince myself is the beginning of the design, should consider the environment firstly such as the instance: ingenious catchment system in Venice. Afterwards, building form just follows the plan, which is pre-organized for environment. By this limitation, people rather to choose the living style behind the sustainable notion.

Secondly, I am quite into the sentence quoted from context: the capacity of architecture not to be tied to function, but to be opened to interpretation, free, that is, not necessarily responding to a preconceived function”. We can not to decide the living style for clients or human who live in, particularly architects. What we usually to come up the idea, which is dreaming the scenery on our own way, however, bear in mind to me, people who live in the space will settle on it by the time is progressing. For all of the designers, not only architects, should learn how to schedule the plan with approximate 70 %, in the other hand, residents are going to complete the final space in their own way. In my mind, no matter Darwin’s mutual aid or the evolution of architecture, which are all strongly tied to environment.

In summary, if we are going to talk about sustainability, we shall look to the real environment that is surround you, touch it, meditate on it…after that, the building will totally suit to the environment in the future.

http://www.mimoa.eu/projects/Belgium/Wenduine/SANDWORM