Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
28.2 Context of Place
It is in the nature of any organic building to grow from its site, to come out of the ground
into the light, the ground itself always held as a basic component part of the building.
The land is the simplest form of architecture. Buildings, too are creatures of the earth
and sun. 3
Frank Lloyd Wright
Any geographic region is the product of a long period of co-evolutionary forces involving
the interactions of geological, climatic, and biological interrelationships. If enough time
passes before a major ecological upheaval, complex networks of symbiotic relationships
will develop involving synergistic energy and material flows. Such an evolved ecosystem
defines the particular character and dynamics of a place.
An environmental approach to building concerns the ways that design can grow,
respond to, engage in, and benefit from the life forces of a specific region. The track of
the sun, the conditions of the sky, the climate, flora and fauna, and the nature of the site
are significant environmental forces that influence design (for more detailed information
on these subjects see Parts I and II). The effects and experiences of each force are made to
be place-specific through the interactions of each with the particular geology, geography,
latitude, and longitude of the place. 4 Each of the unique desert regions of the southwest
have geographic characteristics that allow for specific design approaches specific to local
site conditions.
Throughout history, architecture and building technologies have responded to
environmental forces in resourceful ways. The sun, the climate, and the site have all
shaped architecture as much as have the materials from which buildings have been built.
Survival and comfort have depended on responses to the cycles of day and night, the
changing seasons, and to shifting climatic patterns. 5
In today's urban desert communities, we have not made the most appropriate use of
our most abundant resource—the sun. The sun regulates and guides our daily lives.
Environmental and esthetic benefits are manifested when buildings are designed to reveal
the solar cycles of day and night, the shifts of the seasons, and the climate of place. 6
28.3 Toward a Desert Vernacular
Over thousands of years, humans have developed shelter based on local materials and
renewable sources of energy. Building form, materials, and appurtenances such as over-
hangs and window treatments make up the vocabulary of architectural vernacular. They
provide for function and comfort as well as an esthetic character. Besides cultural factors,
one of the main determinates of vernacular architecture is climate and access to material
resources.
In the desert regions of the world, people constructed houses with thick walls and small
openings to keep out the heat and glare of the sun during the day. In Egypt, Iraq, India,
and Pakistan, deep loggias, projecting balconies, and overhangs cast long shadows on exte-
rior walls. Wooden and marble lattices fill exterior openings to screen the glare of the sun
while permitting breezes to pass through. 7 Massive walls are used for their time-lag effect.
 
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