ABSTRACT
Buildings are living organisms. They breathe and pulse. They inhabit complex ecosystems of species, technologies, and culture. And understanding buildings requires understanding these vital signs and these ecosystems.
Furthermore, buildings are not static, solitary objects dug into a single site. They are dynamic systems connecting many different places. They talk with their natural and urban contexts. They join together and cooperate with each other. They involve a longer duration and a wider geography than we typically consider. They actually begin with matter extracted from the earth and end with matter sitting in a landfill. They involve energy, labor, and resources from around the globe.
And just as buildings might be broader and more multi-dimensional than the traditional definition, the design ecosystems that architects create for themselves might be broader and more multi-dimensional.
This chapter expands on the exploration of the architecture of the future with attempts that have been made in building full-scale, functioning prototypes. David Benjamin discusses projects that bring new technologies to life in the built environment, integrating design innovation, sustainability, and the public realm. Within this design ecosystem, he works on multiple scales simultaneously. Designs must anticipate and welcome rapid change with rules rather than fixed forms, and design must adapt to shifting conditions and embrace unknowable forces.
