Construction Ecology and Metabolism

Construction Ecology and Metabolism examines the application of principles derived from nature to the design and construction of the human built environment. Readings from ecology, construction ecology, and sustainable design are used to examine the potential for creating a built environment that is as resilient, adaptable, and diverse as ecological systems. Additionally the potential for developing a synergistic relationship between human and natural systems is studied.

Module 11: Natural Metabolism as the Basis for “Intelligent” Architecture

Read:

Chapter 11: Construction Ecology (CE)
Natural metabolism as the basis for “intelligent” architecture, Jurgen Bisch

A Passive Solar Building for Ecological Research in Argentina: The First Two Years Experience, C. Flippin et al, 1998

Energy Impacts of Recycling Disassembly Material in Residential Buildings, W. Gao et al., 2000

Scan:

Ecomorphic Architecture, Sim Van der Ryn

View:

Natural metabolism as the basis for “intelligent” architecture (PP)

Assignment:

In the submission space provided in Module 11 Assignment in Assignments, explain the core philosophy of Jurgen Bisch’s approach to architecture and how it compares to ideas described in the readings above from Flippin, Gao, and Van der Ryn (1000 words minimum)

Syllabus,
e. Reading Directions – Each assignment will indicate to either Read, Scan, View, or Visit Internet Sites. Below are descriptions of meetings.

Read: it is intended that you gain a thorough understanding of the book, paper, or other material.

Scan: obtain a cursory understanding or familiarity with the subject matter of the assignment.

View: means that the student should page through the PowerPoint lecture.

Visit Internet Sites: you are responsible for becoming generally familiar with the issues and current activities of the organizations at these sites.

The following are the abbreviations corresponding to the major reading assignments:

TEXTBOOKS
(1) Construction Ecology: Nature as the Basis for Green Building , C. Kibert, J. Sendzimir, and G. Guy, Eds., London: Spon Press, 2002. Available from amazon.com or the publisher.

(2) Online access to the EBN Archives , Environmental Building News.
. All references must be fully specified at the end of each assignment and keyed into the written text by author, year, and page number(s) if the citation is a book. Spelling and grammar are also subject to evaluation and will be considered in the grading of the assignments.

FORMAT FOR ASSIGNMENTS

The format for submitted assignment citations and references are listed below. For guidance, at least 50% of the references must be from journal sources and no more than 50% of these may be internet references. The following are some basic directions for citing references in your paper. Note that citations refer to showing the source of information within the paper itself. References are the list of sources for citations in the paper and are located at the end of the paper, in alphabetical order. Additional information can be found at APA Style Essentials