Author(s): Semere Zeru Abraha
Naturalized architecture, defined as the full integration of buildings with ecological processes, has transitioned from an impractical concept to a dialectical necessity in relation to climate change, emerging health challenges, and techno-logical advancements. This paper proposes rewilding as a conceptual framework for understanding the naturalization of architecture. Commonly viewed as a green agenda within architectural discourse, rewilding’s core principle—creating self-willed, autonomous ecosystems—finds a conceptual parallel in the goals of Artificial Intelligence within the digital revolution. This paper explores this relationship through three critical lenses: the temporality of aesthetics, human agency as variable, and the adaptability of materials. First, it investigates the design of mass and surface by theoreti¬cally juxtaposing past theories of beauty with the digital age, and how they might evolve towards temporal dynamics and emergent properties. Second, it reflects upon and critically analyzes architectural production, by comparing traditional top-down design approaches with self-organizing systems, such as automation using discrete architecture. Finally, it examines the adaptability of materials through a historical comparative analysis, highlighting the need for a shift towards bio-technological materials that facilitate self-assembly and dynamic growth. The study concludes that framing natu¬ralization through these three lenses shows that, although temporal and emergent structures have permeated archi¬tectural practice through theories of form-finding, discrete architecture refines this idea by further questioning modern architectural syntax and the authorial nature of the field. However, for the complete naturalization of architecture, the last lens shows that a full transition from authorial design to negotiated forms could be enabled at the intersection of changes towards animate resources, production involving microorganisms, and assembly using additive manufacturing mediated through computational algorithms.
Volume Editors
ISBN
978-1-944214-49-4