Nature Is An Architect
Introduction
The evolution of a posthuman society, where we leave the anthropocentric mindset and
enter the realm of biocentrism, began with the fabrication of a machine. This machine
allows people to enter the realm of ambiguity, where memories about their past relationships
with nature become vague and distorted. The machine stimulates the body
and reveals visual and audible illusions, embedding a new reality within their minds
that changes the entirety of their relationship with nature. In this futuristic world, the
new city regenerates itself and maintains homeostasis within the Earth’s environment.
At this point, humans will allow nature to be their guide for how they should act and an
energizer that inspires them to thrive. Humans will learn to live and thrive according to
how they are wired to be with the mindset of nature.
Project Information
Optional Studio | Iowa State University | 2021 Fall
Location: Los Angeles City
Instructor: Mitchell Squire
Team: Megan Van Dalen, Ruth Kuswara, Angie Espinoza
Utopia and dystopia exist in constant tension: utopia is an imagined ideal we strive to construct, yet often becomes a dystopia for others when imposed as a rigid structure. This project explores that contradiction through the relationship between humans and plants in Los Angeles, where plants are typically placed at the bottom of an urban hierarchy. As cities develop through the extraction and re
Human societies have long been shaped by the tension between cooperation and egoism, giving rise to class systems and centralized power structures rooted in self-interest. While cooperation ensures the survival of the species, egoism prioritizes individual preservation, often at the expense of others and the environment. Although the Earth provides abundant resources to sustain life, human desire
This project frames fashion as a medium of self-expression and social connection, using spatial permeability to encourage interaction and dissolve boundaries. Through a façade and interior system that shifts from public to private, the building embodies the concept of survivance as immersion rather than control. Challenging human-centered architectural hierarchies, the project proposes coexistence
In this project, nature becomes the architect, shaping how we live by providing space, energy, and shelter without exploitation. Architecture no longer dominates natural systems but is sustained by them, drawing renewable energy from the sun, water, and ecological processes. Rather than a resource to be controlled, nature sets limits that guide human behavior. By accepting these limits, the projec
Spatial quality in this project emerges through immersion, where disorientation becomes a tool for reconfiguring human relationships with nature. By disrupting memory and perception, the space challenges habitual understanding and forces a recalibration of value, responsibility, and sacrifice. The machine operates as a mediator, altering sensory experience to expose the consequences of human ignor
This architecture is conceived as a mediator that reads and translates nature’s diary, allowing humans to understand natural needs beyond human-centered perception. By archiving and processing natural information, the machine enables communication, restoration, and renewed connection between nature and people. Through immersive experiences that deliver energy only nature can provide, the project e