Ecological architecture

[Lenina Rosenweg]

For architecture enthusisats, I wonder what people think of this work by Roger Dean. Dean is a British architect/artist, famous for rock album covers in the 70s. He's not as well known for his architecture.Much of the CGI in Avatar is largely a ripoff from his work-there was talk of Dean suing Cameron.

Willowater is a proposed village. Unfortunately the website doesn't provide info beyond a few drawings.

http://www.rogerdean.com/architecture/willowater.html


This is a house.

http://www.rogerdean.com/architecture/home-for-life/home-for-life-iii.html


This is my speed in terms of architecture, its what I see a socialist society eventually looking like. I prefer this to Constructivism and to Stalinist Gothic (which does have a certain beauty to it) and to some of the technocratic designs (perhaps they could be combined?)

Just wondering what people think.

[Coggeh]

http://www.rogerdean.com/typo3temp/pics/530f52dcd7.jpg

http://www.rogerdean.com/typo3temp/pics/10f8e36c2e.jpg
http://www.rogerdean.com/typo3temp/pics/2684445053.jpg

Could u get any more middle class.... lol

Regardless of their enviornment benefits they just .. don't make sense .. when did your standard bed start causing global warming but a pod with a light in it doesn't...?

[Lenina Rosenweg]

Well, its not the environmental benefits which appeal to me but the aesthetics. Nothing wrong w/a standard bedsit except that its...ugly and boring. Rounder surfaces may appeal more to elements of the human psyche rather than traditional angular construction.Yurts, wigwams, teepees, pueblos , geodesic domes, seem more human oriented, Something about the house in this website seems so incredibly cozy to me.

Right now it looks indulgent but I don't see why under socialism everyone couldn't have what's now regarded as a middle class lifestyle.

Okay, enuf indulgence in counter revolutionary bourgeouis lifestylism. You can have me shot now.

[Invincible Summer]

When I originally saw the thread title, I thought it was going to be about this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rw9s0ivfn3w

[Technocrat]

I like the idea of integrating curvilinear forms into architecture if it can be done without increasing the cost of construction vs. traditional forms. I also would like to see these ideas applied to high density forms (mid rises and high rises) rather than just a low rise village scenario. I also think that the elements should be functional and not just purely aesthetic - the pod with a light in it is a bit strange.

I don't think there is anything inherent in curvilinear forms vs rectilinear forms that are inherently more appealing to humans. You can have equally appealing designs with each, but it would be interesting to see more curvilinear buildings.

[al8]

The 'pod with a light in it' is a childrens bed.

He questioned dozens of children about what they liked or disliked about their beds and bedrooms. Again and again, when they spoke of discomfort they were referring not to the softness of the mattress but the "feel" of the room. They said they were afraid of spaces under the bed, where monsters might lurk, or shapes made by clothes hanging on the back doors or highly patterned wallpapers. When asked what they would like, the children described caves or tent-like structures. They wanted to be enclosed; hidden from view but able to see out. In other words, in order to feel comfortable they had to feel safe.

[Revy]

The first link reminded me of the homes that hobbits live in....seems ironic that there was talk of this guy suing James Cameron when he himself seems to lifted his designs from LOTR.

[manic expression]

The first link reminded me of the homes that hobbits live in....seems ironic that there was talk of this guy suing James Cameron when he himself seems to lifted his designs from LOTR.
That was exactly my first thought, too. :lol: Architecture is so out of ideas that it's taking its cues from fantasy books and Hollywood. Sad. How did we get to this point? I blame modernism, of course (damn you Bauhaus!).

Anyway, let me try to stop being a debbie downer...ecological architecture might possibly end up being a good idea, but it's going to take a long time to get it right, and it'll probably take even longer for people to get used to it. I honestly can't see anyone living in one of those things and not feeling like they're on a movie set, or that an elf wizard is about to knock on the door and ask for a bit of sugar.

If we switch to alternative energy and lessen our dependence on heating and AC (better economy of natural light, using more sustainable materials, etc.) we can do the same sort of thing without going all hobbit on everyone. Smarter urban development is the most important thing in the short-term future (but don't hold your breath, because even the improvement of new urbanism isn't all that great).

[jake williams]

Right now it looks indulgent but I don't see why under socialism everyone couldn't have what's now regarded as a middle class lifestyle.
Uh, it's called "finite land". The "middle class lifestyle" (being a mythological construction of postwar America) is predicated on suburban land use patterns, large houses on large lots and some of the shittiest urban planning in human history.

[Technocrat]

Uh, it's called "finite land". The "middle class lifestyle" (being a mythological construction of postwar America) is predicated on suburban land use patterns, large houses on large lots and some of the shittiest urban planning in human history.

For the most part, yes. I don't think she was suggesting that everyone live in houses, though. One can live in an apartment building and be "middle class".

[Lenina Rosenweg]

For the most part, yes. I don't think she was suggesting that everyone live in houses, though. One can live in an apartment building and be "middle class".
By "middle class lifestyle" I did not mean the "American Dream" (which I never bought into) of everyone owning a house in the suburbs, having 2.5 kids and I'd "find fulfillment" as a soccer mom, picking the kids up at 4:30 every Wednesday, nope, definitely not that.I just meant a high standard of living.

Supposedly Roger Dean bases his curvilinear design on studies showing what is "psychologically ergonomic". Circular and curved spaces may seem more "natural" to people. This could be wrong but it does look cozy to me.It may be a form which is conducive to enhancing community, which is what a socialist society needs.For similar reasons I also like elements of Jefferson's Monticello.

My architectural tastes may be in the minority. I also like Bauhaus design

http://www.gemsinisrael.com/images/gifs/gems_e_a000020538.jpg

http://nocturnalblogger22.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/bauhaus-architecture.jpg

I like a lot of the high rise architecture surrounding the suburbs of Montreal. No body else I know, including my leftist friends, like this. Oh well.

Avatar wasn't just derivative (the creative process always entails a lot of borrowing) but segments of it border on outright plagiarism. There's an almost one to one correspondence between scenes from Avatar and Dean's work.

http://io9.com/5426120/did-prog-rocks-greatest-artist-inspire-avatar-all-signs-point-to-yes/gallery/

Anyway the structure and look of our buildings certainly impacts our lives. In a socialist society, one based on human needs instead of that of capital, we will have to think what we want our buildings, cities,towns, villages, and homes to be like. Experimentation along these lines is important.

[Salyut]

I like Brutalist architecture. :3

[ÑóẊîöʼn]

I admit a certain fondness for Bauhaus and Stalinist Gothic, although I do think such architectural styles are better used for large structures demanding pomp and circumstance, such as public buildings, as opposed to private dwellings, which people might prefer having in a softer style.

What I really think we should try and do is to break the bad old architectural habits, whatever styles we choose. This means that if safety, efficiency or human psychology demands a radical new layout, we go for it and see what we learn.