Resilience as an investigation of the relationship between architecture and nature

De Caro, Valerio

ARSNET
Vol. 2, No. 1

Recent architectural research concerning the theme of global warming seems to have brought attention to the natural phenomena that affect human life. It highlights a particular interest in the interpretation of the dynamic processes of the environment and all the natural entities, plants, and animals that inhabit it. The principle of resilience, which indicates the ability of physical entities to adapt to changes in the environment, represents the new paradigm of contemporary architectural design. However, the improper use of this term for communication purposes takes the attention away from projects that entwine a true relationship with the complex world of nature. This contribution aims to rediscover the new ways of relations towards the natural world beyond the interpretation that requires a technological replacement but through an organic sharing between human life and the environment. A series of case studies are divided into three different groups: architectural projects as an interpretation of natural phenomena, the construction of architectural experience as the integration of subnature in the project, and the role of the plants as natural things with a qualifying spatial entity. These different groups trace the conditions for a design that is truly compatible with the complex organic world, following the principles of resilience and changeability.