Support the heart of complex structures.
At the base of all structure is a fundamental element that keeps the rest functioning. It can be the legs, trunk, stem, molecule arrangement, ground, or chassis. It is this structure that provides a platform for beautiful expressions to spring forth in response to the environment that must be endured. This is the center or heart of structures. It is the means by which structures find their ultimate form.
Form and function have been linked as though they were inseperable. A form can exist in many environments. Functions exists that express themselves across a variety of applications. It is when we try to combine the two for a specific application, like building architecture, that we often ignore the environment that must be adapted to and the function of the building in a greater context. It is not often that building designers are able to have the luxury of designing an entire community or ecosystem. Is this really a sufficient reason not to explore the greater context during our planning and discovery phase?
Buildings, like other structures in this world, exist within a specific environment. We all exist in a gravity field. The sun shines on most of the earth regularly, the winds blow, the snow and rain fall. Ice forms, the ground swells, and seasons change. The ground that all structures perch upon is comprised of differing materials that each respond differently to the pressures placed upon them. Mostly, buildings interact with a rigid platform constructed of concrete, steel, or wood. These are our foundations, pylons, piers, slabs, and pads. We stand on the earth and understand that it is fixed, rigid and immutable (geotechnical engineers will disagree because they know better, and they are right).
Would we be able to achieve the great structures of the world without having mastered this basic element? I don’t believe so. However, we do sometimes forget to carry this concept forward from the ground to the rest of the structure. We fight a bad design with more design, engineering and compromise. In order to achieve complexity and robust ability in our structures, we must study and occasionally mimic nature’s structure. Humanity has developed his own structures and systems independent of nature. These exist mostly in the fields of mathematics, philosophy, and computer science. They exist independently from outside interference. They are young structures that lack the rigor of time to test their robustness.
Isn’t it interesting that we look to the natural world for our inspiration and then we ignore the lessons we just learned in favor of our synthetic structures. We could not possibly know of all the real world influences that shaped the structures we find present in nature. Do we really take into consideration the following when we design:
- Solar cycles, radiation, daylight cycles, infrared radiation, UV, thermal impacts to the earth surface
- Rotational spin, gravitational variance, air pressure, lunar cycle, seasonal changes, moisture content, soil changes, acidity
- Availability of resources, water quality, waste, occupancy
Yes we do, and more so on a regular basis. Well how about the following:
- Adaptive mechanisms to move the structure to optimize current conditions
- Skin/facade systems that absord and use, rather than deflect and absorb
- Regenerative materials that correct damage and/or wear
- Mechanisms for resource allocation to avoid over-saturation or depletion of local resources
- Symbiotic relationships with structures of differing function and form
These are features that we have yet to mimic and master. Complex structures require the infrastructure and systems that provide them the opportunity to flourish and enrich their ecology. The irony of it all is that the strategies employed are often simple when understood. A basic methology is employed consistently throughout the design. Great design employs continuity, robust features, and adaptive mechanisms to weather the world’s impact. We have termed our understanding of basic methodology ‘science’. We describe its codification as ‘design’, ‘engineering’ and ‘architecture’.
Complex structures only exist when the proper infrastructure and mechanisms are in place. Without the heart of the system, replenishing, nourishing, and healing the systems, you have failure. When design efforts include complex structures, it is important to consider robust fundamental principles and continuity. No matter how high we rise in to the sky, it is the ground that steadies our stance. When we conquer the effects of gravity it will be a whole new game.
