Climate change has significantly influenced modern architecture, with the focus primarily on passive design and adaptive reuse. These strategies aim to reduce environmental impact but often fail to address the root cause of the
climate crisis.
Technology’s persistent interjection into modern human life has provided a
societal distortion in regards to human relationships to the environment. The degree to which technology extends our causality beyond understandable
perception is obscured and continues to shroud environmental degradation from that causality.
A key factor in the environmental crisis is the aesthetic perception of
nature and how we have framed nature as a resource. Philosopher Martin
Heidegger’s concept of “enframing” describes how technological
interventions in nature, such as dams or bridges, can distort our understanding of the environment. In both cases of this technology, our relationship with nature is one of objectification and resource optimization rather than meaningful interaction. This aesthetic distortion contributes to the broader environmental crisis.
Terra Incognita
Katherine Hilgendorf
Our increasing sense of distinction from the natural world, a byproduct of technologies, including architecture, has led to a loss of emotional attachment to the environment.
This detachment extends to our relationship with the resources we
depend on. People often have little awareness of where the materials for
everyday products come from or the environmental damage caused by their production. By emphasizing the origin and environmental impact of these
products, we can foster a deeper connection to the planet and
encourage sustainable practices. This idea aligns with Dipesh Chakabarty’s
notion of planetary subjectivity, which advocates for a broader understanding of how individual actions affect the global ecosystem.
“All forms of belonging are undergoing metamorphosis- belonging to the globe, to the world, to the provinces, to particular plots of ground, to the world market, to lands or to traditions.
We must face up to what is literally a problem of dimension, scale, and lodging: the planet is much too narrow and limited for the globe of globalization; at the same time, it is too big, infinitely too large, too active, too complex to remain within the narrow and limited borders of any locality whatsoever. We are overwhelmed twice over: by what is too big, and by what is too small.”
-Bruno Latour, Down to Earth
The Amenities...
` Intentional architecture can help bridge this gap by using natural materials and creating designs that foster emotional connections to both the built and natural environments. By encouraging empathy for the land and its resources, architecture can inspire people to take more active roles in addressing climate change. Techniques to accomplish this reframing of perspectives include creating a categorical confusion between human and nonhuman objects and context.
Introducing a new motel that exposes visitors to the nature they are inhabiting with their physical presence and their needs, capitalizing on the desperation of visitors for a rest from driving. A concrete roofing system with interjections of exposed amenities, such as bathroom, gas, and wash stations, all exposed and pushing human-centric boundaries. These amenities advocates for a shift in how humans perceive their relationship with nature, urging us to view land as a community that includes all living and non-living elements.
The Destination...
Along the I-10 east of Indio and Palm Springs, west of Blythe there is one
hundred miles of vast desert with
comparatively few human interjections that cross country travelers have to
traverse between Los Angeles and
Phoenix.
Starting in Santa Monica, California and ending in Jacksonville, Florida, the I-10 is a transcontinental highway, spanning through California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. It is one of four
transcontinental highways in the United States.
The site sits just south of Joshua Tree, which was established as a national park in October of 1994, and is 792,623 acres (591,624 is designated wilderness) in coachella valley, east of los angeles and north of palm springs and has 2.8 million annual visitors. The bizarre climate and flora/ fauna are credited to the fact that two ecosystems are meeting on this land: the Mojave Desert and the Sonoran
Desert. It faces strong winds and
occasional rain, and visitors are warned of limited cell phone reception that should not be relied on.
One of the two towns surrounding the site is Palm Springs, originally settled over 2000 years ago but was popularized in the 1800s because of the warm and dry climate and success in agriculture. Today Palm Springs' main industry is tourism because of Hollywood celebrities escaping there from gossip columnists.
The other town near the site is Indio, which is the last city on the i-10 before 100 miles of straight desert; it sits in Coachella Valley 125 miles east of Los Angeles and 98 miles west of Blythe. Indio is also a large agriculture and tourism hub with a 300- day growing season and being home to both Coachella and Stagecoach music festivals.
The View...
Ultimately, the question remains: why do we need convincing to help the environment?
As Latour suggests, the key lies in re-entangling humans to the planet and causing a realization in the urgency of the
situation. A new subjectivity would recognize the limits to our perception and cause a humility about our actions, replacing an arrogant confidence and abusive behaviors with doubt and carefulness.