Lochend Butterfly - An urban arterymore informationThe existing butterfly site illustrates the conflict between industrialised man and the environment as well as the miraculous, regenerative powers of nature. Rather than rejecting the efforts of reconciliation, our proposal is to minimise the impact ... Of the common maxim of ecological design "reduce-reuse-recycle," it has been asserted that in an urban setting "reduce" is of prime consideration. This is simply because the surest way to conserve resources is to minimise the building footprint and by combining functions and spaces. Reduction is also means of producing a clarity and strength of design concept, in addition to reducing costs. Building on an existing built artery removes almost no green space. Visual dissolution of the solid mass The existing interspersed by a network of open spaces, which form small glades where the sun can penetrate- creating a patchwork of light and shade. The higher level terraces serve as communal gardens in addition to the roof terrace. Serpentine The juxtaposition of the space between the flat plane of the plinth and the wavelike surface recall the blurred image of a beating wing. That curving, living, predictable line... is the incarnation of everything that forms a contrast in the modern world between mechanicalness and religious beauty in life. Nature is freedom's symbol. Sometimes it is even nature that creates and maintains the concept of freedom. If we base our technical plans on nature we have a chance to ensure that the course of development is once again in a direction in which our everyday work and all its forms will increase freedom rather than decrease it. Alvar Aalto (1898-1976)
|
 |
