Because of our need for controlled internal environments, architecture creates a critical disjunction between nature and society. Therefore, architecture is one of the most significant artifacts of environmental and cultural adaptation, playing an important role in our understanding of society’s interconnectedness with the natural world. Structures can effectively educate occupants about this complex relationship through the direct demonstration of necessary adaptations to changing conditions in a specific environmental/cultural context.
The design project that accompanies this document focuses on an environmental/cultural center on the south side of Chicago. Located within an area known more for its industrial contamination than for it’s ecological wealth, the site and project reinforce the notion that we as a society need to better integrate into our natural environments.