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Building Ecotheology: Nature Veneration in Architecture and its Contributions to Environmental Stewardship

Xu, Tian Yang Kevin
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1592171201279149

Abstract Details

2020, MARCH, University of Cincinnati, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning: Architecture.
As the world ventures onwards dismayed by anthropogenic climate change, the built environment is increasingly complicit in the subjugation and substitution of the nature much to the dismay of those who revere nature for its sacredness. Architecture’s ability to mediate this issue will be tested and new opportunities to reinforce ecological conscience must be explored. In the perpetual pursuit for sustainable design solutions it is propitious that architecture would be an instrument to encourage both technological and behavioural environmentalism in faith adherent communities in concert with nature veneration. Much of the world’s diverse populations still deeply adhere to religious creeds that venerate nature which has influenced architectural design and religious materialism throughout history offering a unique perspective on building among sacred nature. Over time, religious attitudes of preservation have been besieged by industrial and artificial realities and institutions of stewardship are undermined by socio-political agendas and intrareligious discord. The employment of ecological values in religious architecture may be the catalyst for energizing these faith communities and in the benefit of the wider environmental stewardship. By recognition and incorporation of ecotheology alongside our environmental architecture initiatives lies the potential for a new basis of design in parallel to technological implementations that circumvents modern capitalist anxieties and strives to re-establish the connection between nature veneration and our built environment. This thesis incorporates a cross-disciplinary analysis that advocates the merging of religious attitudes and environmentalism in the design of modern religious architecture. Investigations into three different conditions of conflict that encompasses different triangular relationships of architecture, religion, and socio-political systems is undertaken to illustrate proposals and difficulties that challenge how religious architecture exist in their changing communities. The appreciation of their potential will provide the basis of a discussion to address the growing environmental movement within different religious communities and their involvement with their built environment in the face of anthropogenic climate change; how architecture can be employed to reinforce or manipulate attitudes of environmentalism and promote environmental literacy; and how aspects of nature veneration can be exported through architecture to the larger society to establish ecotheology’s legitimacy and create a unified alliance against anthropogenic climate change.
Michael McInturf, M.Arch. (Committee Chair)
Elizabeth Riorden, M.Arch. (Committee Member)
87 p.
Architecture
Religious Architecture; Ecotheology; Environmentalism

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Xu, T. Y. K. (2020). Building Ecotheology: Nature Veneration in Architecture and its Contributions to Environmental Stewardship [Master's thesis, University of Cincinnati]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1592171201279149

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Xu, Tian Yang Kevin. Building Ecotheology: Nature Veneration in Architecture and its Contributions to Environmental Stewardship. 2020. University of Cincinnati, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1592171201279149.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Xu, Tian Yang Kevin. "Building Ecotheology: Nature Veneration in Architecture and its Contributions to Environmental Stewardship." Master's thesis, University of Cincinnati, 2020. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1592171201279149

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

ucin1592171201279149
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© 2020, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by University of Cincinnati and OhioLINK.