Pen pal
BOOK REVIEW: BEING ECOLOGICAL Words Amy Young In light of the current pandemic, the term ‘post-COVID’ world has cropped up again and again within the architecture community. Architects have rushed to the rescue with mediocre design solutions; temporary hospitals, 3d printed face masks, and socially distant parks, just to name a few.
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Despite the seemingly good intentions, I find the design proposals incredibly problematic. It highlights the, ‘Architect is God,’ phenomena, in which architects try to solve complex social, political and health issues, that are far beyond their skillsets and the reaches of their profession. Instead of all these quite pointless and dead-end projects aiming to ‘revolutionise’ the ‘post-COVID world,’ I feel as if it would be far more productive for these architects to try to just get the architecture right. Highly problematic buildings are still being erected that have a detrimental impact on the climate, just look the work of Zaha Hadid or BIG. Perhaps it would be wise for architects to truly understand climate change, climate-driven design and their role in designing a sustainable future first.
the often-complex ideas Morton presents. After overcoming the sometimes-intellectual waffle, the perspective Morton offers in ‘Being Ecological’ is fresh, exciting and layered. He gives the reader permission to relax into the uncertainty of the future and refuses to conjure all the solutions. Morton states very clearly at the start of the book, that the writing is not a ‘data dump’ with ‘factoids’ and numbers. Instead he writes a series of provocative statements and questions that slowly try to change the reader's perception of the climate and ecological crisis. For example, in the first chapter he states:
One book that illustrates an incredibly refreshing and new perspective on climate change is Timothy Morton’s, Being Ecological. It restructures the entire argument around climate change, allowing the reader to understand there has to be a deep shift in thinking before we can solve any of the complex problems involved. As an architect, it is a fantastic book that prompts the re-evaluation of how and what we design, in the midst of a climate crisis.
“So, I do have a lot of sympathy for the ‘so what are we going to do?’ sort of question. And this is precisely why I refuse to give a straight answer. What this type of question is asking, and the way the question is asking it, has the need to control all aspects of the ecological crisis. And we can’t do that. That would require being able to reverse time and return to at least 10,000 BC before humans set the agricultural logistics in motion that eventually gave rise to the industrial revolution, carbon emissions and there to global warming and mass extension.”
The tone of Being Ecological is one of assurance and authority. Morton has clear ideas throughout, which are well supported by his breadth and depth of understanding not only of ecology but also philosophy, literature, art, and the sciences. The book is a piece of academic literature and tests the reader to connect references in order to comprehend
It is a refreshing point to hear, emphasising that perhaps our very ridged problem-solving approach to climate change is ineffective because we are simply too late, we have already surpassed the point of no return. In a world that is effectively fuelled by neoliberal capitalism, it would, “require a major global revolution to dismantle the structures that are
