Finding Nature: The New Ground Plane

FINDING NATURE: THE NEW GROUND PLANE

FINDING NATURE: THE NEW GROUND PLANE

Contents Abstract 1 Introduction 2 Thesis statement

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Healing properties of Nature

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Method 5 The Architect’s perspective

“We never noticed the beauty because we were too busy trying to create it.”-Anonymous | “Take a quite walk with Mother Nature. It will nuture your mind, body, and soul.” -Anthony douglas Williams | “I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order.” -John Burroughs | “Just feel the magic in the air and the power in the breeze, Feel the energy of the plants, the bushes and the trees, let yourself be surrounded by nature at its best, calm yourself, focus and let magic do the rest.” -Sally Walker | “Air moves us, fire transforms us, water shapes us, earth heals us.” -Ariana Rainking | “when we recognise the virtues, the talent, the beauty of mother earth, something is born in us, some kind of connection, love is born.” Thich Nhat Hann | “The forest makes your heart gentle. you become one with it. No place for greed or anger there.” -Pha Pachak | “A society is defined not only by what it creates, but what it refuses to destry.” -John Sawhill

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Proposal 9

Site selection 10 Speculative programming

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Abstract:

The effects of the environment on health has increasingly been researched in scientific disciplines. While health has directly been related to the medical and scientific fields of study, environment remains the responsibility of the designer. Research has repeatedly shown a direct correlation between humans in contact with nature, holding positive mental states and recovering quicker from illness. As the designer how do we identify which principles in nature trigger healing? How do we capture and incorporate these principles into a design in a meaningful way? Furthermore, we look to the opposite spectrum of the natural world as we explore an urban condition existing nowhere else on earth, Hong Kong.

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Introduction:

The effects of any particular space on its inhabitants health has long been researched within several scientific disciplines, however, that research has yet to be fully translated into modern architectural practice. The built environment doesn’t seem to reflect the architect’s commitment to healthful design. If the space that is created has the capacity to do psychological, physical, and social damage or healing to its inhabitants, should that not be at the forefront of design research? Unknowingly creating an environment that is conducive to anxiety or stress is equally damaging to its occupants as knowingly doing so. If there is a potential to create a healthier environment would that not be the desirable practice? And what would be the benefit of knowing the potential to doing so, but choosing not to?

Emotions such as stress are often perceived as solely a psychological disorder, but stress alone is attributed to be a sole or partial cause of 75% of all brain, blood vessel or heart diseases (Belkic, et al., 2004) “It is thus apparent that stress can increase social and economic losses and decrease a country’s competitiveness (Driskell & Salas, 1996). Therefore, precautionary measures to reduce stress and adequate management of this condition are essential for both individual health and the welfare of society at a broader level.”

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(Ssang-Hee Seo and Jung-Tae Lee, 2010) The goal of this thesis is to identify the relevant factors in architectural design that contribute to the mitigation or cause of stress in the inhabitant of an architectural space. “Physical settings can play a role in coping with stress; in particular experimental research has found strong evidence between exposure to natural environments and recovery from physiological stress and mental fatigue, giving support to both Stress Recovery Theory and Attention Restoration Theory.” (Berto, 2014) This makes inhabiting man made environments such as cities, office buildings or homes a contributing factor to stress, as opposed to natural environments that provide relief. The question is whether or not artificial environments that are designed and constructed by architects are capable of producing the same beneficial effects that have been documented by scientists. It appears that the full spectrum of human emotion is subconsciously under some level of influence of the environment that surrounds the occupant. The exact measurement of where in this emotional spectrum any particular individual lies can be identified by biomarkers like cortisol or alpha amylase. According to the research by Edinburgh School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, It is also possible to collect the emotional response stimulated by the environment by directly monitoring the brainwave activities of any particular subject. It remains uncertain at this time how strong of an effect an environment can have on any given individual, it is speculated that there is a variable effect on different people.

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Thesis statement:

It is, therefore, our endeavor to research and apply these findings in order to create an environment that can best aid the individual inhabitant in relieving stress and anxiety.

The healing properties of nature:

“It is becoming increasingly clear the biophilic elements have real, measurable benefits relative to such human performance metrics as productivity, emotional well-being, stress reduction, learning and healing.” (Kallert, Heerwagen, Mador, 2008) There have been several experiments that conclude that the presence of a natural environment provides a measurable benefit to human beings. Roger Ulrich conducted an experiment in which he examined patient recovery records from a specific hospital over a 9 year period (1972 through 1981). This hospital had two wings of recovery rooms, one facing a view of deciduous trees, and the other facing a brown brick wall. He noticed that the patients recovered almost a full day faster and the nurses records indicated that the wing with the natural view had almost four times fewer negative comments that were recorded (3.96 to 1.13). (Ulrich, 1984).

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(a) Map of the route in central Edinburgh. (b) Emotional activity of one participant during the route, in charts and plot space. (c) Aggregate of ecitement levels from three articipants

Edinburgh school of Architecture and Landscape architecture

Method- How do we distinguish what in nature is causing the healing?

If the general hypothesis is that an environment can in fact have an effect on its inhabitants, in either a positive or negative direction, the question becomes; how would you set up an experiment that can be easily conducted using readily available equipment?

The Edinburgh School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture conducted an experiment in which a subject walked the streets of Edinburgh and a mobile EEG (Electroencephalogram) headset monitored their emotional state. How can we apply this process to measure the effects of inhabited buildings?

The time it would take to move from one test space to another may have the unintended consequence of changing the mood of the subject, skewing the results. How can we attribute the results solely to the effect of the space?

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A possible solution is to use emerging technology that would allow us to create and inhabit a series of virtual environments that are on the extreme ends of the stress spectrum. This will provide the maximum stress inducing and stress mitigating environments as baseline for future comparison to architectural works. The Oculus Rift VR goggles can be used in conjunction with Unreal 4 Render Engine to create a realistic representation of the urban environment to most accurately represent the inhabitant’s surroundings(Witmer,1998). The use of this latest technology should provide the most accurate representation of the ‘real-world’ as well as provide the capability to change the surrounding environments on demand. Once the subject is immersed in the virtual environment an EEG scanner could be used to assess the subjects stress levels. “In this stressful environment […] the differences in brain mapping of the relative high-beta wave in the temporal lobe can be useful when assessing participants’ stress.” (Choi, Kim, Chun, 2014)

Foreseeable outcomes: This experiment will likely lead to three possible conclusions. First, all other factors being equal, the simulated environments have no effect on the stress levels of the subject. This would conclude that there is little that can be done by the architect to reduce stress levels, other than provide views to natural surroundings.

Second, the simulated environments cause a stress response, however, the response is

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negligible and when compared to other stressors can be categorized as insignificant. In this situation the architect can do as he likes with no worry of causing harm to building occupants. Third, the simulated environments cause a severe stress response, a response that is on the same level as other stressors. In this final case the architect is directly influencing the physical and psychological well-being of the inhabitants of his or her buildings. The tools used in this possible experiment are designed to be used in mainstream application. These devices could be among the essential tools that are available in the future toolbox of the designer.

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Architect’s Perspective:

With the knowledge of man evolving in nature and a proven link of its healing properties to which people are exposed (Wilson, 1984), the question arises why the evidence of biophilic principles is not expressed in mainstream Design. Architect’s hold a great power, through design they essentially cultivate culture and control atmosphere.

People are exposed to built artificial environments for long hours daily. What unplanned damage is being wrought exposing people to unengaged design? When we look at the Doctor’s Hippocratic Oath, which states “I will remember that I remain a member of society, with special obligations to all my fellow human beings, those sound of mind and body as well as the infirm.” In stating an obligation to fellow human beings, there is a clear goal toward the betterment of mankind. Furthermore, “I will remember that I do not treat a fever chart, a cancerous growth, but a sick human being… My responsibility includes these related problems, if I am to care adequately for the sick”. We see the important point to not get lost in the details. There is a reminder of priority to the patient/ client coming before the individual issues at hand. With this in mind, a successful design would positively affect the mental, physical, and social well-being of the client.

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SITE SELECTION: ISLAND OF HONG KONG

Proposal:

Throughout the research there appears to be a recurring theme of unnatural, man made environments, that are ineffective in inducing the same health benefits as a nature.

Until the experiment mentioned above is concluded, it is difficult to tell whether or not it is even possible for an artificial environment to reclaim even a portion of the healing properties that are attributed to nature. However with the assumption that it is in fact possible, the goal is to find what is presumed a most stressful environment. When examining urban centers considered the least “natural”, one city consistently remains near the top, Hong Kong. It displays a set of conditions found few places in the world. Factors such as population density and building density contribute to Hong Kong’s consideration as one of the least natural urban centers. Coupled with the ad hoc pedestrian circulation system that has arisen from the expanding roadways and an increasing number of car ownership (Frampton, 2012), Hong Kong becomes the prime example of a city that requires a ‘new ground’ in order for the pedestrians and bicycle riders of Hong Kong to reclaim their city.

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Frampton, Cities Without Ground, 2012

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CHINA

SOUTH CHINA SEA 11

ISLAND OF HONG KONG 12

HONG KONG: THE NEW GROUND

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WALKING SPACE

The shear volume and density of tall buildings in Hong Kong, as well as eighty percent of it’s residents using foot travel as its primary means of transportation, create a unique challenge for a rethinking of the city. This challenge is further intensified due to an expected twenty percent vehicle ownership increase. With gridlock traffic as an existing condition, the city is expected to remove large portions of sidewalk to make room on an already conjested street for more vehicles. where do the people go?

ACE INDOOR SP WALKING SPACE

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BICYCLE STORAGE BICYCLE LANE

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RESTAURANTS BOUTIQUE SHOPS BOOKSTORE GYM FACILITY LAUNDRY COFFEE SHOP NG LKI WA

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This proposal is suggesting the new ground plane.

POTENTIAL BUILDING PROGRAM 15

Frampton, Cities Without Ground, 2012

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SPA

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Cover Photo http://muszal.blogspot.com/2015_10_01_archive.html Map Base https://freevectormaps.com/china/CN-EPS-01-0002 https://freevectormaps.com/hong-kong/HK-EPS-01-0001

http://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=11/22.3755/114.0388&layers=T 18

http://www.slideshare.net/DesigningHongKong/sustainable-transport-walkable-hong-kong