10/16/2016
George Goudarzi Architecture:
Nature is an interesting thing. Nature provides order where order is needed and allows for chaos when it is necessary. Within the order and chaos we find beauty that cannot be reproduced or copied by man. for how could it be reproduced by man if nature does not even copy itself? Nature has giving us the answers we long for as designers, we just have not taken the time to listen. To design organically, we must learn from nature; we must look deeper into nature's ability to create a balanced harmony between order and chaos. This knowledge is the key to truly understanding “Organic Design.”
Too often today, buildings are designed to emulate styles of the past. This forceful need to assign a previously successful style to today's architecture causes unnecessary tension in the hodge-podge assortment of building styles we label as “American Architecture.” It is high-time that America adopts its own style derived from the elements around us. We must stop copying other styles in hopes of stumbling upon something great and begin recognizing the potential that nature has provided all along.
How do you learn from nature? What can it teach us that we have not already learned from studying the styles of the past? The confusion in the idea behind Organic Design arises when it gets mistaken for incorporating nature into the design. While designing a building around a tree is a novel idea, it does not fit the mold of a truly Organic Design, although a tree is a great place to begin in the topic of how to learn from nature. When you see a standing tree, do you first look at each individual branch, or do you observe its shape as a whole? Each of the branches of the tree have a certain significance in the overall composition of the tree. In design, this same concept applies. A building should be composed of many essential parts that sum up to create a unified whole. In order to practice this method of design, the true essence of how each branch came to form this whole must first be understood. To try to copy this idea would be forcing nature to interact with the design. The same applies for choosing a building's location. Unless planted by people, a grove of trees will always be perfectly organized. When choosing the location for a building, it is imperative to fully understand the site that it will inhabit. An organically designed building becomes one with nature. It does not dominate the site it lays on but, instead, marries with the existing. When complete, the site would be lacking if the building were removed, and the building could not belong anywhere else. We must take the time to study the formula that nature is providing and apply it to every aspect of design.
While the lessons can be broad, it is also important to notice the small details that are crucial in creating the balance and harmony in nature. Great architecture happens at a building's corners and intersections. This is one of many areas in which nature excels. Lines found in nature are always intentional and never in excess. Nature does not force these moments to happen, instead they occur only when necessary. To achieve this same pleasant harmony, we must study the details of nature and translate them into details used in building designs.
This concept is more than just a way to design incredible buildings; it is a way to live. Everything we experience that is pleasant happens naturally. When we begin to force things, it becomes unpleasant and awkward. This may seem like a simple concept on the surface, but if that is so, then why is it so difficult to capture? Why is it that we, as humans, must force things to happen? We all have a lesson to learn from nature. It is only a matter of who will take the time to do so.
-George Goudarzi
