ARC 4161: Architectural Design Studio V : Ecological Design

According to the syllabus, the main objective of the design studio V is ecological design. To achieve this goal, the program of the design studio is to discover the relationship between manmade elements and natural elements and how they can work together to create more sustainable areas for users. The ecological is not limited to environmental aspects, but also social, economic, cultural, and political aspects are part of this issue. Overall, a city as an existing phenomenon uses sources such as landform, water, air, and green spaces to produce other things such as buildings, roads, and infrastructure, with both positive and negative effects. Therefore, the area of the city is totally different from the surrounding areas based on this new form of space production in which cities are more hard-scape, such as concrete, metal, glass, brick, and asphalt; in contrast, the surrounding areas are more soft-scape, such as farms, forests, open fields, hills, and natural parts. Apparently, ecological questions, problems, and threats require a global responsibility of architects for problem-solving through green and ecological design projects, particularly in the remaining areas in the city, which they have the potential to conserve, redevelop, and redesign with an ecological approach.