Interweaving Architecture and Ecology – A Theoretical Perspective Or: What can architecture learn from ecological systems?

This paper is part of an on-going research which attempts to reveal whether an analogy between ecology and architecture can benefit architectural design and if so, then in what ways. The analogy is done through an interpretation of three ecological principles which define the organization of living systems and then attempts to reveal how these three ecological principles may be implemented in architecture. The paper firstly describes the problem at hand and the need for a new model for architecture which may be better informed by the study of ecological systems. It then elaborates on the definition of the three ecological principles (fluctuations, stratification, and interdependence) which were chosen for investigation because they define the organization of living systems and therefore may be relevant as a basis for an analogy between ecology and architecture. The paper then presents brief examples of the current and possible further realization of these ecological principles in architecture.