Abstract:
In humanity’s current condition, the
advantages of organic material sources are
supplanted by the qualities of synthetics
that allow for rapid growth and altered
capabilities, whilst man becomes further
removed from his natural existence as a
being that once possessed the aptitude to
understand and work with these materials.
Prior to our industrial, mechanised and
materialist consumer culture, the direct
interaction with the natural world provided
humanity with more comprehensive and
experiential ground for growth and learning.
As we are connected to the world through
our senses, space becomes the primary
enabler of such a platform.
Relying on the haptic qualities of materials
and the body’s ability to experience and
embody its immediate surroundings,
architecture’s role in the integration between
man, nature, and industry is explored.
As a natural industry with a significant
public interface, architecture acts as a
mediator between man’s “constructed
nature” and his “first nature” – referring to
man’s estrangement from his environment.
This dissertation investigates the adaptation
of industrial buildings to accommodate
public interaction whilst responding to the
environmental impact that the production of
building materials has on the environment.
Alternatives to commonly used materials
such as glass, steel and carbon fibres were
researched, and so hemp, flax and bamboo
became the primary elements used in the
making of the architecture.
