Discussion of the Month - September 2007

September 4, 2007 1 Comment

We introduce a new idea - Discussion of the Month.
For September 2007, our topic of discussion…

Where does the built environment end and the “natural” one begin? Is or should there be a clear distinction? What are the impediments to encouraging a more seamless transition?
What challenges and benefits lie at this intersection?

Background

While professions throughout the twentieth century became increasingly more specialized following the Industrial Revolution (which tended to focus on part over whole), the twenty-first century paradigm has changed to become one of inclusion, integration, and synthesis needed to fully examine complex challenges.

UHC was based from its beginnings on such a multi-disciplinary approach.
With members not afraid to get their hands dirty from backgrounds in landscape design, real estate, biology, architecture, food production, construction, product design, and graphic design, UHC thinks a lot about the integration of the so-called “natural” and human-made, and tries to act accordingly.

The Rooftop Victory Gardens at True Nature Foods is a perfect example of why this seems a timely discussion.
More than being a green roof “on” a building, it is building-integrated food production. We see the function of the building itself as having been altered - rather than being a machine which simply consumes, the building now has the capacity to actually_produce_ (with some modest inputs) food, fuel, and fiber.

Your input

This new discussion series will be made more successful by comments by our members and by YOU, dear visitor.
Your comments may help us reach a wider audience, may help direct the work we do, or just make us smarter… who knows? This is a new thing.

Please let us hear from you by using the comment section below this post - thanks!