Honors Scholars Collaborative Projects

Designing in the Context of Nature

Publication Date

Spring 4-26-2022

Abstract

The needs of the modern single family home are changing. In an age of constant innovation, many of us aren’t meeting our daily needs of social engagement or even getting enough sunlight. It has become too easy to deprive the mind, body, and spirit from even the most intrinsic human needs. Our homes are designed merely as places to take shelter as opposed to places we can thrive. A breath of fresh air has become a rarity, even in the comfort of the home. As we progress, there is a great need to bridge our primal nature to the modern world.

My passion lies in designing a better world: a world in which humans can stay engaged with their deepest needs while simultaneously engaging with the strides of modernity. The term “home” cannot be taken lightly. It is where our children learn to walk, our families come to gather, and we do our life’s work. All of humankind deserves a place to live. One of my biggest inspirations, Frank Lloyd Wright, said “I believe a house is more a home by being a work of art.” This resonates with me because I want to help people design spaces to dwell in that give them room to eat, sleep, think, read, study, and converse, all in the midst of enjoying the beauty of one’s own home. Humans deserve these privileges of self-awareness and connection. I want to design spaces that foster conversation, glorify the natural world, or simply allow people to sit comfortably in awe of their own personal space.

My project will entail a series of architectural renderings of single family homes. I plan to design a series of five residential homes that embody concepts of the harmonious relationship between man and nature. The homes I design will each be a part of the same hypothetical neighborhood I create. They will all be in a range of 3,500 - 5,000 sq. ft, and they will have common themes of aesthetic style while each house will maintain a sense of individuality. I also plan to create a hypothetical site plan detailing the landscape features and spatial relationships of the area I plot the homes on in order to detail the sense of harmony with the surroundings and unique features of each home. My experience with various CAD (Computer-Aided Design) programs for architectural rendering as well as my philosophical fixation with the needs of the modern family will allow me to bring these plans to life. I’ll be using the program “Revit” to render these ideas. Revit is a software program developed for architects to render photo-realistic files of architectural designs. I plan to fully utilize the tools this program has to offer to create beautiful, detailed renderings of the homes I design. This is not solely an architectural work; it is a synthesis of sociology, psychology, sustainability, and environmental science, as these fields work together to help us to enjoy all the simple beauties life has to offer.

Faculty Advisor

Paul Biggers

Document Type

Honors Thesis

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