Hylozoic Architecture

(ARCH1000 term project)

an explanation first: Hylozoism (n): a doctrine held especially by pre-socratic Greek philosophers that all matter has life.

It should be noted that “life” does not mean consciousness or adhere to the modern scientific definition of life. The philosophy suggests life in the sense of an inherent soul or connection to the world at large.

This project was inspired by my time volunteering at the Living Architecture Systems Group and their incredible work. http://livingarchitecturesystems.com

Architectural works that are designed for human use and interaction (arguably it is not architecture if it is not designed for this) are, indirectly and usually unconsciously, assigning a “living” quality to the matter that makes it up. The most direct example of this is “Hylozoic Ground”, an installation by Philip Beesley Architects Inc. for the Venice Biennale in 2010. The work is made up of many small digitally processed and fabricated pieces, mostly acrylic and other plastics, to form a textile or mesh that can sense and respond to approachers. While this example relates more literally, the philosophy has merits in more traditional architecture as well. A building, while inert in and of itself, has an energy and “life” as it is used and as humans circulate within it.

As discussed in the introduction to the topic of hylozoism, the belief that all matter has life is manifested in architecture as humans use the space and flow through it, giving it a life. This project has not investigated hylozoism itself but instead has interrogated the possibilities of modern and future architecture through the lens of hylozoism. The application of living qualities and abilities to architecture offers a new approach to human interaction and symbiosis with our built environment.

Using modern technology and practices we can create spaces that can tailor themselves to an individual or group’s needs.  We can design spaces that interact directly with users offering different experiences and functions for different users. Much of architecture has been interested in giving spaces the feeling of “being alive”, even overtly using the ideas of hylozoism, but very few spaces have attempted to create a building that is in a more literal sense “living”. A dynamic office space that has a lively circulatory pattern and programming can remove the claustrophobic and static feeling; but what if the office could actually reconfigure itself to accommodate different collaborations? What if the space could physically grow as the workforce grows, or downsize and rearrange as temporary positions change?

These applications of the ideas of hylozoic architecture are radical solutions, but they do not inherently demand an en masse application, they can be applied selectively as they are needed for specific projects. Perhaps the work being done in prefabricated architecture can apply these concepts in modules. The idea that humans could operate symbiotically with architecture is not new, but this investigation of hylozoic architecture proposes ideas and methods that strive to create spaces that act as organisms, and could actively, symbiotically, work with users, offering a new approach to human interaction with architecture.