Attitudes Listing

"Space is the breath of art." - Frank Lloyd Wright.

Another task set by our lecturer was to fill in our attitudes to the following list of elements/components that could contribute to a design approach. I found that finding my own personal definition for some of the elements/components, was easy for some, but also quite challenging for others. I have come across a lot of these words, but for some, I don't have a personal definition.

Biodiversity

"A term used to describe the enormous variety of life on Earth." 

When designing I think the biodiversity of a site is a key element that will help to understand how and which areas of the local ecosystem should be increased or protected. 

Culture

"The arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively." 

"The ideas, customs, and social behaviour of a particular people or society."

I personally see culture as being the latter definition, when designing I would investigate the culture for the area, and try to understand the audience I am designing for. 

Density

"The degree of compactness of a substance." 

"A measure of the amount of information on a storage medium." 

Development 

"Development is a process that creates growth, progress, positive change or the addition of physical, economic, environmental, social and demographic components." 

I also see development as a process that a person can go through, either mentally or physically you can develop. 

Ecology

"The branch of biology that deals with the relations of organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings."

I think that a key part of ecology is to understand the relation of the organism to its surroundings to understand the impact a design could have on the local landscape.

Education

"The process of receiving or giving systematic instruction, especially at school or university."

"An enlightening experience."

Whilst I agree with both of these definitions, I do think that education is never-ending. Your ability to learn something or teach somebody something is continuous throughout life. 

Employment 

"The state of having paid work."

"The utilization of something." 

Energy 

"The strength and vitality required for sustained physical or mental activity."

"Power derived from the utilization of physical or chemical resources, especially to provide light and heat or to work machines."

When thinking of energy I think of renewable energy resources such as biomass or solar panels. A clean energy source. 

Enterprise 

"Enterprise is another word for a for-profit business or company, but it is most often associated with entrepreneurial ventures."

Environment 

"The surroundings of conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives or operates."

"The natural world, as a whole or in a particular geographical area, especially as affected by human activity."

Food Production

"Food production, as the name suggests, is all about preparing food, in which raw materials are converted into ready-made products for human use either in the home or in the food processing industries."

I think in response to climate change, buying food from locally sourced producers or growing your own fruit and veg etc should be promoted more. Therefore reducing the impact food production companies have upon the landscape.

Habitat Creation 

"Involves protecting, enhancing and restoring habitats, which may be required as a result of protected species work or to enhance existing features of interest."

Relates to ecology and biodiversity, so creating habitats within a design that will benefit the local wildlife. 

History and Heritage

"The study of past events, particularly in human affairs." 

"Property that is or may be inherited."

For me I associate history and heritage with that of a site. Whilst doing a site analysis I would research the history and heritage of the site and surrounding areas to figure out what happened there before. 

Housing 

"Houses and flats considered collectively."

I see housing as the definition states, as an estate of houses or a large group, something which would occur in urban areas. 

Interactivity

"The process of two people or things working together and influencing each other."

Creating landscapes that can help visitors form a connection with the area.

Interconnectivity

"The state or quality of being interconnected."

Creating designs that are not only physically but also symbolically connected to the surrounding area.

Land

"The parts of the earth's surface that are not covered by water."

I think that land is a lot more than just areas that are not covered by water. It provides protection and space for food sources, both for growing or for raising. It should be treated the same way, we should be protecting it more, especially in the age of climate change. 

Lighting

"Equipment in a room, building, or street for producing light."

Microclimate

"The climate of a very small or restricted area, especially when this differs from the climate of the surrounding area."

Researching the microclimate within a space is an important section when completing a site survey. Some areas of the site might have less sun than others, and therefore being cooler during the summer. 

People

"Human being in general or considered collectively."

Pollution

"The presence in or introduction into the environment of a substance which has harmful or poisonous effects."

Pollution is a lot more than just the presence of a substance that is harmful to the environment. It is also the impact we as humans have had upon the world, the way in which we have been polluting our areas.

Public Access

"The right of people, in general, to go into particular buildings or areas of land or to obtain particular information."

Recreation and Leisure

"Activity done for enjoyment when one is not working."

"Time when one is not working or occupied; free time."

Both an important aspect of a design, people use public spaces as a form of leisure, therefore it needs to be incorporated in a design for the health benefit of visitors. 

SMART Technology

"Refers to self-monitoring, analysis, and reporting technology. Technology that uses artificial intelligence, machine learning and big data analysis to provide cognitive awareness to objects that were in the past considered inanimate." 

Social Inclusion

"The process of improving the terms for individuals and groups to take part in society." 

I think social inclusion within a design makes sure that the place is fully engaged with the local community. 

Space and Place

"A continuous area of expanse which is free, available, or unoccupied."

"A particular position, point, or area in space; a location."

To me, the concept of space and place reminds me of one of my first-year lectures with Scott Farlow. In which he defined a space as being an area with no defining character or deeper meaning, whilst a place has an identity, a meaning. 

Specificity 

"The quality of belonging or relating uniquely to a particular subject."

Sustainability

"The ability to be maintained at a certain rate or level."

"Avoidance of the depletion of natural resources in order to maintain an ecological balance."

Sustainability is an important aspect of all designs with the current climate, making sure we meet the needs of the design without compromising those in the future.

Transport

"Take or carry (people or goods) from one place to another by means of a vehicle, aircraft, or ship."

Walkability

"Is a measure of how friendly an area is to walking."

Pedestrian priority within an area should be at the forefront of a design. Encouraging walking within a city by reducing vehicular movement not only makes people in the local area more active but also reduces the pollution within the area.

Waste Management

"The activities and actions required to manage waste from its inception to its final disposal."

Water

"A colourless, transparent, odourless liquid that forms the seas, lakes, rivers, and rain and is the basis of the fluids of living organisms."

Well-being and Health

"The state of being free from illness or injury."

"A person's mental or physical condition."

"The state of being comfortable, healthy, or happy."

24hr/365 City

"Service that is available at any time and every day."

"A 24-hour city is characterized by shop-top and apartment living, innovative restaurants, high-tech hubs, bohemian cafes and late-night bookshops."