Ecomorph: Self-Sustaining Form

“Ecomorph” proposes an alternative model that brings new techniques to the age-old challenge of adapting design to the specificity of place. The result conserves resources through novel architectural form and therefore integrates sustainability with design. What makes these projects environmentally intelligent is precisely what makes them visually compelling. They demonstrate a direct relationship between form and performance and show that shape itself can aid sustainability in the sense that environmental educator David Orr describes—“the careful meshing of human purposes with the larger patterns and flows of the natural world.” As industry develops new techniques, designers have an unprecedented ability to create intelligent forms fully adapted to the circumstances of climate and place. As a result, the lines between culture and nature blur, and design can emulate life as never before.