Medicative Design -Material,Ecology, and Architecture
Ecology had taken a more prominent place in the architectural agenda of the 21st century. On a global scale, the construction industry is the primary consumer of energy and natural resources, while also being the largest emitter of emissions and waste.In the social and ecological context, architects can play a significant role in shaping the future of our planet. Architects must not only design for humans but design spaces as medicative solutions that contribute to the local ecosystem and promote symbiosis between urban and natural environments. ‘Medicative design’ can be understood as a solution to heal the ecosystems and rehabilitate lands affected by human industries, as a new way to overcome social, economic, and environmental challenges. By decreasing the environmental cost of construction, the medicative design goes beyond having a less negative impact on the environment and achieves arousing public reflection on environmental protection. Some of the design strategies being used to build a healthier environment are using sustainable materials, constructing a building-context hybrid system, and proposing cultural value to influence the environment. This thesis examines the concept of medicative design with the classification of five main design methods: design from the lens of materiality, design learning from nature, culturally influential design on the environment, design reflection of nature, and design from the lens of urbanism. It includes my works from studio design, elective courses, and architectural theories discussions during classes in the Master of Science in Advanced Architectural Design, at Cornell University.