As architects, we are operating in a landscape of shifting ecological and cultural values. We must not only develop strategies for incorporating diverse habitats into the spatial and built environment, but we must also take on the challenge to radically rethink the spatial and visible dimensions of animals and urban organisms.
The Expanded Environment is now for offering our professional services to the public. We welcome collaborations, development opportunities, public outreach and good-old work for hire.
Monstrosity is made manifest in various ways across the discipline of Architecture. This is the third and final installment of a joint editorial project on the topic of Monstrosity in architecture and design. We pick up where the last installment ended describing several types of Monstrous Architectures; previously we had discussed the Hopeful Monster and now we continue with Frankesteins, Imposters and Aliens.
"A Monstrous Architecture," is a serialized collaboration between Ryan Ludwig (previous contributor to Animal Architecture and Assistant Professor of Architecture at Syracuse University) and Ned Dodington. In 2011-2012 Ryan and Ned had collaborated on a series of posts title Architecture in the Darwinian Arena.
The influence of bio-politics has reached a level of saturation in architecture and architectural practice. No longer are architects primarily concerned with simply constructing beautiful and functional structures but are increasingly obsessed with the role and position of life and living system in their projects.
The place of human-kind is in a precarious state these days. The human link in the web of life is daily being gently eroded by developments in science, animal-studies and by thinkers and philosophers such as Donna Haraway, quoted above. This is not necessarily a problem or bad thing, but simply a change, an opportunity.
Animal Architecture founder and editor Edward (Ned) Dodington has recently been selected to present current research on the role and importance of extra-human collaboration in architectural practice at the 101 ACSA conference (March 21-24, 2013, San Francisco).
Like many of us I watched with heightened anticipation as Hurricane Sandy strengthened, diminished and then strengthened again as she made her way towards the east coast of the United States...
In an expanding and increasingly volatile world an anachronistic model of architecture and urbanism based on planning, authority, history and permanence has less and less ability to solve today’s economic and ecological problems.
Elevator B[ee] is an iconic gesture of the regeneration of the Silo City site, both naturally and economically. The material properties of the tower represent the cluster of material manufactures around the site while housing the colony of bees.
...a continuation of my work which in a broad sense is interested in using architecture and design to bridge "the species gap." This endeavor sometimes takes the shape of forming connections, illustrating overlaps, and exposing inconsistencies in our anthropocentric world-view. Or, in the case of R.P Park, making bird feeders ...
As the East Coast continues to recover from Sandy we are reminded of Rising Currents, an exhibition of several high-caliber projects actively mining local NYC ecology to save the city in the event of rising sea levels.
It is with great pleasure that we announce the winners of the 2012 Animal Architecture Awards. This year saw an impressive range of projects from around the globe. Each of the projects, individually and collectively, demonstrate new and encouraging ways for us to live more fully in this world.
The history of the zoo is both expansive and detailed, present in some form at almost all times in human society. It is no surprise then that the story of zoos can reflect larger trends in humanist and extra-humanist thought. In that light, we are happy to present for your reading enjoyment a series of posts about zoos throughout the ages.
What if humans weren't the central focus of architecture? What if the design process included the needs wildlife? Tyler Rudick delves into the world of Animal Architecture in this issue of CultureMap.
Synergy Housing is looking to commission an artist or designer to design and build a piece of ‘animal architecture’ (such as bird or bat boxes, bee housing) to be integrated into, and replicated throughout the seven development sites in Littlemoor.
These are the posts that started it all. Three years ago this series of seven posts started the project called Animal Architecture. Much has changed in that time and much has been accomplished. But despite new topics, advancements or other occurances these seven posts continue to be the foundation for the work of Animal Architecture...
The "cabinets of curiosities", traveling displays of imperialism and private collection of the aristocracy remained the norm for the display of animal life until the second-half of the eighteenth-century, when the diversity of animals increased and fixed menageries began to appear...