Nature by design : technology as the human evolution prosthetic

Abstract

In order to better understand the human being relationship with the non-human, human practices must be placed under a critical lens. In the age of the information era it is important to redefine this relationship as we are changing the world faster than ever before. Human constructions are described as our technology and are assessed on their role in human development. As human technology advances have been increasing at an exponential rate, it is important to understand how these technology advances are affecting the non-human environment. This is a design project exploring the development of a technology developed to help humans regulate their behavior within an environment and to help develop an ecosystem that will decrease the human dependence on the ecosystems surrounding it. The project explores the urban environment as a distinctly human ecosystem and attempts to develop an ecosystem within the urban limits. It seeks to develop exchange of materials and energy on an urban scale which would create a cycle of input and output within as opposed to a stream moving through. While developing this built ecology it is important understand the social aspects of the changing condition, as the spaces are set to be a part of a new socio-ecological economy they are also meant to be understood as a way to re-envision the behavior of a park in a future-urban environment, a space that not only creates refuge within the city, but also performs as an ecosystem as well.