Italy
Bees, bats, and pilgrims.
The building is seamlessly woven into the local ecosystem, providing a habitat for bees, bats, and pilgrims. Its design is carefully integrated with the surrounding flora, creating favorable conditions for various animals, including birds and lizards. The architectural inspiration stems from the rich history of this place and the behaviors of the animals that find shelter within its walls. This inspiration is derived from extensive research conducted to understand the essence of the location.
The primary purpose of the house is to stimulate deep contemplation about complex societal systems by connecting with the ecosystem. Through this experiment, spaces have been created to allow pilgrims to find their natural rhythm and explore their inner selves—a pursuit that has become increasingly challenging in the fast-paced, pre-fabricated rhythms of modern society. All users of the building share a common responsibility to contribute to the next organism on the ecological chain, receiving energy and shelter in return. In essence, the building operates like a cohesive machine, dependent on all the links that constitute its organisms.
In conclusion, the building functions as a self-sustaining ecosystem, fostering harmony between human occupants and the natural world.
Can a building become an ecosystem, intertwining living and physical elements through nutrient cycles and energy flows?
Can a city function as an ecosystem, housing diverse communities of living organisms in distinct areas, each forming its own ecosystem?
In essence, can a society be viewed as an ecosystem, encompassing all living beings within a specific region, where interactions extend not only between living entities but also with non-living components like weather, earth, sun, soil, climate, and atmosphere?
