How to Design with the Animal

How to Design with the AnimalArchitecture and Agriculture; these are two central aspects of human history and society for as long as we have farmed we have built homes. The way we build reflects our relationship to the world around us, and like a distorted mirror, the reflection is most unflattering. Sprawling suburbs, mass produced for low cost and low value. We build walls, delineate one species space from anothers, give preference to some domesticated species and reject the

Architecture and Agriculture; these are two central aspects of human history and society -- for as long as we have farmed we have built homes. The way we build reflects our relationship to the world around us, and like a distorted mirror, the reflection is most unflattering. Sprawling suburbs, mass-produced for low-cost and low value. We build walls, delineate one speciesÕ space from anotherÕs, give preference to some domesticated species and reject the majority of others -- we house ourselves in private homes down long cul-de-sac and keep to ourselves. The two functions (farming and living), no longer visibly connected for many of us, remain united in thought and practice and, more to the point, appear to mutually reinforce the other. Might a change in one practice influence a corresponding change in the other? The collected work here outlines the conceptual landscape of a radically new architecture and suggests real-world solutions for extremely ecological and biologically inclusive designs.