The almost empty that Is full : a patient search in nature

Abstract

Humans live with Nature, live in nature, and build within nature... We can find ideologies from ancient Oriental philosophies to some of the exemplary architectural practitioners/theorists of our own time that find validity in integrating the human living space with nature. Frugality, simplicity and synchronization of the environment heightens human experiences and purges excess energy. However, the contemporary trend of thinking has been one that views nature as sources of extraction, either scenically or resources wise. The reverence to the mountains and rivers has largely been lost in the shifting of historical paradigms. The appearance of certain cultural/religious institutions means something. And the disappearance of them also denotes something equally profound. The specific area of focus here would be a small piece of abandoned temple ground located on a mountain adjacent to the mid-section of Yangtze River called Lushan. Located in a relatively remote but accessible part of the mountain, a retreat complex that can host up to thirty people has been given a great amount of consideration. The project calls for an effort to look into ways of reuniting the modern beings with a landscape that is as large as a mountain, as small as a piece of stone brick and as old as the human history records. To take a step back in order to make two steps forward, and to empty itself so it can be full again.