A space to complement an accelerating species : a space of slower time, optimism, and contemplation

Abstract

We stand at the edge of a period of great evolution within human civilization. Renowned inventor, Ray Kurzweil, in his book, The Singularity is Near, predicts that in the next 100 years, we will make 20,000 years of technological progress at year 2000 rates. In other words, that will be the equivalent of 1000 20th centuries in 100 years. This is due to the explosive nature of exponential growth. He also pinpoints an instant when the so-called technological singularity is reached. After this point, technological progress occurs at an essentially vertical rate. He places this around the year 2040. The changes that are to come are positive, inevitable, and completely natural. We should embrace technological progress while not forgetting the basic psychological and spiritual needs of human beings. While all of this progress is to our benefit, constant stimulation can lead to blindness to the universe around us. This blindness does not refer to knowledge. True, we know exponentially more each year, but we also grow increasingly scornful of learning that does not revolve around facts, of pure spiritual wonder at the universe. We scorn downtime and silence as useless and wasteful. We need to regain a positive sense of the word silence (as opposed to definition of emptiness). We need spaces where we are able to stop and simply let our minds idly consider the universe around us. We need spaces that exist outside of contemporary high-paced urban life. We need to feel part of the environment of the universe, in synch with infinite and ever-modulating universe rhythms. We need spaces of slower time, optimism, and contemplation. We can create these types of spaces through a deep understanding of Earth Rhythms, the infinitely changing variables that interact to create our constantly modulating experience of Planet Earth. The architect can be thought of an Earth Composer, someone who decides which environmental phenomena to accentuate. Architecture can be a responsive performance that interacts with the natural world, carrying on a two-way conversation with its environment. The building can be thought of as an infinitely varying performance, a performance that exists as a direct performance to an audience, an internal dialogue with itself, and an interactive performance with human beings. Finally, architecture can be thought of as a holistic system with both technological and biological elements, in which the two are indistinguishable from one another.