Exploring the symbiotic relationship between architecture and nature: a nordic training center

Nature has inspired the creative mind throughout history. The physical cooperation with the natural environment is necessary to humankind's survival; while the symbolic relationship represents a consciousness of our biological place in the imiverse. The purpose of this thesis is to trace the lineage of an organically based design ethic and to isolate the common principles of such an architecture in which the architect imderstands nature, not in terms of physical science alone, but in a metaphysical and poetic sense as well. A re-examination of ancient Native American myths, notions, and traditional spiritual beliefs reveal a holistic understanding toward building and nature, and the relationship between life and land, the processes of nature, and man's role in maintaining the equilibrivmi. These beliefs and attitudes reemerge in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries as the underlying principles of the organic movement, an architectural approach in keeping with nature's behavior, and in alignment with a region's contextual elements, including culture, climate, and tradition. The result is an architecture that is compatible with nature. Finally, the fiiture of the organic tradition and the possible contribution made by chaos theory will be explored.