How does the built environment affect who I am?
I like reading, drawing, eating chocolate chip cookies, dancing, and sitting around talking to close friends. I am a Christian. I am shy when I want to be, which is more often than not, but sometimes I can be really outgoing when I am with the right people. The people who best know me would probably describe me as a little kid. I am amazed by almost everything and I wonder about why everything is the way it is. This is who I am.
The built environment does not support or detract from who I am but it adds to my curiosity and to my wonder.
I walk around almost always wonder why things were built the way they were. People have so many ideas and different way of looking at things and have come up with beautiful designs. The designs all seem to mimic the natural environment. Either how the buildings look or how techniques in how they were built. Humans are inspired by the natural world around them, by natural phenomena. For example: Parks that are created mimic forests that are have been around for centuries. Even Rapson Hall mimics the body’s design. (Fingers interlocking.) It’s interesting that even though humans have such great minds, their creations tend to imitate a greater design.
The other thing that amazes me is the structures and buildings that face oppositions. How did people first begin to learn how to carve into rock to make shelters without it collapsing? How did they first set a building on a mountain on a steep grade? How did people first learn how to build skyscrapers so that they wouldn’t fall over when the wind blows? I also like seeing how people can be helpful during catastrophic phenomena like Katrina by creating a better built environment. People came in and helped to rebuild the environment of the residents of New Orleans with ways that would prevent another horrible outcome if another disaster were to happen. I find it amazing of what the human mind is capable of when facing obstacles. Though the built environment does not affect who I am, it does create a lot of questions that I would like to discover the answers to. I don’t think I will be able to find all the answers to all the questions I have but that does not stop me from asking them. These unanswered questions just fuel my curiosity.
Being able to withstand time:
When I look at man made structures I also am curious to know how people come up with buildings that have been so wonderfully constructed. The Great Pyramids were built in 2500 BC and are the oldest man made structure that still stand. The stones weigh 1 to 7 tons. The Pyramids are aligned more precisely than any building pointing to true north. How did people build the Great Pyramids so long ago with the technology of the time?
Opposition of physical nature:
In my opinion, Petra is one of the most beautiful structures ever made. How did people carve a shelter into rock?
Opposition of gravity:
The Dubai Tower is the tallest in the world. How are such tall buildings able to stand as gravity pulls down on them and as the wind pushes against it?
Pictures found at:
Great Pyramids: http://www.richard-seaman.com/Wallpaper/Travel/MiddleEast/GizaPyramids1.jpg
Petra: http://blog.kievukraine.info/2006_02_01_archive.html
Dubai: http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/dubai-builds-worlds-tallest-skyscraper/2007/07/21/1184560114936.html
