THE 8TH KINGDOM: Biomimicry as a systems lens for organic architecture in Methow Valley, Washington

Abstract

Thinking outside of the (literal) box, would our world look like if the design of the built environment was predicated upon the assumption that a building is a living thing? We say it has bones and a skin. It consumes, it expels waste, it takes up space, might move or be stationary like a person or a tree. It reproduces through us, as does corn. It has systems which make it hospitable to life at various scales. As a living organism, how well it does all of the above, the effectiveness of its feedback mechanisms, and its resilience to stresses would determine its survival and how likely we are to breed/build another like it. In experience and outside of theory, buildings are more than just an assortment of inhabitable spaces, they become characters unto themselves. They are chimeric, pieced together like creatures of mythology to help us create our own stories. Some are monsters, ravaging the landscape, consuming endless amounts of energy, even killing people by their poor design. The built environment is acknowledged as a primary contributor to climate change and the lifespans of buildings do not speak of the damage done through their construction and destruction. Between us and the non-biological species we create, the biodiversity and the balance of the planet has been so deeply altered that the fate of our own species hangs in the balance. This thesis explores these ideas through architecture, landscape architecture, biosystems engineering through the lens of biomimicry to turn land development into a sink for carbon and exporter of solar powered energy. Several alternative energy systems are explored and integrated into architecture and landscape along side gray and black water treatment, geothermal heating, food and alcohol production while promoting local and regional biodiversity. Modeled as a "holistic health and healing center," the structure and systems represent another species of building, a close cousin to the Bullitt Center, Earthships, and the future habitats of Mars. This is the 8th Kingdom, the kingdom of the built and the grown, the Kingdom of the Archinae.