Introduction

Relational Architectural Ecologies examines the complex architectural and ecological relationships which constitute modern human cultures and environments. The collection responds to the Greek etymology of the word ‘eco’ (oikos) that Ernst Haeckel’s 1866 term ‘ecology’ defines as the science of ‘the household of nature’. ¹ It shows how the ‘habitats’, ‘natural milieus’, ‘places’ or ‘shelters’ that construct architectural ecologies are composed of complex material, spatial, social, political and economic concerns. Its emphasis on these more sociopolitical understandings of ecological thinking and practice therefore contrast with the architectural profession’s leading interpretations of oikos as the basis for building designs, technologies and material typologies that achieve environmental efficiency; for example, by reducing CO ₂ emissions or repur-posing renewable energies (e.g. Steele 2005; van Uffelen 2009).