ABSTRACT
In Mechanics and Meaning in Architecture, author and educator Lance LaVine observes that architectural technologies modify the natural environment to support inhabitability. In the two texts presented in this chapter, architects Glenn Murcutt and Hassan Fathy discuss the relationship between nature, technology, and culture. Fathy's preface to Natural Energy and Vernacular Architecture critiques the contemporary architect and his or her tendency to allow technological advancement to dominate or subvert an attentiveness to place. Like Fathy, Murcutt also designs architecture sensitive to the environmental and cultural qualities of place. His approach centers on attentiveness to and careful examination of the natural environment. By carefully studying how the natural world engages with the environment, Murcutt believes architects can design responsive buildings that situate successfully in place. Both the authors critique architectural technologies for creating environments that could exist anywhere on the planet.
