Finite Earth, Open-Ended Architecture? Framing a Qualitative, Ecological Perspective on Housing

Abstract

In contemporary housing development, the dichotomy between quantitative and qualitative approaches underscores a fundamental tension. This article explores the significance of this dichotomy and its complex implications on the ecological relationship between humans, the built, and the natural environment. The paper asks: how can the contemporary architectural practices of housing development encompass a qualitative ecological perspective? This will be elaborated by examining the shortcomings of ‘numerical environmentalism’ to reevaluate the role of technology in mediating human-environment relationships, questioning not only the quantitative methodologies we utilize to assess environmental impacts, but also critically examining how we currently design, build, and maintain our built environments from within this rationalist mindset. To initiate the conceptualization of a qualitative alternative, a practice guided by an ethic of care is proposed to form a critical lens through which the contemporary practices of housing development can be challenged. As contemporary practices often prioritize numerical assessments and scalable solutions over context-specific, qualitative considerations, the research will advocate for what can be considered a qualitative ‘open-ended’ architectural paradigm, embracing uncertainty, time, the capacity to induce and absorb change, diversity, material proximity, and so forth. This is elaborated in a logical framework of concepts, principles, and incompatibilities, and further visualized as a spectrum covering the dichotomy foregrounded. At its core, the key message of this research is a call for architects to rethink their approach to housing development to embrace care relations and open-ended architectural principles with ambitions to cultivate a more harmonious relationship between humans and their surrounding environments.