Conference presentation
The cosmogenesis of dwelling: ancient (eco)logical practices of divining the constructed world
24 Mar 2008
Abstract
The disenchantment with scientific progress has awakened a new environmental awareness in our culture so that today we are reconsidering the constructed world with respect to the position of the sun to create sustainable environments. This "new" approach to the design of the constructed world is based on ancient traditions that have been lost due to new technologies that have allowed us to defy nature. These ancient traditions were (eco)logical—the forces of nature were used to shape the constructed world to create comfortable dwellings that responded to prevailing environmental conditions. The built world was auspicious because it was oriented towards the cosmos: the positions of the sun, the stars and the planets. Human dwelling was considered to be a microcosm of the universe and was associated with spirituality. The act of building itself was a religious rite. Divining the constructed world was a talismanic operation that the ancients used to orient their earthly creations to be "square with the world" and began with the human body at its center and origin. The cosmological origins of building will be demonstrated by considering the ancient practices of Vāstu Śāstra and Feng Shui as a way of reconsidering present-day body-centered (eco)logical approaches to design.
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Details
- Title
- The cosmogenesis of dwelling: ancient (eco)logical practices of divining the constructed world
- Creators
- Eugenia Victoria Ellis - Drexel University
- Conference
- The International Society for the Study of Religion, Nature and Culture (Morelia, Mexico)
- Resource Type
- Conference presentation
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering; [Retired Faculty]
- Other Identifier
- 991014632567504721