Back to the roots

Our perception of human superiority over nature blinds us from recognising the interconnectivity with the environment. We have replaced natural growth and balance with constructions and systems that merely prioritize our own needs. What norms, values and knowledge do we need to re-establish a symbiotic relationship with our natural environment?

Having partly been raised on Aruba, I aspire to promote a sustainable shift in the standard of the local built environment. This personal familiarity presented itself in a deeply rooted feeling for the genius loci, something a completely objective architect might not always be able to bring forward. The larger objective of this project is to demonstrate the significance of incorporating indigenous knowledge, cultural values, and natural processes into the design and creation of architecture. Through the fusion of conventional methods with contemporary expertise, a comprehensive approach to construction and lifestyle is advocated that upholds environmental responsibility and cultural awareness. It was crucial to maintain the principle of ecocentrism across all scales of the design process. The urban plan demonstrates a strategy for residential development that offers both space and integration for natural growth. Through the semi-natural creation of habitats for endemic plant and animal species, ecosystems will be able to thrive between urbanization, leading to the emergence of new balances. The architectural typology responds to the local climate, passively protecting against unwanted weather influences while integrating elements that promote comfort such as the wind. Through extensive research, an appropriate set of passive design strategies was identified by assessing state-of-the-art techniques against desired comfort targets for Aruba’s specific climate. The use of local materials draws inspiration from indigenous building techniques and applies them using current methods. Rigid structural walls define the plots and lead the wind into the homes while the open structure provides room for flexibility that supports changing usage cycles and a circular way of building. Back to the roots is an example of holistic architecture in which humans do not live 'above' but between and together with nature, advocating for an ecocentric development within the built environment and a general transition towards the symbiocene.