With nature in mind: ‘Green metaphors’ as an approach to reflect environmental concerns and awareness in landscape design

The human-environment relationship forms the philosophical foundation of landscape architecture. To move beyond the common dualistic humanenvironment thinking in environmental design education, exploring and highlighting new ideas is important and necessary. A caring sensitivity and a change in awareness of our responsibilities are preconditions to creating these new ideas that will result in deeply responsive environmental designs. Here, responsibility includes ecological awareness and understanding interconnectedness. “Green metaphors” are results of such an awareness and understanding. Green metaphors in environmental design are accepted as an approach for reflecting environmental concern. This study aims to understand how green metaphors are being used by landscape architecture students in design studio. One hundred and three poster presentations of senior students that explain the metaphorical thinking behind their design concept for a residential landscape design were analyzed in order to determine the frequency of green metaphors. Twenty-seven projects with green metaphors were analyzed in depth to understand the most emphasized issues in their approaches to the human-environment relationship.

PDF

___

Alon-Mozes, T. (2006). From ‘Reading’ the Landscape to ‘Writing’ a Garden: The Narrative Approach in the Design Studio. Journal of Landscape Architecture, 1 (1), 30-37.

Casakin, H. (2004). Metaphors in the design studio: implications for education. Paper presented at the International Engineering and Product Design Education Conference, Delft, The Netherlands, 265-273.

Casakin, H. P. (2006). Assessing the use of metaphors in the design process. Environment and Planning B: Planning and Design, 33, 253-268.

Casakin, H. (2007). Metaphors in design problem solving: implications for creativity. International Journal of Design, 1(2), 21-33.

Casakin, H. (2012). An empirical assessment of metaphor use in the design studio: analysis, reflection and restructuring of architectural design. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 22(3), 329–344.

Curry, T. (2014). A theoretical basis for recommending the use of design methodologies as teaching strategies in the design studio. Design Studies, 35, 632-646.

Dobrin, S. I. (2010). Through green eyes: complex visual culture and post literacy. Environmental Education Research, 16(3-4), 265-278 doi:10.1080/13504621003715585.

Gazvoda, D. (2002). Characteristics of Modern Landscape Architecture and its Education. Landscape and Urban Planning, 60(2), 117–133.

Goncalves, M., Cardoso, C., Badke- Schaub, P. (2014). What inspires designers? Preferences on inspirational approaches during idea generation. Design Studies, 35(1), 29-53.

Heffernan, G. (2012). A life according to nature: from ancient theoretical ideal to future sustainable practice. Environmentalist, 32, 278–288.

Hey, J., Linsey, J., Agogino, A. M., & Wood, K. L. (2008). Analogies and metaphors in creative design. International Journal of Engineering Education, 24 (2), 283-294.

Hough, M. (2002). Looking beneath the surface: teaching a landscape ethic. In Ecology and Design Frameworks for Learning, edited by B.R. Johnson, K. Hill, Washington DC: Island Press, pp.245-268.

Johnson, B.R., & Hill, K. (2002). Introduction: toward landscape realism. In Ecology and Design Frameworks for Learning, edited by B.R. Johnson, K. Hill, Washington DC: Island Press, pp.1-26.

Keumala, N., Younus, M. A., Kuan, Y., Abdul Razak, A. S. B., Ismail, M., & Al-Obaidi, K. M. (2016). Pedagogy of architectural education on sustainability in Malaysia–student perspective. Open House International, 41(4), 104- 108.

Kjøllesdal, A., Asheim, J., & Boks, C. (2014). Embracing social sustainability in design education: a reflection on a case study in Haiti. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 58(2), 173–188. doi:10.1080/00313831.2012. 725095.

Kopnina, H. (2016). Metaphors of nature and development: reflection on critical course of sustainable business. Environmental Education Research, 22(4), 571–589. doi:10.1080/13504622 .2015.1007338.

Muller, B. (2006). Metaphor, ethos and environmentally responsive design. Paper presented at the 94th ACSA Annual Meeting, Getting Real, Utah, 299- 308.

Muller, B. (2009). Metaphor, environmental receptivity, and architectural design. In Symbolic Landscapes, edited by G. Backhaus, and J. Murungi, pp.185-202. Springer Science and Business Media.

Muller, B.W., & Knudson, K. E. (2009). Landscape metaphors, ecological imperatives, and architectural design. Paper presented at the 97th ACSA Annual Meeting: The Value of Design, Porland Oregon, pp.225-231.

Mumcu, S., Yılmaz, S., & Akyol, D. (2018). Tasarımda Deneyimin Geliştirilmesi Bağlamında Peyzaj Mimarlığı Tasarım Stüdyoları. Paper presented at EDUREST 2018-Istanbul International Conference on Education Research and Technologies, İstanbul, Turkey, 57- 69.

Nassauer, J. I. (2002). Ecological science and landscape design: a necessary relationship in changing landscapes. In Ecology and Design Frameworks for Learning, edited by B.R. Johnson, K. Hill, Washington DC: Island Press, pp.217-230.

Nerlich, B. (2012). ‘Low carbon’ metals, markets and metaphors: the creation of economic expectations about climate change mitigation. Climatic Change, 110,31–51.

Paul, A., Downton, P. F., Okoli, E., Gupta, J. K., Tirpak, M. (2014). Does adding more lettuce make a hamburger truly green? a metaphor behind the green movement paradigm in designing cities. Environment System and Decision, 34(3), 373–377.

Sommer, R., & Sommer, B. (2002). A practical Guide to Behavioral Research; Tools and Techniques. New York: Oxford University Press.

Väliverronen, E., & Hellsten, I. (2002). From “burning library” to “green medicine”: the role of metaphors in communicating biodiversity. Science Communication, 24(2), 229- 245. doi: 10.1177/107554702237848.

Wenk, W. E. (2002). Toward an inclusive concept of infrastructure. In Ecology and Design Frameworks for Learning, edited by B.R. Johnson, K. Hill, Washington DC: Island Press, pp. 173-190.

URL-1: https://behnisch.com/work/ projects/0022 (Accessed at 25.06.2019)

URL-2: http://www.katalog.ktu. edu.tr/DersBilgiPaketi/generalinfo. aspx?pid=25&lang=1 (Accessed at 25.06.2019)