FACILITATING NATURAL GROWTH: A MUTUALISTIC APPROACH TO DESIGNING THE PUBLIC AND RESEARCH FACILITIES AT THE BOTANICAL GARDENS IN WINDHOEK

Abstract

The natural environment provides us with spaces of relaxation and gives us a common social space along with fostering a positive mental status (Wu, 2014). An increase in natural disasters, and their intensity (McGrath, 2021), has led to an architectural response which focuses on the artificial reproduction of previously destroyed green spaces (Spirn, 2014), to rehabilitate, revitalise or compensate for the impact the construction industry has on these environments (Snook, 2017). Combined with a rapid urbanisation pattern in the global south (Wijesinghe & Thorn, 2021) and ecosystem domestication (Wu, 2014), Windhoek is at risk of losing its green spaces (Munasinghe, 1999). An understanding of natural systems can assist with the facilitation of construction techniques (Spirn, 2014) and design principles, which in turn create mutually beneficial spaces (Workman, 2004), leading to an improvement in daily lived experiences (Wu, 2014). It is clear that humans are reliant on nature (Kim & Park, 2018), and that we also have a need to be protected and sheltered from it (Gruebner et al., 2017). This distinction has led to harsh infrastructure which divides the architectural spaces from natural spaces (Wijesinghe & Thorn, 2021), causing further dilapidation of the natural ecosystems around larger cities (McDonald et al., 2018). The theory of mutualism suggests that these two systems could have mutual benefits if observed as though it were one system to begin with (Workman, 2004). The National Botanical Research Institute in Windhoek is an appropriate site to test this idea through an explorative design process, informed through precedent studies, site investigations and a literature review. The living library of the Botanical Gardens will be extended with adaptive research facilities to study the potential growth of Namibia’s diverse flora population to ensure the protection and rehabilitation of its green spaces, while also allowing the education about and experience of the authentic natural environment by the public and researchers alike.