[This] study aims to explore the notion that human
achievements, i.e., cultural, technological, architectural, etc.,
are an outcome of the interaction between ecology, culture and
cognitive structure. Such interaction is thought to set out a condition of stability, compatibility and fitness which characterises various vernacular cultures. These notions ought to be investigated and hence utilised in design ideas and design processes.
To illustrate the various aspects of this interaction, the thesis
has adopted a holistic view which incorporates many elements that
underly the environmental phenomena; its structure, its laws
of evolution and its adaptive processes. The following is a
brief summary of each chapter of the thesis.Chapter One: In any design research it is more important
to arrive at appropriate identification of a problem before being
preoccupied with 'assumptions' to solve that problem on the basis
of its 'external' appearance. Each environment has a specific
structure which accommodates in a certain pattern its various
components such as the social boundaries of interaction, the particular physical structure, building patterns, behaviour, mode of
thought, economic system and so on. It is only by tracing the
history of development of each of these components within this
structure that a solution can be fitting and relevant.The chapter reviews some problems and controversies raised by
adopting a misfit technology and its implication on various cultures
as well as on Architecture.Chapter Two: This chapter suggests a general theoretical
framework which rejects the harmful and unifying effects of those
'fragmented' approaches within design disciplines. In fact they
came as an outcome of the passion for misfit technologies, the non - environmental views of culture and ideologies normally associated
with them. It is hence the interplay of the three elements of
Ecology, Culture and Cognition that result in architectural quality
most fit to its context. The objectives of such a framework are: the protection of the natural ecosystems and their manifestations
in design; the establishment of a self - sustaining way of life;
and finally, setting policies that give priority to bettering the
ecological qualities as a basis for improving other aspects.Chapter Three: In this chapter a broadening perspective is
introduced to define ecology according to its concerns for the
conditions and interactions that determine the distribution and
abundance of organism in a certain setting. The perspective includes culture as well as the other biological and physical factors
on the basis of considering culture as a manifestation of man's
adaptation to that setting. It is very important to consider the
role of ecology in differentiating various societies; their cultures
and architectural forms.Chapter Four: The second element, culture, according to the
school of cultural- ecology, is made up of the modes of thought, the
ideologies, energy systems, artifacts, the organisation of social
relations, norms and beliefs and the total range of customary behaviour, all of which have been influenced by the physical setting.
The concept of 'cultural core', introduced by J. Steward, is adopted
for its importance in distinguishing cultural features in terms of
their physical belonging. It helps, hence, to advocate solutions
more fitting to their 'authentic context' in the face of the
bustling, overlapping and usually more abstract cultural features
of the external phase (secondary features).Chapter Five: Knowledge is the central element in design, and
cognition has been defined as the activity of knowing: the acquisition, organisation, and use of knowledge. The human cognitive
structure selects and interprets environmental information in the
construction of its own knowledge, rather than passively copying
the information. The mind does this to make the environment 'then'
fit in with its own existing mental framework.Chapter Six: Because man and nature form two elements in
one system, man has accumulated a profound knowledge of the various
elements in nature including natural materials. This knowledge is x
embeded so deeply in his psychological structure that his innate
disposition towards natural elements has been extended to include
all interactional modes, subsystems and visual structures which
they initiate.The concept of schemata was introduced within cognitive psychology to explain some controversial issues in the field of
accepting, restoring and processing information. Schema is defined
generally as a data structure for representing the generic concepts
stored in memory. There are schemata representing our knowledge
about events, actions, objects, etc. They also contain the network
of interrelations between these concepts. It has been suggested
that the source of this knowledge which schema represents comes from
one of two resources; 1) immediate information of the physical
objects, 2) the innate and stored knowledge in the human mind.
Both resources, however, can provide information to what the study
calls experiential schemata.The important contribution the study offers is the concept of
the cosmocognitive schemata. They are the schemata that represent
the point where both organism and the universe meet and represent,
man's extension in space and time. With these schemata we can explain many phenomena in which people of totally different cultures,
different experiential schemata, respond and react similarly.
In other words, the various authentic capacities of objects, their
various properties and potential dispositions towards interactions
are all taking precedence in the organism's neural system.The concluding notion of this important chapter is that man
has been vividly and maybe unself- consciously utilising the 'cosmocognitive' knowledge in the adaptational processes, blended with
activities of the experiential knowledge, in the elaboration of
the various architectural forms and patterns. Therefore, it is
suggested that it is extremely important to establish a theory of
environmental quality based on cognitive knowledge.Chapter Seven and Chapter Eight: In these two chapters, the
study introduces the most influential factors which define the
ecological setting in general. These factors are considered as being the permanent constructs of human cognitive knowledge and
hence have to be well studied before making any decision concerning
the nature of the design solution proposed to any society.Chapter Nine: It is suggested that the influence of ecology
and nature on human beings takes place and is utilised over long
processes of adaptation. The mechanism and other elements of these
processes are explicitly demonstrated through a model that the study
elaborates. The main idea this model presents is that man, during
the emergence of his settlement, initially responds to nature and
the physical properties of that setting. He first develops prototypical patterns to embody their impact, according to which he then
develops his social and behavioural patterns. Out of the interaction
of these components and their various elements, and by reference
to his experiential and innate knowledge, he then establishes his
traditional culture of which architectural phenomena is the most conspicuous feature.Chapter Ten: Beyond the aesthetic values of architecture:
decorative form and ornaments, and beyond the persistance of
architectural pattern and activity types lie empirical, structural,
functional and practical principles. The basic aim of arriving
at a concrete understanding of what underlies the aesthetic characteristics is that once such an understanding becomes possible,
designers would be able to manipulate their design ideas following
the same principles of authenticity and purposefulness rather than
attempting further implication or inventing more fantasies.The title implies that material's authentic properties, architectural and structural elements and activities have cognitive
values which are represented in certain characteristics. And it
is these values that a designer whould, in fact, search for, if
satisfying people's real preferences is one of his interests.Chapter Eleven: The outcome of the interaction between
ecological /cultural variables and cognitive structure consists of
several components. These have to be carefully matched in setting
design criteria within any context: They can be referred to in any
judgement over the fitness and appropriateness of any design idea
in hand
