What Does It Mean to Build and to Dwell in the Twenty-First Century - Assignment Example

What does it mean to build and to dwell in the twenty-first century With the passage of time and with a constant change in our manner of realizing and utilizing buildings and given the fact that the perception of building and dwelling has been ever changing, the issue of dwelling needs to be given appropriate attention in terms of our process of creating buildings and using them as a facilitator for dwelling. Understanding that the chief function of building is to facilitate the dwelling of man on the earth in the natural surroundings, and no matter what ever buildings that we are creating, it becomes more imperative to understand the characteristic of the buildings that we are creating. The critical question that arises here is that how the activity of building should be carried out and how should the dwellings be realized. Heidegger in his essay 'Building Dwelling Thinking' says that "we perceive building and dwelling as two different activities but in reality building and dwelling is one and the same". The sole purpose of building is to dwell and this does not only include the act of lodging in a building but rather it includes all the other facilitators that come together to provide a platform for dwelling of man on the earth because in the large meaning, being human being on earth means to dwell. It is important to understand that any building does not exist in isolation, with little or no relation with its surrounding, but rather it is a part of a complex fabric that intertwined around various aspects like natural surroundings of the place, the perception of the building by the larger society of the users as to what it is and as the functional utilization of that building. It is also necessary to understand that the building exists in the midst of natural elements like the sky and the surround landscape and that it is necessary to understand the building in the same manner. All of these when come together facilitate in creating what is called the locale and it is this characteristics of locale which is the most important while creating the place for dwelling. With reference to the need and requirements of the twenty-first century it is necessary to understand the relationship between the ever-changing culture and the characteristics of building because the act of dwelling relates man with the space with building as the means for this. This should necessarily harmonize with the immediate and the distant physical surroundings in order to form a part of the larger locale. This can include the natural as well as built surrounding that has been created by man during the course of time one earth. The act of building therefore needs to encompass other elements of intangible nature, like the relationship of the building with the established cultural landscape of the place and the perception that has been attached with the same. With all this, when a building comes into existence, as a facilitator for dwelling, it changes the characteristics of the locale in which it is created and then, it assumes the position of locale by itself. In terms of the cultural relationship of the building, it is necessary to link the act of building with the larger aspect of dwelling by understanding dwelling not as an instantaneous activity but as an activity that has occurred over a large period of time and that it shall continue to be the same in the time to come. Being in the twenty-first century it is therefore necessary to understand the act of building as the act of creating and growing something that exist in time and space and something that is dynamic or ever-changing in terms of its manifestation but principally it remains the same throughout. As a side effect of scientific advancements, the perception of living and on a larger extent, dwelling, for us keeps changing all the time. With these advancements, there is a corresponding change in the culture of society and this in turn has a very important role to play in our perception of dwelling and building. The act of building in turn creates a locale and gives rise to a corresponding culture where the various elements of physical and metaphysical character come together to create a larger integration of building as a function of dwelling to its cultural surrounding. Therefore it is very necessary to understand not only the process of building and creating places for dwellings but also to understand how various aspects come together to form the dwelling. With the ever-changing culture and rapid changes in technology, it is imperative for us to reflect these developments in the surrounding that we create for the purpose of dwelling and only then can we express the originality and the purpose of building as dwelling. The act of building can only take place if we are capable of dwelling and if at all we need to dwell the way we are at present. With the act of dwelling man is able to relate himself with the surrounding spaces and establish an identity which in turn affects the identity of himself. It is very interesting to note here that man as a creator and user of the dwellings is able to govern the characteristics of what he is creating and he himself gets controlled and governed by the thing that he himself has created. And therefore it should well be understood that when we build the twenty-first century, the process of building and dwelling shall have an impact on the culture of the human kind. Given the fact that everything exists in time and space, and so is the creation or building it is important to see how the buildings shall change the perception of itself and the surrounding once it is crated. In the end, it is wise to note that the act of building and dwelling has been taking place since the time man emerged on earth and at any given point of time; the creations for dwelling have been original to their time and the available technology during the time of its construction. for us it is equally important to dwell 'in present' in harmony with the surrounding, and judiciously utilizing the resources that are available at disposal. Read More