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It's more shocking to realise how much we've needlessly thrown away. There's a vast selection of old architectural techniques for controlling environment that

It's more shocking to realise how much we've needlessly thrown away. There's a vast selection of old architectural techniques for controlling environment that we've thrown away, preferring to bolt an AC unit to a hugely inefficient building instead. Many are free, relying on natural convection and material properties etc, others rely on movement of water like the Yakchal. Some, but far from all, are coming back to be seen in things like passive houses, but that remains an extremely small niche.

mmjaa 8y ago
A lot of these forgotten technologies are revived in various contemporary green movements - such as Permaculture and Earthship, for example. Permaculture attempts to learn as much forgotten technology as possible and re-apply it in a modern context for agriculture - the Earthship movement, same but for architecture. I think the biggest barrier to these forgotten technologies is the stigma around the cultures they attract, as well as the hubris around the technologies they supplant. Its very difficult to get someone who has grown up with the Monsanto mindset to consider Permaculture concepts as a viable means of agricultural production - likewise with Earthship. Stigma and Hubris seem to be the number one causes of lost technology, imho. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permaculture https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permaculture https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthship https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthship
- oldcynic 8y ago
  A very good point. After reading the linked 99% piece linked above I'd perhaps extend that to "stigma, hubris and marketing". It's not very "modern" either is it? Hmm. I wonder if that's why we got the post-war modernism school of architecture. :) Someone used to monoculture and pesticides presumes dishonesty when hearing about the productivity of permaculture - or even traditional mixed farming as it's comparing mono yields against dozens of crops and livestock at the same time from the acre. It's a disappointment realising, after visiting a selection of old buildings, just how much nicer the old solutions are for humans to inhabit. You get none of the harsh drying that you do with heating and AC, but you do get small temperature variations and air movement that make it far better. I haven't come across Earthship before, surprisingly, so thanks for that.
  - zamber 8y ago
    Regarding old buildings - it also applies to cities. I once seen somewhere that Wrocław was designed to have air flow through the streets freely to take out coal hearing induced smog. Now, after the war, Polish architects unaware of that redesigned some of these airways and even though coal burning is almost non-existent smog levels are rising. Cars and loss of greenery contribute to it but one can only wonder how good air would have been if they would follow the original plan.

mmjaa 8y ago

A lot of these forgotten technologies are revived in various contemporary green movements - such as Permaculture and Earthship, for example. Permaculture attempts to learn as much forgotten technology as possible and re-apply it in a modern context for agriculture - the Earthship movement, same but for architecture. I think the biggest barrier to these forgotten technologies is the stigma around the cultures they attract, as well as the hubris around the technologies they supplant. Its very difficult to get someone who has grown up with the Monsanto mindset to consider Permaculture concepts as a viable means of agricultural production - likewise with Earthship. Stigma and Hubris seem to be the number one causes of lost technology, imho. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permaculture https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permaculture https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthship https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthship

oldcynic 8y ago
A very good point. After reading the linked 99% piece linked above I'd perhaps extend that to "stigma, hubris and marketing". It's not very "modern" either is it? Hmm. I wonder if that's why we got the post-war modernism school of architecture. :) Someone used to monoculture and pesticides presumes dishonesty when hearing about the productivity of permaculture - or even traditional mixed farming as it's comparing mono yields against dozens of crops and livestock at the same time from the acre. It's a disappointment realising, after visiting a selection of old buildings, just how much nicer the old solutions are for humans to inhabit. You get none of the harsh drying that you do with heating and AC, but you do get small temperature variations and air movement that make it far better. I haven't come across Earthship before, surprisingly, so thanks for that.
- zamber 8y ago
  Regarding old buildings - it also applies to cities. I once seen somewhere that Wrocław was designed to have air flow through the streets freely to take out coal hearing induced smog. Now, after the war, Polish architects unaware of that redesigned some of these airways and even though coal burning is almost non-existent smog levels are rising. Cars and loss of greenery contribute to it but one can only wonder how good air would have been if they would follow the original plan.