The Third Landscape

The Third Landscape is very relevant to our project in the quarry since it is such a large site. There will inevitably be areas that are left undesigned within the quarry. These spaces must be accepted and left to flourish and diversify. The East Quarry on Kelleys Island is an example of a Third Landscape. This strange open setting was full of curious discoveries. The natural formation of the plants gave it a feel that no parks have. To appreciate these settings it is necessary to let go of the materialistic view that wraps up the rest of our lives. Third Landscapes have a value that is based on the fact that they do not belong to anyone or anything. They are free.
In order for a bioresort to be successful, it requires that people are willing to accept Gilles Clement's idea of "sustainable luxuries." A bioresort is not capable of providing the luxuries that people are used to at home, which are mainly material. Instead, it offers luxuries of experience and feeling. The architecture of a bioresort must accept and acknowledge this. It cannot attempt to compete with the architecture of the city. It will not exceed the material achievements of urban buildings. However, the architecture does have the capability to produce experiences and feelings that no one can recieve at home. This is what will set the bioresort apart as a desirable location and give it the status of luxurious.

Post Site Visit Impressions

After actually being to Kelleys Island, I have gained much more respect for the site. The history of the island has many layers, making it an interesting experience for a wide variety of people. The oldest history present on the island are the glacial grooves, formed thousands of years ago when the Midwest was frozen over. Before Europeans even discovered America, Native Americans were on the island and left their mark at such places as inscription rock. Both the East quarry, which was mined from 1933 to 1940, and the new quarry, which is our site add an economical intrigue to the island. All of the limestone buildings on the island are a result of this economic factor. There are even many old limestone walls placed spuratically throughout the island. The abundance of this natural resource allowed residents to act freely with it. The footprints of this large industrial process can be viewed at multiple points on the island. The old wineries on the island are further hints of the past. Wine making is still prevelant on the island. The comparison of old abandoned wineries to new functional ones is an interesting study on the island. Also the strong tradtion of fishing and bird watching on the island provide a biological interest in the island. All of these factors should go into the program of the resort we are attempting to build. The diversity of attractions will increase the amount of people that desire to visit the island. Who thought such a wonderfully rich setting existed so close? Being on an island makes it only more magical.






http://www.kelleysislandnature.com/natural_areas/east_quarry.htm

Biotech

In his article, Our Biotech Future, Freeman Dyson highlights the impact that genetic engineering and "green" technology could have on our society. He envisions them becoming household processes, which anyone can experiment with. He is a strong believer that the more available these technologies are too the public, the more diverse and wonderful our findings will be. There are many concerning things about what he says, but it is an interesting approach. Instead of having only the most experienced, intellegent scientists dealing with these technologies, the masses should be in charge, because with their numbers, the trial and error process is much more likely to be fruitful. This logic is the same that dictates Darwinian Evolution. The more diverse a community is, the healthier it is and the better suited it is to deal with various problems. It is a very capitalistic approach to scientific research. Create a level playing field for all competiitors, and the strong will survive. His argument that this will help small villages seems to have many logical gaps. What says that "green" technology will aid villagers? Won't it just be used by individual inventors to make personal profit? The people making these discoveries would most likely not be those in small villages, since they are some of the poorest and would have the most limited access to "green" research. No matter how cheap we make the biotech process, it will not be affordable for all. Personal computers have had tremendous success and have become cheaper and more efficient. Still computers and internet access is tough to find in many developing nations. What says that biotech will find a way to be any cheaper? Even if it ever becomes economically viable, there is still the ethical question. Should humans have the power to create new types of life? Is it alright to manipulate the human genome and create human mutants? While raising exciting possibilities, this article seems to be more of a science fiction story than a path that humans should follow.

Biomimicry

Evolution has had millions of years to find solutions to problems. There is a wide range of problems it has had to overcome because of the diversity of life. Pel Beyak encourages and supports efforts at using these solutions to help combat the problems facing humanity in his article "Biomimicry Gives Ideas to Artists and Engineers." He states that human solutions have caused too many secondary problems. Biomimicry is a much more sustainable solution. Janine Benyus founded the Biomimicry Institute, which is dedicated to researching and experimenting with technology that is based off of natural phenomenons. I find this type of research very interesting. Some of the technologies developed are incredibly efficient and effective ways of accomplishing tasks. Thinking of the diversity of species suggests that there are many more discoveries to be made in this field. However, I do not think that it should be seen as inherently better than other human discoveries. The animal world is not always sustainable. Some animals eat others, occasionally they even drive them extinct. There is no reason to believe that nature's way of doing things is fool proof. There are many examples of imperfect designs within animals. Human appendixes and wisdom teeth are examples of this. Some problems are too complex for evolution to overcome. It is important for the human mind to continue working on these problems. Biology can provide inspiration.