A symbiosis of bio - diversity and architecture: towards a centre for awareness and research in the uMngeni precinct.

Abstract

Rapid industrialization of the 20th and 21st centuries has pushed the envelope in developing goods and services for society, often inundating the biosphere’s energy and resources, leaving vital ecosystems and natural landscapes in a state of decay. A similar consequence can be experienced within the uMngeni Precinct, more specifically between the uMngeni Industrial Parks and the discharge point of the uMngeni River into the Indian Ocean. This study then adopts a qualitative research approach that explores the influences of biodiversity on architecture. The analysis of primary and secondary data is supported by the overlapping principles of Human, Natural and Architectural Ecologies that fosters an architecture to utilize high – tech thinking coupled with low – tech technologies in creating ecological awareness and a platform for research in the uMngeni Precinct.