Mutualism in Architecture: An Architecture of the In-Between

Architecture is a system of complex relationships. Embodied within architecture are ideas concerning built and natural form and how these two types of form interact to produce what we define as architecture. Built form without natural form is building. Natural form without building is landscape. It is this in-between area where architecture lies. Mutualism is a process by which two seemingly opposite organisms interact in such a way as to benefit one another. It is through this approach that architecture can aspire to be more than a building.

Mutualistic architecture, by its very nature, is a holistic system with the whole greater than the sum of its parts. Individual parts alone do not constitute architecture. Architecture emerges when the parts are assembled into a single organism. Examination of both the built form and the natural form must be analyzed and then synthesized to determine how they will interact in a mutualisc and harmonious way. Through the use of mutualism, architecture no longer is an either/or proposal but rather a more inclusive both/and. The series of relationships inherent in mutualistic architecture exist on the site, building and part scale.

Architecture is an inclusive discipline that, if allowed, can result in interesting and unique solutions. Architecture is not built form devoid of its presence of nature. A mutualistic architecture is, by its very definition, an inclusive discipline that allows for diversity and integration. In a symbiotic architecture, the built environment and the non man-made world exist in harmony within an architectural design.