Holism

Holism

Holism means “a theory that the universe and especially living nature is correctly seen in terms of interacting wholes( as of living organisms) that are more than the mere sum of elementary particles” (www.m-w.com).

The holism theory is widely used in whole building design, ecology research and public management since the term was coined by a South African Prime Minister and philosopher, Jan Christian Smuts, in 1926. Holism emphasizes the interdependent relationships among diversified patterns and arrangements. There is no individual part can exist without other parts’ involvements. In sustainable urban design, holism provides us a broader vision to consider urban development. For example, climate change may arouse waterfront cities’ self conscious in urban safety. Oil crisis may change people’s mind toward public transportation. Transformation of industry may set up a chain reaction in death and life of global cities. In a word, everything is connected together. Design is to find these connections and highlight on some certain nodes.

The picture is cited from (http://www.wbdg.org/wbdg_approach.php)

“A Holistic Design Philosophy---Whole Building Design provides the strategies to achieve a true high-performance building: one that is cost-effective over its entire life cycle, safe, secure, accessible, flexible, aesthetic, productive, and sustainable.” (http://www.wbdg.org/wbdg_approach.php)