Long Branch Nature Center - modern primitivism and the constructed dialogue of being within nature

The Architect's first drawn line marks a significant moment where alteration to the site is conceived and intervention with nature is beset. Equilibrium of the natural order; vegetative, habitat, hydrology, and geology are all in a vulnerable state. Rarely do these develop into harmonious balances. More often they are imposed instances.

The Industrial Revolution forever changed the relationship between humans and nature, tilting the weight of power towards man. While humans capacity for innovation and destruction have grown enormously, our dependence on the natural cycles and resources of the planet remain and grow more voracious. Yet simultaneously, modern progress has facilitated the physical and psychological detachment of that interdependence. The fundamental elements of our existence are veiled through the efficiency of urbanization and its derivatives of specialization, mass-production, and globalization.

This project is an examination of the interrelationship between humans and nature through the lens of civic architecture within a naturalistic setting. The fundamental thesis of this project is that there is a primal biological thread that connects human beings to the natural order, whether on a visceral or conscious level. This project explores the belief that humans intrinsically yearn to reinforce that bond - awakening primordial instincts developed over millions of years of evolutionary survival that have been suppressed by the artifice of modern life. Through a process of retreat and contemplation, this project offers the opportunity of individuals to evaluate and rebalance their own scales with nature and find their own accord and harmony.