Symbiosis 10 – Time And Space 

Ksenija Bulatović, Ksenija Bunjak, Saša Naumović

The Idea of Symbiotism 

The ideology of Symbiotism was initially born as a response to the contextual changes, global crises and limitations that known architecture is currently facing in the contemporary world. Symbiotism stands for the co-life of three elements: man, house and environment. Symbiotic home is born, it lives following all the needs of its symbiote man, breading the life of the household, and eventually dying. When man ends his existence in his home, house returns to its origins – nature. The core of Symbiotic house is the protection, a transformable response to human needs, natural and social context. Walls of Symbiotic architecture represent the unity of biochemical substances and biocomputing mechanisms and produce a self sustained energy source as a result of the initial interaction.

Influenced by contextual changes, human needs also change. Change of human needs leads to new contextual changes. This interdependent relation requires a specific architecture that can follow both contextual and human needs variations. Form of Symbiotic architecture is, therefore, adaptable in its function and transformable according to the users’ needs and surrounding impulses. Continuous quality of existence regardless to the environmental conditions is one of the basic principles of Symbiotism. Principles of Symbiotic architecture are drawn from the natural environment. This kind of architecture bases its essence both on knowledge and intuition.

Relativity of time and space in Symbiotism

Known architecture represents structures frozen in time or transformable in such a place over time that can still be characterized as passive. It is a response to an already defined space and has an ability to redefine it with in the known limitations. Symbiotism, on the other hand, brings relativity of time and space.

In philosophy, time is usually defined as existence of the matter based on constant duration and succession of all phenomena. Symbiotic architecture is characterized by its duration based on its constant transformability, allowing us to discuss aspect of time in Symbiotism.

Aristotle believed that time is a measurement of movement towards what was before and what will come to be. Symbiotic home is in a constant movement following human needs and contextual changes. It has the ability to memorize past changes and to predict future ones – therefore, it can be understood as a specific time continuum.

For Christian theologian and philosopher Augustine, time wasn’t just an indifferent flow of moment, but something subjective as well, baring in mind that the soul in its perception of present is united with past and future. Symbiote human, having experienced the past and imagining a desirable future, perceives the present and reflects the needs through symbiote home.

Philosophy of Symbiotism is by its ideology closer to early philosophers and idealistic theories then to materialists. Materialists apprehend the time as opposed to idealistic theories that define time only in relation to the subjective cognition. Kant, as an example of idealistic theories, discussed both empirical reality and transcendental ideality of time, pointing out that like space, time can not be experienced – it is the basic condition of very experience. Symbiotic architecture is based on experiences and in the same time it creates a unique experience and can, therefore, be understood as manifestation of time. For Heidegger time is seen a dimension of comprehending a being. So, Symbiotic home as manifestation of time(s) can also be a way of understanding a being – specific occupant, its needs, emotions, knowledge, past experiences and future aspirations.

Space is objectively existing shape of reality and a necessary condition of every existence in material world.

For Plato space is “nothing” out of which world of phenomena is made. Symbiotic home, simply by its existence creates a specific world of phenomena influenced by its transformability. Therefore, a Symbiotic home can be, as well, seen as a manifestation of space(s).

Materialists stand for the idea that space exists independently form human consciousness – objectively and that existence of matter in movement is independent from our consciousness. Philosophy of Symbiotism is, on the other hand, closer to idealistic theories such as Kant’s where the core of space and time is the subject that creates idealistic and subjective reality.

Time and space can be seen as frozen elements of contemporary architecture. In Symbiotism, time and space are relative, while Symbiotic home is seen as a reflection and manifestation of phenomena time-space. Both time and space are measurable by human existence in the Symbiotic home.

For Feuerbach time and space are not just simple types of phenomena, but conditions of very being. If they are understood like this, then they are conditions of Symbiotic home as well, having in mind the fact that Symbiotic architecture is created upon the idea of being transforming it based on the needs.