Norwegian nest developments in the context of “deep ecology” by Arne Næss

Ewa Cisek

doi:10.5277/arc130105

Abstract

A holistic picture of the world showing its biological diversity and unquestionable value of all life forms, i.e. the picture that is present in the creative activity of Arne Næss became a foundation for an environmental philosophy concept known as deep ecology. Næss philosophy has a si gnificant impact on the way of perceiving the world, nature, man and his acts of creation. A belief that life in all its forms is mutually intertwined similarly to a Nordic weave is also reflected in the way of shaping architectural forms and residential structures by Norwegians in the open landscape. Particular attention should be focused on nest systems of farm developments which are especially popular in the eastern part of the country. They reflect one of the most important archetypes, i.e. a circle with an accentuated centre that – according to Carl Gustav Jung – symbolises the image of fullness – of Self with all its components being strictly interdependent and balanced with one another in mutual harmony. In the idea of the nest form human settlement, we can notice that a philosophical thought, which refers to the trend of deep ecology, presents architectural creative activity of man in a completely different light. The attitude towards nature cannot be perceived as romantic in this context because it is not entirely deprived of uti litaria nism. It is rather an approach that respects nature’s laws and recognises that nature has an internal value which is not only instrumental. In order to harmoniously coexist with nature, it is necessary to start from scratch: to eliminate sources of pollution, to limit excessive consumption, to promote life based on simple means because the quality of life is not proved by its standard but by the way we experience the surrounding world and ourselves. Thus, in small Norwegian communities residing in nest developments ecological solutions are introduced consisting in planning and exploiting the land, production and consumption of local green products, ecological education and ecological agriculture.

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