Design for an Okanagan landscape: Earth, water, wind, and fire

How can architecture work to re-establish a sustainable relationship with our landscapes? To address increasing populations and a finite supply of land, a new model for development will be suggested and explored. Current development strategies consume the land; with agricultural and undeveloped lands being most susceptible. This is a significant problem within the Okanagan Valley.;Unlike projects that attempt to address these issues by segregating development from the natural, this project integrates the two. Humans form part of the natural cycles and to be robust, the two should not be mutually exclusive. Architecture can encourage this by establishing spaces that promote and embody this connection. Spaces that support multifunctional usage and are constructed with appropriate materials and technologies will allow aesthetically designed buildings to be produced that no longer consume their landscapes but seamlessly integrate with them. These buildings will present a venue in which people are able to re-establish lost connections with their landscapes and ultimately view the land for more than its financial value.