The Culture Code: Designing for Human Connection
INTRODUCTION: UNDERSTANDING CULTURE
The Dual Nature of Heritage
- Tangible Heritage: architecture, monuments, materials, historic landscapes, traditional spatial layouts.
- Intangible Heritage: rituals, oral traditions, community identity, festivals, ways of gathering, storytelling.
Key Message: Landscape is not just physical—it's a canvas for collective memory and identity.
CULTURE AS A LIVING SYSTEM
- Culture is dynamic, evolving with people’s values, movements, and global influence.
- Importance of listening to local communities to uncover embedded cultural cues.
- Placemaking
MATERIAL SELECTION: Meaning Beyond Texture (unsure about this one, would be a quick mention possibly)
Local Materials = Local Stories
- Use of regionally-sourced stone, wood, earth to root the space in place.
- Materials that resonate with historical or indigenous uses (e.g., adobe walls, lava rock paths, bamboo).
Climate + Culture
- How environmental adaptation and cultural response (e.g. shade, water features) come together in material choices.
SOCIAL SPACES: Designing for Belonging
The Social Heartbeat
- Plazas, markets, courtyards as cultural gathering nodes.
- Space for intergenerational interaction—elders to share stories, children to play.
- Flexibility to host both formal and informal cultural events.
PLAY + FITNESS: Movement as Cultural Expression
- Play as a reflection of culture
- Spaces for martial arts, dance, tai chi—movement that’s both exercise and expression.
- Fitness stations that borrow from traditional labor or games (e.g. balancing, climbing, carrying).
CULTURE-AS-CODE: Embedding Identity in Design
Cultural Layering
- Use storytelling, signage, and art to make cultural narratives visible in the landscape.
- QR codes linking to oral histories, songs, or interviews with local residents.