If Darwin were an architect: story of natural selection in modern architecture
The theory of evolution claims that organisms evolve to adapt to new realities and gradually change to become stronger. This raises the idea that everything in our world is interdependent — humans, animals, weather, emotions, and architecture. How does natural selection manifest itself in modern architecture?
Every era claims its needs, and changes either follow or cause those needs. What makes our lives after the Industrial Revolution different is the fact that we had to change because of technological and economic development, not the other way around. The clock became the dictator. The main focus shifted to efficiency, technological advancements, and industrialization—first in the way we work, and later in our private lives.
Modern architecture, in its form, was influenced by the Industrial Revolution, while in practice it sought the perfect solution. But the perfect solution doesn’t exist in a unified world. It can only emerge from searching for authenticity and shaping individual languages.
Heidegger’s philosophy engages with a deep understanding of Being and Dasein (being-in-the-world). Architecture, in his view, is a tool for humans to live authentically in the world, to create a deep connection with the place, materials, history, and culture. In contrast, modernism sought to divide a person from their context, arguing that such connotations created an exclusive environment that was unnecessary.
Today, we search for connection, belonging, and identity. Natural selection has stripped modernism of its ability to create functional, human spaces. Now, we are learning how to rescale our view—from global to local, from common to individual, from unified to authentic.