It might seem strange to be a "fan" of water in architecture, but there are those of us who embrace this underrepresented interest—and we’re joined by futurist and author of Blue Architecture: Water, Design and Environmental Futures (University of Texas Press, 2022), Brook Muller. The author is also an educator; he is the Charles Eliot Chair in Ecological Planning, Planning, Policy and Design at the University of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine.
As architects and designers, we spend much of our time working to keep water out of building envelopes, ensuring it flows efficiently through pipes, and managing it in our cooling cycles. Despite all this, we rarely use water as a central design driver. It appears only as a necessary but unnoticed element: without much thought to its origin or destination, or our delight in it.
In Blue Architecture, Muller picks up this gauntlet by offering a nuanced, beautifully written, and well-researched exploration of how water can be a more integral part of architectural design. Muller argues for a paradigm shift, presenting a vision for a more cohesive, ecologically sustainable built environment. Through a combination of hypotheses and case studies, Muller demonstrates the potential of water as a creative force in architecture.
The book follows a linear progression embedded with eddies of circular processes that (with this admittedly oversimplified analysis) generally follow a pattern of: context/issue analysis, hypothesis, desired outcome, and precedent. This general organization takes on a chapter by chapter exploration of different themes around water and architecture.
The book opens by addressing the importance of water and current societal issues. Muller highlights various water crises and introduces decentralization as a potential response. He then expands his focus to both macro (watershed) and micro (building and site) scales, discussing how water shapes our environments. A water budget analysis tool is then introduced as a practical strategy that can further shape design decisions.
Muller continues refining these issues, by highlighting the societal concentration of pollution as both a water-related challenge and a way to rethink solutions. He furthermore invites readers to reconsider architectural design through the lens of a horizon—a concept that can redirect how we think about and design with water.
Ultimately, Blue Architecture ties these ideas together, suggesting how they can transform architectural thinking and, ideally, our approach to designing spaces that interact thoughtfully with water.
Though Blue Architecture is a quick read, it is rich in content. Provocative and forward-thinking, it serves as an excellent introduction to the urgently needed shift in how architecture and society engage with water. Muller provides a compelling case for incorporating water into design in ways that are ecologically and socially sensitive as well as inspiring.
It’s best enjoyed outside, by your chosen body of water.
Orrin Goldsby, AIA. LEED AP, BD+C | Associate, David Baker Architects
Orrin Goldsby is an Associate at David Baker Architects, a nationally known, locally oriented architecture and urban design firm based in California and Alabama. Orrin grew up in the redwood forests of Northern California and brings his deep admiration of the complexity of the natural world to his design work to make resilient places for people. As a leader of DBA's Site Ecology & Water working group, Orrin advocates for sustainable solutions in DBA's architectural projects, enacting meaningful change at the nexus of affordable housing, climate, and community.
COTE is planning a virtual COTE book talk with Brook Muller and Orrin Goldsby for January 21st at 12PST More info here https://aiaseattle.org/event/committee-meeting-committee-on-the-environment-3-2024-12-17-2025-01-21/