“Architecture and the Cultivation of Vitality”

Hunter Branch Meeting 2020-3 of the Royal Society of NSW
“Architecture and the Cultivation of Vitality”
Professor Pia Ednie-Brown, University of Newcastle
https://royalsoc.org.au/blog/hunter-b...

Timing Marks
00:00 Introduction: Professor Brett Ninness FRSN, Pro Vice- Chancellor, University of Newcastle
01:55 Presentation: Professor Pia Ednie-Brown, University of Newcastle
40:42 Q&A Session: Professor Natalie Thamwattana, University of Newcastle
48:58 Vote of Thanks: Mr Paul Jeans FRSN, Chancellor, University of Newcastle and Chair, Hunter Branch of the Royal Society of NSW

Summary
How do the spaces we create affect our well-being, our creativity and cultural vitality? We often have a sense that certain places help us feel happier, stronger, more relaxed or more energised, but struggle to pin-point exactly what makes us feel this way. Answers to the question of how and why architectural environments affect us have been offered across disciplines, producing multiple and very different perspectives on the issue. Each offers a fragment of truth perhaps, but the highly contextual and complex nature of architectural environments eludes singular, disciplinary standpoints.

In this lecture, Professor Pia Ednie-Brown will argue that architectural approaches aiming to cultivate vitality can be found through approaching place as a person. This changes the nature of our relationship with buildings and sites such that we don’t design them, we design with them. Crucially, our relationship with places cultivates vitality through forging meaningful, living connections beyond ourselves.