Organic Architecture
While design styles are often the subject of architectural discussion and trends, my design intention is to create the most sustainable model of golf course architecture possible, regardless of fashionable trends. In golf course design, I believe that “form follows function” in its most organic and basic form. I have seen firsthand how much more function needs to be designed into a golf course when the landforms do not conform to the natural conditions in place.
Whether it’s through the construction of new golf courses, the renovation of existing courses, or through regenerative course management practices, Organic Architecture seeks to connect with natural cycles to create sustainability and resilience from the depths of the soil to the furthest reaches of the tree canopy. There are two natural cycles that have clear scientific standing and are omnipresent throughout every landscape on the planet: the water cycle and the carbon cycle. Both of these cycles have been developed over millions of years, produce no waste, and need little to no modification to function properly. The water cycle has produced a perfect drainage system, connecting the sky to the soil, and the tallest of mountains to the sea. The carbon cycle, a process that gives food and structure to all life forms, is the greatest recycling program on Earth. I include a third cycle in Organic Architecture that I refer to as the Life Cycle. The Life Cycle is the manifestation, growth and movement of all living organisms. It is the easiest cycle to see and interpret by humans, and often serves as a catalyst for cultural identity and in historic times, a localized source of sustenance.
Excess irrigation, excess drainage, excessive earthmoving- all of these factors plague golf course development because the design of the course disregarded or subjugated natural cycles. Each of these factors inevitably lead to needless financial costs. Styles can fluctuate, and should, in order for the art of architecture to remain dynamic and fluid. However, if the physical form of the golf course deviates from the natural cycles of nature too much, it will indeed be an unsustainable endeavor leading to excessive financial and environmental costs. Designing within these natural cycles respects and utilizes nature’s inherent mechanisms, enabling closed loop cycles to perpetuate. This is what I refer to as Organic Architecture and it forms the basic building blocks of my design philosophy.
Utilizing controlled burn techniques to manage grasslands at Ohoopee Match Club, Ga
Organic Architecture celebrates these cycles by not only refraining from altering, or destroying their existence, but finding new ways to incorporate them into our designed environments. We do this not by isolating challenges in order to develop a specified solution, but by understanding what role each of these cycles plays in the greater design challenge, then finding a solution within the natural laws of each of the cycles. The result typically leads to a creative solution, specific to the precise conditions present on site, using a design vocabulary familiar to those systems.