Editing Organic architecture (section)

=== Rudolf Steiner ===
[[Rudolf Steiner]], an esoteric philosopher, social reformer and architect, is also a significant player in organic architecture history. He is best known today for the Steiner concept of education or [[Waldorf education|Waldorf schools]], as well as being the father of the biodynamic approach to agriculture, but he also created a number of structures in the early 1900s and introduced his ideas about transformation into architecture. The original [[Goetheanum]]<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Paull |first=John |date=2022-07-05 |title=Goetheanum II: Masterpiece of Organic Architecture by Rudolf Steiner |url=https://www.ej-arch.org/index.php/arch/article/view/9 |journal=European Journal of Architecture and Urban Planning |language=en |volume=1 |issue=4 |pages=1–14 |doi=10.24018/ejarch.2022.1.4.9 |issn=2796-1168}}</ref> he constructed was an early example of organic architecture; but, due to fire, it was redesigned and replaced by the second, concrete and organically formed Goetheanum building, a cultural and spiritual center for the artists.<ref>Sokolina, Anna. "Modernist Topologies: The Goetheanum in Building." In ''Modernity and Construction of Sacred Space'', edited by Aaron French and Katharina Waldner, 149–168. Berlin: De Gruyter Oldenbourg, 2024. ISBN 9783111061382 and 9783111062624. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783111062624-008.</ref>

Other modernist architects in the U.S., Europe, and elsewhere held complementarily and often competing views of how architecture could best emulate nature. Key figures in the U.S. included [[Louis Sullivan]], [[Claude Bragdon]], [[Eugene Tsui]] and [[Paul Laffoley]] while among European modernists [[Hugo Häring]], [[Arthur Dyson]], [[Hans Scharoun]], and [[Rudolf Steiner]]<ref>Paull, John (2020). [https://www.academia.edu/42967594/The_First_Goetheanum_A_Centenary_for_Organic_Architecture The First Goetheanum: A Centenary for Organic Architecture],  Journal of Fine Arts. 3 (2): 1–11</ref> stand out. Following World War II, organic architecture often reflected cybernetic and informatics models of life, as is reflected in the later work of futurist architect [[Buckminster Fuller]].

In his book The Breaking Wave: New Organic Architecture, Architect and planner- David Pearson created the Gaia Charter, a set of rules for organic architecture. Pearson draws inspiration from various movements, including Celtic design, Art Nouveau, Arts and Crafts, and Antoni Gaudí's work.

"Let the design:

* be inspired by nature and be sustainable, healthy, conserving, and diverse.
* unfold, like an organism, from the seed within.
* exist in the "continuous present" and "begin again and again".
* follow the flows and be flexible and adaptable.
* satisfy social, physical, and spiritual needs.
* "grow out of the site" and be unique.
* celebrate the spirit of youth, play, and surprise.
* express the rhythm of music and the power of dance."<ref>Pearson, David (2001). The Breaking Wave: New Organic Architecture (Stroud: Gaia), p. 72</ref>

There are contemporary creations of organic architecture. The definition of 'organic' has dramatically changed during recent times. Avoiding materials of construction that require more [[embodied energy]] to build and sustain it, when the building blends naturally and sits seamlessly to its surroundings, reflecting cultural continuity, it is 'organic' and is idealistic. Examples include leaving natural material, such as [[bedrock]], exposed and unsculptured, such as the underground [[Rådhuset metro station]] in [[Stockholm]], which appears to occupy a natural cave system.