Lecture Reflection Mike Jobes

            Mike Jobes attended Washington State University for both a Bachelors and Masters of Architecture Degree. He joined Miller Hall in Seattle in 2000 and has been a principle since 2008. In Mike’s lecture the main idea that he was presenting was the up-and-coming Urban-Natural Hybrids. The idea here is to combine the natural environment with the manmade environment. He proposed that you build a city within the natural environment and not alter the landscape to be able to fit the buildings in. A stream would be in the center of the city with brush and trees around. Buildings and apartments would be only a sidewalk away from this natural oasis. By doing this you would get a more sustainable city because you could use this oasis as a source of energy. Jobes also discussed how simple bringing the city and nature together. This is the idea of a Living Building—it would supply energy and control waste and pollution. Even by putting them next to each other you would be able to create a more sustainable living environment in the city. Jobes then talked about how to use time in design. Some key terms were “New Ancient” and “Upcycle”. The whole idea here is to use nature as your inspiration for new designs, and to design correctly the first time so as not to have to replace buildings as much and to be able to save energy.

            Jobs asked a few question about the Living Building: How will it feel to live in a truly Living City?  What are the cultural and physical implications of this shift?  What natural-urban hybrids will emerge?

            To answer these, I believe it would feel very environmentally friendly to live in a Living City. I think you we see a whole new way of living that you could feel good about. I think it would be a great place for future generations to grow up in as well. People will be more aware of their impact on the environment and will contribute to a better way of living. It would take a lot of work for this to happen. In order to do so society needs to support the change. It has to be supported by the government as well. I would expect it to take a few generations before we started seeing a big change but eventually it would work on our behalf and create a more sustainable earth. As for the Natural-Urban Hybrids that we will see, having a stream and oasis going through the center of the city is probably the biggest element. Being able to get our resources and energy from a renewable source only a few feet away from us only has a positive outcome. Buildings will have more sustainable materials and will incorporate nature into their structures.

            This was a very interesting lecture and it’s the beginning of a new kind of society and way of living that will be more sustainable and rewarding than anything that is being built right now. 
























Here are some sketches of the images he showed in his presentation.