Cultivating Water-Human Intimacy within the Built Environment: Insights from the Master of the Nets Garden

Authors

  • Li Lu Leiden University
  • Haoxiang Zhang Delft University of Technology

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DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58981/bluepapers.2024.2.03

Keywords:

water-human relationship, Chinese built heritage, perceptual sphere, spatial-visual stimulus analysis, spatial conditions analysis

Abstract

Water plays a fundamental role in human survival and well-being. Despite extensive research highlighting the importance of water-human relationships, how to cultivate intimacy between them at the architectural scale remains largely underexplored. This article explores this dynamic through a case study of the Master of the Nets Garden in China. Using spatial, empirical and experiential analyses, it introduces a three-stage framework that integrates both quantitative and qualitative methods and examines various conditions within the garden that foster intimacy between visitors and water. It concludes that spatial conditions within the perceptual sphere of water, enabling diverse experiential modes, are crucial for fostering a sense of intimacy between visitors and water at the architectural level. The article highlights water-human intimacy as a core value of water-centric built heritage. This value remains significant for researchers, spatial practitioners and policymakers, offering important insights for heritage preservation and sustainable development.

How to Cite

Lu, L., & Zhang, H. (2024). Cultivating Water-Human Intimacy within the Built Environment: Insights from the Master of the Nets Garden. Blue Papers, 3(2), 34–51. https://doi.org/10.58981/bluepapers.2024.2.03

Published

2024-11-21

Issue

Vol. 3 No. 2 (2024): Water & Heritage for Sustainable Development

Section

challenges, concepts and new approaches

License

Copyright (c) 2024 Li Lu, Haoxiang Zhang

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Author Biographies

Li Lu, Leiden University

Dr Li Lu is a researcher and lecturer at the Leiden Institute for Area Studies, specializing in Chinese spatial practice studies with a background in architecture. His research interests include Chinese material culture, dwelling philosophy, ancient Chinese garden-making and contemporary architectural practices in China. Currently, his work explores the dynamics of public and resistant spaces and the water-human relationship in China. Li also serves as an external researcher at the Institute of Eastern-Himalaya Biodiversity Research in Yunnan, investigating the water-human relationship in ethnic minority settlements in southern China.

Haoxiang Zhang, Delft University of Technology

Haoxiang Zhang is a PhD candidate in the Department of Urbanism, Delft University of Technology. His PhD research employs interdisciplinary and emerging methods and techniques to build a bridge between health-promoting evidence of blue spaces and spatial design, advancing both the construction of healthy cities and the theoretical understanding of nature-health research. He is especially interested in digital urban analysis and visualization techniques, geospatial modeling methods and design research approaches.

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