A Conceptual Framework for the Externalization of Ecological Wisdom: The Case of Traditional Korean Gardens

Abstract

With the continuous effort for a harmonious coexistence with nature in human settlement, theories for ecological design and urban sustainability are proposed and developed. However, in 2014, a new concept called ‘ecological wisdom’ was proposed with the baseline that knowledge of ecological design should be gained from past sustained examples as ecological design problem spaces are unbounded. How can ecological wisdom from designs be acquired for reuse? The purpose of this research is to propose a conceptual framework for the acquisition of ecological wisdom and develop a detailed externalization methodology (a process of making tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge). Then, to see if it works or not, the methodology is applied to private Korean gardens of the Joseon Dynasty, which are renowned for being ‘naturalistic’. First, references from knowledge management (KM) are reviewed to claim that externalization step is necessary for the knowledge cycle of ecological wisdom. Then, for externalization, four steps are presented: (1) Case definition; (2) case deconstruction into geometric data and environmental data; (3) similarity calculation for each data types; and (4) matrix correlation between similarity matrices from geometric data and similarity matrices from environmental data. When the above externalization method is applied to 35 cases of private Korean gardens, yearly average temperature and proximity to the nearest river were the most correlated natural factors in terms of architectural spatial relationship in Korean gardens.

An Iterative Conceptual Design Process for Modular Product Based on Sustainable Analysis and Creative Template Method

“…The proposal of sustainable development is not only a measure to deal with global warming, resource shortage, and other serious problems affecting human development, but also a new awareness of social development. The product design method has experienced the stages of green design [40], ecological design [41], low-carbon design [42], and environmental design [43] under the guidance of the sustainable design. Hence, an iterative conceptual design process is formed by the innovative design method combined with the sustainable analysis according to the design problems of mechanical products.…”

Morphological analysis of historical landscapes based on cultural DNA approach

“…Exploring knowledge of these landscapes' evolutionary design approaches, change management, and sustainable development led to a two-way investigation of design and planning theories and the relationship between man and nature. In a non-linear-adaptive process, historical landscapes obtain semantic-physical identities and evolve following the culture, environmental conditions, and time while transferring implicit knowledge (Min and Lee, 2019).…”

“…As a result, by expanding the history of landscapes over time and continuing to process their spatial structural units, the past is always present in today's landscape, and they non-linearly shape the process of landscape formation today. Another approach is the ecological wisdom, which considers cultural heritages and indigenous architectures as individual artefacts or collective knowledge that have been achieved over time through transformations and internalization (Min and Lee, 2019), and it can be revealed and used in today's landscape design. This collective knowledge is evidence-based, time-honored, and expresses the ecological wisdom of the space.…”

Traditional Ecological Knowledge versus Ecological Wisdom: Are They Dissimilar in Cultural Landscape Research?

“…Ecology, as a basis of landscape design, has been highlighted as evidence of the importance of integrating nature into the landscape design process. In line with this issue, there are some ideas to return to tradition and acquire indigenous knowledge and wisdom from cultural landscape heritage as a basis for sustainable development [3].…”