genius loci

the title:

genius loci – I first heard this term used in a Landscape Architecture  theory class to describe the phenomenology, or sense/feeling, of a place. It instantly evoked wonder about mystical deities, spirits, and lore.  A spirit created by composing elements of a place, only sensed and never seen, is, to me, the soul of architecture.

n.

1. The distinctive atmosphere or pervading spirit of a place.
2. The guardian deity of a place.

[Latin genius locī : genius, spirit + locī, genitive sing. of locus, place.]

Alexander Pope made the Genius Loci an important principle in garden and landscape (see bagh) design with the following lines from Epistle IV, to Richard Boyle, Earl of Burlington:

Consult the genius of the place in all;/That tells the waters or to rise, or fall;/Or helps th’ ambitious hill the heav’ns to scale,/Or scoops in circling theatres the vale;/Calls in the country, catches opening glades,/Joins willing woods, and varies shades from shades,/Now breaks, or now directs, th’ intending lines;/Paints as you plant, and, as you work, designs.

Pope’s verse laid the foundation for one of the most widely agreed principles of landscape architecture. This is the principle that landscape designs should always be adapted to the context in which they are located.

Taken from Wikipedia

the author:

Aaron Roy Coffeen

LEED GA, ASLA, MLA, USGBC-NM

Education:
Masters of Landscape Architecture, University of New Mexico 2010
Bachelor of Arts in Management, Luther College, 2004

Aaron is an award-wining designer who holds a Bachelors degree in Management and Economics from Luther College in Decorah, IA and a Masters Degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, NM. Aaron has focused on sustainable design while in graduate school and is LEED Green Associate certified. Aaron has completed the Bernalillo County Auga Savio training in water and irrigation efficiency and he is concluding the Bernalillo County Master Naturalist program. These programs provide him with a unique knowledge of the local landscape and natural systems of the area. Aaron is currently working  as a Cost Segregation Analyst learning how renewable energies, energy efficient building, and LEED tax incentives influence design and development.  Aaron has also worked with  several rural New Mexico communities, including Cuba and Grants, on open space design and large scale trail connections. Aaron is the Treasurer of the New Mexico American Society of Landscape Architects and volunteers with the the USGBC-NM, Young Professionals of Albuquerque, and Bernalillo County Master Naturalists.