ok, going to try some face saving here :p
its to discuss the facilities and...policies..? that might be required to foster a healthy culture
Also how to inspire various existing autistic cultures towards an interest in the island.
Perhaps we should be a bit startrek/wars and have generic religious buildings? you know..nice neutral architecture, acceptible for all
We'd just have to have someone to organise bookings - we wouldn't want the Christians and Satanists turning up at the same time, for example...
Further posts will be forthcoming, right now I'm posting only so I get notified of further posts...-
And now, to bed.
What do we mean by "Culture"/What is the purpose of this thread?
Well, the way I see it, in this context, "Culture" refers to the following:
-Art
-Education
-Architecture (and possibly layout, although there's another thread for that)
-How everything will function together
-Technology/Science (where it doesn't overlap with other people's projects)
-What will the island produce?
-Tourism
-Religion
-Autistic culture
-Disability issues
There might be some other stuff, but for now that's what I've thought of.
Right now I'm focusing on the architecture, which is closely related to many of the above things. I want the architecture to fuse art with technology with the environment. Everything needs to be low-maintenance and very aesthetically pleasing. We also need to keep in mind issues of accessibility and environmental awareness.
If there's any one "theme" of architectural design on the island, it will be one of acceptance and integration. That's why I'm in favor of the idea of having all the religious buildings in the same area- it gives a feeling of "Look, we are all different but we all get along just fine".
In terms of fusing art and technology with the architecture, I'm trying to find ways to utilize technology to make the buildings exceptionally beautiful, but also to make them useful. It's possible to include in the design ways of utilizing natural resources, for energy, for light, for heat, for many things. We can also build technology into the buildings to make use of all possible space and other resources. I'm not necessarily talking about using technology to do things like make your toilet into a functioning personal computer with internet access, although if we want to, we can do that. I'm talking more about things like a floor that collects energy from the pressure/movement of your feet to power your appliances (this has been done, but it's expensive). Then I'm also talking about using things to make the buildings more beautiful, such as heat-sensitive color-changing cloth, LitraCon, etc. We can probably find ways to make solar panels a beautiful and integrated part of the design as well.
So, what are your thoughts?
As for the religious buildings....
There are many places in the world where more than one group shares the same building. College campuses in the US do this regularly (saves money). Ian's sarcastic attempt to divide the community prior to formation aside, I really don't see a problem there.
As for the rest of the culture, if we're building an island retreat for aspies, obviously it's going to have a designed culture, at least starting out. It can be as subtle as building art museums rather than gardens, or as obvious as scheduling the mandatory "Final Fantasy Discussion Group" after lunch every day. (That would be sarcasm)
While I don't like to impose my feelings on this matter, I think that the culture will be in large part set by the island being a "showpiece" for aspies everywhere.
whilst it would be very much possible to share buildings between faiths, this would deny us an oppotunity to have some stunning architecture. and, again, it reinforces the whole "acceptance and equality" theme.
and yes, to begin with the culture would have to be structured, the better to mould it into a healthy, varied culture in the long run.
and please, impose away 
Well, we could probably have a generic Christian church which is shared by multiple denominations- particularly if it was large enough to have multiple masses going on at once. However, different faiths have different needs/ideals in a religious space, and I feel that the island would provide the opportunity to do some things that wouldn't be possible in a shared space- such as the astronomically aligned stone circle! Having them separate also allows architecture and decor to be matched to the cultural tradition of that religion.
Hmmm,
What other sides of culture would the island have? Would the island be a place of quiet and solitude, like a sterotypical monastic community, or would it be a loud, brash community of constant parades?
Imagine, for a moment, that you hear about the aspie island. What thoughts come into your mind when you think of an aspie island? What would you want to do, as a visitor or as a tourist? What would draw you to return to the island again?
I pictured it as relatively quiet. I don't think we'd actually get many aspies or auties if it was loud- sensory issues, you know.
I've been making up a past-tense narrative in my head about all the cool things on the island and the way things work, as part of solidifying my thoughts about the design. That's actually how I think everything through, including my own actions in real life- as a past-tense narrative. I guess it's in my nature to be a writer. :p
Will there be a yoghurt factory on this island?
I don't like architecture that looks like barren blocks but I do liked curved lines and attractive colours.
I suggest you stop pissing on my bonfire then.
Well, then.
How about we see what I find fun? *crackle*
see how it devolves into farce, gentlemen.
It's all concepts mate ;]
Think of it as a Design Exercise.
A lot of aspies have a special interest in cooking, so there would probably be aspies interested in running restaurants. This would be good even if very few aspies attended; we'll have a lot of tourists, some of whom will be NT or Neurodivergent-other-than-autistic ("Cousins"), and they'll probably greatly appreciate being able to go to a restaurant, especially if they're only staying for a few days at a hotel and don't want to/aren't able to cook a meal for themselves while there.
On a design note, one of the design elements we were thinking of was very effective use of space; so when I saw these today, I thought immediately of this project:
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/03/...ng-bed.php (article in Treehugger e-zine describing the product)
(Yes, Ian, I do subscribe to Treehugger. Bite me.)
I'm going to start a poll in the main forum about eating at restaurants so we have actual statistics to bandy about.
(Yes, Ian, I do subscribe to Treehugger. Bite me.)
It would be my pleasure ;]