SUMMARY OF INFLUENCES AND RESPONSES THAT SHAPE THE CHARACTER OF THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT -
ECOLOGICAL INFLUENCES include the following:
• Sparse rainfall.
• Low humidity.
• Abundant and intense sunlight.
• Dramatic freeze-thaw cycles.
• Visible geology—an abundance of rock visible
on the Earth’s surface.
• Long vistas with dramatic views.
• Wide-open landscapes that provide little sense
of enclosure or sheltering from wind and sun.
• High winds.
• Thin soils.
• Relatively sparse vegetation.
• Less diverse vegetation compared
to more humid, rainy regions.
• High elevation.
• Clear, brilliant skies.
CULTURAL INFLUENCES
• European, Mormon, and Native American cultures.
• Tradition of building compounds to create
community and shelter.
• Ranching and agricultural cultures.
• Landscape that is at once domesticated and
sparsely populated.
• Prairie-style architecture that developed
as a response to horizontal landscape with
limitless horizon.
Figures of Buildings reflecting the Ecological and Cultural Influence of:
Railroads
Ranching and farming
Prairie style