Malcolm Wells was an architect from New Jersey who moved to Cape Cod. In 1971, he set 15 goals for his work focused on environmental sustainability and human and wildlife habitat. After realizing that his designs like a pavilion for the World's Fair would be torn down after only a few years, he developed the theory of "gentle architecture". His gentle architecture designs were partially buried underground or had features like earth roofs to blend with the natural landscape. Wells designed his own underground home and art gallery with earth roofs. He advocated for more sustainable architecture that preserved land and had a gentler footprint through his teaching and three books on the topic.

1. Gentle
Architecture
By: Stephanie Tivnan

2. Malcolm Wells:

3. Malcolm Wells’ Goals:
 An architect from New Jersey later moved
to Cape Cod
 83 years old when he died
 Teacher of environmental design at
Harvard
 He set 15 goals for his own work in 1971
 Some were to “use and store solar
energy, to consume their own waste, to
provide wildlife habitat and human
habitat, and to be beautiful.” Boston Globe

4. A Change of Heart:
 Became an architect in 1953
 He designed a pavilion for RCA in The
World’s Fair in New York.
 Malcolm realized that just 2 years after
putting the pavilion up it would be torn
down.
 He started to notice the concrete
footprints that all of his designs left
behind.
 Wells developed his theory on gentle
architecture

5. Eco- Friendly (gentle)
Architecture
 After Malcolm set these goals he made his
designs eco- friendly.
 Some designs were partially borrowed in
the ground or had sky lights to suit the
landscape they were on.

6. A home designed by Wells:

7. Earth Roofs
 “In general, his roofs were covered with
layers of earth, suitable for gardens or
other green growth.” Boston Globe
 His Art Gallery was covered in soil and
grass.

8. Malcolm’s Underground Art
Gallery:

9. Eco- Friendly at Heart
 Malcolm Wells on bridges: “It is a land-
killer, a dead footprint on land or water. To
last for centuries, to provide a sheltered
roadway, to serve all creatures and to
present a living surface to the sky, a bridge
must have a roof and a deep covering of
earth.’’

11. Gentile Architecture
 After designing concrete parking lots
Malcolm realized he wanted to preserve the
land that they were built on
 Decided upon gentile architecture:
 Designed his own underground home and
office
 Wrote three books: “Gentle Architecture’’
(1981), “Infra Structures’’ (1994), and
“Recovering America’’ (1999).
 Taught his ideas to his students at Harvard

12. Citation
 Weber, Bruce. "Malcolm
Wells, 83, Advocate for `gentle
Architecture'." Boston Globe: 10. Dec 07
2009. Boston Globe. Web. 19 Sep. 2012 .