What is sustainability? Why has this topic gained momentum in the past few years ? Does sustainable design methods only reap benefits or does it have a pitfall side to it? These are some of the questions that we are going to be discussing in this essay. Sustainability can be defined as an environmentally conscious design that has a minimal impact on the planet. As a result of external forces in the magnitude of global warming and many other more, as designers we have some social responsibility to cater to such issues. In light of this concern designers have become more conscious of their creative decisions and plan to lead their designs in the “sustainable” (long lasting ) way. The ramification of the damage that we have done to the environment is huge and increasing by the day. The three primary factors that affect the environment are ecological damage, health damage and resource depletion. (Walker, 2013)
One of the most interesting ideas from the course readings was about the eco-design strategy wheel. It is imperative to understand the strategies involved to reduce the ecological impact of a product/system . The eight categories of the wheel are laid out in a system according to the stages of life cycle of a product. This is crucial for designers because it helps designers to innovate new strategies. The other crucial concept is to understand why we throw things away. With the help of statistics , the author clearly describes about how functionality is only a part of the reason why we throw t...
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...conscious of our nature and be socially responsible. The one quote that comes to my mind is “ Think locally and act globally “.The author in the “Small is beautiful” analyses the key issue of how humans are over using the existing resources, this is something I would definitely take into consideration in my designs – optimal utilization of resources. Taking small steps towards the larger context makes it simpler to handle the humungous responsibility. Optimum use of resources, using local resources, renewable resources, being socially and economically conscious before trashing stuff that still are functional. I am confident that incorporating these basic strategies in the base level we can take it up to what we call as a “ sustainable “ ( long lasting) world.
The following case study critiques Upton’s vision to establish a sustainable community through implementing comprehensive sustainable strategy. The urban periphery development is thought to demonstrate superior execution of sustainable principles in development (Jackson 2007). As a parallel, the report focuses on the development of Upton’s design code and demonstrates how large -scale mix-use developments can incorporate sustainable practice and principles of urban growth.
Knight, A. 2009, Hidden Histories: the Story of Sustainable Design, ‘Problems associated with sustainable design’, Date accessed: 15/03/14,
Sustainability is an issue that everyone should be concerned about. If the planet Earth is going to exist, as we know it, everyone should wake up and do their part to help achieve a greater level of sustainability. In my English 101 class we learned about the issue of sustainability. Many different topics were discussed and researched throughout the course of the semester. Overall, I think that the sustainability project has been a learning and enlightening experience for everyone in this class. Many more things can be done next semester, since the groundwork has been laid to continue this project for time to come.
Yan, J. & Plainiotis, S. (2006): Design for Sustainability. Beijing, China: Architecture and Building Press.
Sustainable design steadily becomes the architecture catch phrase of the day, being thrown around to make us aware that everything we “design” has an environmental burden. Many designers, architects and builders have installed the “idea of green” into their buildings to demonstrate a potential to improve performance and reduce costs through sustainable strategies. Despite all this one fact remains, that is the enviable depletion of fossil fuels, and without a major overhaul of our society, our economy and our politics, the ideas of “sustainable design” are just band-aids on the bigger problem. In the 1970's Bill Mollison and David Holmgren decided to create a design system for sustainability, looking to create a harmony between humans and the land they live on. From this the original incarnation Permaculture was born and over the years it has evolved into a vision of sustainable culture.
The main argument of tho text is that designers must ensure that they are creating sustainable environments, to allow for maximum energy conservation, as well as having a “positive economic impact” upon society.
... design methods first or risk losing relevance, as unsustainable constructions are seen as ignorant structures not serving a greater function. The greater push for sustainable design may have seen creativity diminish in that the functionality has now again taken precedent over from. Sustainable design principles however, have proven to successfully engage and solve global environmental issues by using tools such as bio mimicry, efficiency, renewability and durable design methods. Environmental fears and ethics have resulted in sustainable design impacting contemporary architecture resulting in a theory revolving around sustainability. The scope as to which sustainable design principles can grow appears large, however it would be interesting to note if any new technological advances would impact aspects of architecture as greatly as the beginning of sustainability.
Earth is facing a huge issue today which is called pollution which continues to an increase in pollution by the day. Green design is one way to help reduce this issue. Putting green design to use can be more expensive and hard to obtain compared to buying and using products that are made of virgin materials. Failure to do so will exhaust our resources and that we could lose the ability to making good products or materials. Can be more costly, the idea of green design is very beneficial to the planet in one of many ways because it can improve in the environment, economic, and social lifestyle.
Contemporary design is context dependent, and when this is ignored, design fails to perform its social purpose, and converts into an independent craft or art form. Many sociological factors within each culture, have had an important role into defining the direction where design is and moving towards. In a way, it can be said that the objects of design may be the last tangible reminder of what a society once was: in a sense, it has the power to perpetuate a significant ideology and a visual expression of the changes and evolution our culture has been gone through. Technology has been a crucial factor as contributor to culture’s evolution, and therefore design’s own experimentations. The history of design is as filled with peculiar attempts to reconcile inherited formal models and new technologies as it is with the spontaneous invention of appropriate styles.
This essay explores the concept of whether the outcome of design is directed towards a ‘Look at me’ or ‘Look at this’ theory. Through evaluating research behind the meaning of design, this essay will discuss that the theory behind a design leans greater towards a conceptual base rather than placing the emphasis on the physical product and therefore arguing that there is a greater tendency towards the ‘Look at this’ approach. The argument presented aims to discuss the point that design is a conceptual based practice which contains much subjectivity and therefore is difficult to place specifics on. This essay will focus on the meaning of design and the design process. It will then concentrate on a discussion about the uses of design as a symbol and communication tool. After examining a range of disciplines, this essay will evaluate and suggest that the more fitting meaning of design is ‘Look at this’.
The idea of water is often overlooked as being something that we need to try ad sustain. We have the whole ocean and there seems to constantly be a storm dumping rain over the country at all times. But do we really have enough water to support all our needs including the irrigation for our crops and the water that we need to consume to stay healthy? Do the rivers and streams hold a quality of clean and healthy water? The project that I am about to discuss was set into play in order to try and tackle these questions as well as many other concerns such as flood protection, wildlife and recreation uses, and actively getting the people aware and supportive of change. This project is known as modernizing water management and building a national sustainable rivers program. The nature conservancy teams up with the Army Corps of Engineers in trying to find sustainable solutions to river health. Throughout the 20th century the United States built thousands of Dams and several other types of water projects to try and meet the growing need that was present from water, food, flood protection, hydropower and navigation. Of all the dams that were built some 40-80 years ago there is very few of them that have been fully reviewed to see if they meet the current needs. They have not been inspected to prepare for future circumstances or to observe any new updates that they may be in need of. With the idea of this sustainable project we can now attempt to modernize the operations and to improve the social, economic and environmental benefits that they can provide for us now as well as for the future generations that are still to come. The idea is to improve our current dams and try to build a better system to manage the waterways through our countr...
Sustainable design seeks to reduce negative impacts on the environment, the health and comfort of building occupants, thereby improving building performance. The basic objects of sustainability are to reduce consumption of non-renewable resources, minimal waste, and create healthy, productive environments (“Sustainable Design”). Focusing primarily on the sustainable design principles, there are five, including: low-impact materials, energy efficiency, quality and durability, design for reuse and recycling, and renewability. As sustainability appears to become the necessary trend in architecture, the question concerning the cost versus outcome of “going green” really an investment or a waste of time and money comes to mind. With our research provided below, we believe the expenses may truly be with the investment in the end.
decrease. That means that the natural capital (oil, coal, forests, etc.) can decrease as long as the sum of physical (produced means of production; technology) and human (people’s
According to Miller and Spoolman the three principles of sustainability are solar energy, biodiversity, and chemical cycling (2010, p.5). Solar energy is the perfect energy because the sun always shines. Everyday we rely on solar energy so why not make solar energy work to our advantage. I can apply solar energy to my lifestyle by having items like solar panels installed on my home. With solar panels I will be able to generate my own clean energy therefore decreasing my reliance on the fossil fuels that currently supply my house. Giant advancements in solar technology have been made in the last few years and now several countries are jumping on the solar bandwagon. “China is on track to become the world’s largest solar market as they try to diversify away from coal, which currently fuels 70% of their economy” (Bloomberg, 2011). A second way that I could apply solar energy to my lifestyle would be to use the sun as a light source. During the day I tend to keep all of my window blinds closed so I’m wasting energy my running my lights when I should just open my blinds and let the sun do the natural job of lighting my home for me.
... architectures would led to a more organic organization beneficial to the people that choose to make their lives in this city. Although this model of a sustainable city is not a perfectly closed loop, it lays the foundation for one that is. Over time, with constantly evolving and improving technology and new methods of design from the scale of products to buildings, the gaps in the loop could be closed, and a “true” sustainable city could be fully realized.