R1 - Reinterpreting Sustainable Architecture: the Place of Technology

There are many ways to define sustainable architecture, and it is this debacle that Simon Guy and Graham Farmer focus on in this reading. With so many differing perspectives how can we pick which one is the right path? The answer is we don’t. We shouldn’t search for one universal solution, instead seek out raising awareness of the public through our work. The response our work garners relies on how the environmental issues are presented, are they world ending and global or local and regional? This conundrum turns the debate from one of architectural to one of social. The ability to impact change varies depending on the problem at hand, institutions can impact a global scale while groups and individuals focus on more immediate and personal problems. To manage the variety of views into something categorical Guy and Farmer came up with six logics. Technology is the answer,'' cries the Eco-technic. This is the perspective held by institutions for it allows them to have a global impact on issues such as climate change and ozone depletion. They assume that the way forward is to go further towards industrialism which would mean getting rid of the negative effects it has had on the world, putting faith in what these institutions have potential for and the possibilities of future technological advancements. The Eco-Centric calls for a rethinking of values, it views the global issues as too big for merely technology to solve. Nature is fragile and needs to be actively protected. On a regional scale they say we should focus on reducing our ecological footprint and make use of sustainable, recycled materials in our architecture. In Eco-Aesthetic sustainable architecture is viewed as a means to an end, a metaphor, a way to inspire social change in those who experience it. This is an idealist view of the world as a global consciousness that we all interact with and are actively a part of. Eco-Cultural takes the perspective of people, specifically the preservation of unique and indiginous cultures, pushing us to protect these bastions of diversity that make the earth a varied place. We should resist the globalization of universal design which ignores the location in favor of standardized construction and design without considering the vernacular. Eco-Medical takes the view that structures until now have not been healthy for their occupants, stale air and a lack of nature and individual control have led to the phenomena of “sick building syndrome”. Here the thought proposed is that we design healing environments that bring occupants together with the world around them. 

Throughout my own design I’ve grown to focus on more renewable materials while still leaning towards a more universal design approach, this reading has made me reconsider what I want my impact to be and not the blanket statement of “I want to be sustainable”. That can be done by slapping solar panels on a roof, that isn’t architecture. This has reminded me to be more intentional about incorporating culture into my design rather than it being an afterthought.