Over the course of my architecture career the fashionability of 'sustainability' has evolved into an imperative that still has patchy adoption rates. The essentials of 'sustainable design' though, have always been part of traditional architecture and architectural education. Consider the site deeply; aspect, prospect, terrain. Look for opportunities to maximise light and control heat gain and loss. Respect the environment both natural and man-made. These were all principles ingrained in my architectural education. In my time of study the rise of Glenn Murcutt meant we were all being compelled to 'touch the earth lightly' and respond with biomimicry in our designs. The building started to be considered as a living skin which helped to regulate and respond to the environment.
Personally I had some cynicism through the 90s and 00s towards motives for demands for an 'eco-friendly' or sustainable house design. The majority of clients who enquire seem to view it as a badge of honour, or only some vague sense that they 'should', rather than a deeply held value which meant they were addressing their long term impact on, and contribution to the world. My feeling that the essential features of sustainability were already part of my design philosophy made me cringe at the idea of labelling or selling myself as a 'Sustainability Architect'. I'm just an architect, and this is already part of what I do. Research and implementation of the clients demands is also always part of a successful architectural project. Tell me what you want and I'll see how far we can take it.
The 'fad' of sustainability seems to have passed, for a few different reasons. The hard facts of our need to spread resources more thinly and change the rate at which we consume, have made it a more sober subject. But also I think, in my realm, that the legislation which requires new building work to consider at least the basics of energy and water efficiency has meant it's become part of the wallpaper and while costs of implementation have become more affordable, the down side of this is that it becomes at arms length and people think, "look I'm doing my bit. I have a water tank and solar panels!" In reality the many choices made in a design process are complex and require balancing of competing objectives and limitations. Materials and technology choices are amongst some of the most complex when it comes to ecology-conscious design. For instance; the environmental cost of producing solar panels versus the economic and environmental benefits of access to renewable energy is still a vexed question and the technology is changing so quickly it is hard to keep up. And then the way we live in and operate the building and landscape has long term implications for running costs, environmental impact, waste production and a positive life experience.
My recent re-discovery of the world of sustainability is motivated by many things. I want to be proud of the buildings that are built in my name and part of the change in the way we see the world. I dream of creating an environment both for myself and for my clients which is a place of delight and comfort but which also supports a life which connects them more deeply with their environment, both natural and urban and enables low resource demand and low mortgage slavery!
My ongoing professional development led me to a talk by Bill Reed, the principal of Regenesis Design in the USA. His philosophy on the future of design rang true and inspired me to dig deeper. He talks not about sustainability by regenerative design; not just meeting the minimum, but contributing, rebuilding, regenerating our urban and natural environment. His talk led me to a book called 'Designing for Hope' by Dominique Hes and Chrisna Du Plessis. I am still absorbing and digesting this dense volume, along with David Holmgren's Permaculture:Principles and Pathways beyond Sustainability. Both these books advocate the need to consider creating a way of life that restores and contributes to creating abundance rather than consuming and creating waste.
This last weekend I did a two day Introduction to Permaculture Course with Milkwood. While it was a very effective shortcut to absorbing the basics of the information in David Holmgren's book, it was more than that. Not only was I instructed by real people who are doing this in their lives and have been for a long time, but I was surrounded by people who, like me, wanted to do something to change their own lives and those of their families and communities rather than just keep feeling guilty and helpless. It has begun to help me hope that there are more of you out there who may harbour desires and hopes, and half-hidden inklings that the way you are living needs to change and you want to know if there are small and slow changes you can make towards a lifestyle which not only reduces your negative impact on the planet but which enhances your capacity to live a life of delight and abundance which spirals out to your family and your community.
My plan is to start down this path in a more intentional way, myself and hopefully take some others with me. I want to integrate what I learn into my architectural practice and start helping you learn and use these principles too, while we design your new home or additions.
I am just begin to take this on more consciously and I will be on the lookout for others who can add their wisdom and experience, as well as tradesman and suppliers who are able to provide the means to some of these goals. My hope is to make access to this way of life simpler and happier and more easily available to the people in my own community.
The 'fad' of sustainability seems to have passed, for a few different reasons. The hard facts of our need to spread resources more thinly and change the rate at which we consume, have made it a more sober subject. But also I think, in my realm, that the legislation which requires new building work to consider at least the basics of energy and water efficiency has meant it's become part of the wallpaper and while costs of implementation have become more affordable, the down side of this is that it becomes at arms length and people think, "look I'm doing my bit. I have a water tank and solar panels!" In reality the many choices made in a design process are complex and require balancing of competing objectives and limitations. Materials and technology choices are amongst some of the most complex when it comes to ecology-conscious design. For instance; the environmental cost of producing solar panels versus the economic and environmental benefits of access to renewable energy is still a vexed question and the technology is changing so quickly it is hard to keep up. And then the way we live in and operate the building and landscape has long term implications for running costs, environmental impact, waste production and a positive life experience.
My recent re-discovery of the world of sustainability is motivated by many things. I want to be proud of the buildings that are built in my name and part of the change in the way we see the world. I dream of creating an environment both for myself and for my clients which is a place of delight and comfort but which also supports a life which connects them more deeply with their environment, both natural and urban and enables low resource demand and low mortgage slavery!
My ongoing professional development led me to a talk by Bill Reed, the principal of Regenesis Design in the USA. His philosophy on the future of design rang true and inspired me to dig deeper. He talks not about sustainability by regenerative design; not just meeting the minimum, but contributing, rebuilding, regenerating our urban and natural environment. His talk led me to a book called 'Designing for Hope' by Dominique Hes and Chrisna Du Plessis. I am still absorbing and digesting this dense volume, along with David Holmgren's Permaculture:Principles and Pathways beyond Sustainability. Both these books advocate the need to consider creating a way of life that restores and contributes to creating abundance rather than consuming and creating waste.
This last weekend I did a two day Introduction to Permaculture Course with Milkwood. While it was a very effective shortcut to absorbing the basics of the information in David Holmgren's book, it was more than that. Not only was I instructed by real people who are doing this in their lives and have been for a long time, but I was surrounded by people who, like me, wanted to do something to change their own lives and those of their families and communities rather than just keep feeling guilty and helpless. It has begun to help me hope that there are more of you out there who may harbour desires and hopes, and half-hidden inklings that the way you are living needs to change and you want to know if there are small and slow changes you can make towards a lifestyle which not only reduces your negative impact on the planet but which enhances your capacity to live a life of delight and abundance which spirals out to your family and your community.
My plan is to start down this path in a more intentional way, myself and hopefully take some others with me. I want to integrate what I learn into my architectural practice and start helping you learn and use these principles too, while we design your new home or additions.
I am just begin to take this on more consciously and I will be on the lookout for others who can add their wisdom and experience, as well as tradesman and suppliers who are able to provide the means to some of these goals. My hope is to make access to this way of life simpler and happier and more easily available to the people in my own community.