An interpretation about Sustainability and Sustainable Design

The Merriam-Webster’s have an insightful definition of the word sustainable. 

: able to be used without being completely used up or destroyed

: involving methods that do not completely use up or destroy natural resources

: able to last or continue for a long time

When humans first started their civilized journey, this revolution consisted in the development of the domestication of plants and animals and the development of new sedentary lifestyles which allowed economies of scale and productive surpluses.

According to Terri Peters, the terms sustainable design and ecological architecture are firmly a part of the contemporary culture of architecture and building. Conservation today aims to preserve the resources available now after the enormous usage and abusage in the past few decades.

Environmental concerns and crisis is now being reflected through the design solutions seen in developing economies. Where glass facades are still seen in aplenty, exposed brick and mud made popular by Laurie Baker is also seen on an experimental level on a large scale. Indian architects like Romi Khosla’s design works are a fresh breath in the stagnant architecture scene in and around delhi. Chakravarty house built in 1976 is an excellent example of modern buildings nestled amidst the tall urban sprawling.

For designers, it has increasingly become difficult to introduce and incorporate newer building materials in keeping view its impacts on the ecology. While 40 years ago, the concern for depleting natural resources was beginning to make waves in developed economies, the developing third world countries where architecture was more or less seen as buildings designed for government or for institutions, were still unaware of the potential risk of these issues. Ecology was not a major concern then because many designers were not trained to understand and implement environmentally safe building practices, nor were these adopted. In the past few years, when Conservation of natural resources seems to have made its importance clear with respect to human existence, focus has been shifted to introduce and use materials and energy to protect a built structure. Moving beyond building materials and energy use, architects  must now look for a balance between the ecology and the built environment.

A good example would be of Studio Gang Architects led by Jeanne Gang in Chicago. Their design for The Ford Calumet Environmental Center uses a nest as its construction model. By employing plentiful and leftover materials found nearby in its design, it demonstrates the important principal of re-use. By proposing a building made from materials at hand, it radically alters the way a building is both conceived and made: form follows availability.

Safer environments to live in the future is a challenge to designers and urban planners today. It can be only realized through a strong inter-weaving of ecologically concerned built habitats with optimum use of natural resources and energy consumption.

 (As written on 01.Dec.2013 for a Sustainable Building Design Principles assignment for school)