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)
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