The Sustainable Scale

Scale has always been an interest of mine. I had always assumed that what could be done on the small scale in terms of sustainability could also be done on the larger scale. This was such a closed way of thinking because it is easy to think buildings, large buildings, are sustainable when they have a LEED seal on the front door.

I did a project last semester on Eames’ Power of Ten film and what those powers would be today, if the film were to be remade. It was along the lines of the digital nanoscale replacing human cells, etc. But I now wonder what those scales would be had the focus been entirely on sustainable design. Designing (or redesigning) entire cities would have to take place on the macroscale. It would require a new way of thinking because we have been focused on the microscale for so long, ensuring that every building is sustainable versus every city.