Nothing ever NEEDS anything

 Although some might of think of sustainability as a driver for their work or their design intentions, I have a hard time doing so at times. Lets face it, “sustainability” is a buzz word. Buzz words have a place in this world no doubt, but my dilemma with the word is not what it stands for but instead what it does NOT.

We often say in our studio desk crits or presentations, “we want to incorporate sustainable design features... into the project.” However, there is very little in how we can actually measure the effectiveness of these sustainable choices until they are actually in place in a real building (as is true for most of architecture school which is fine).

But, how many sustainable choices are enough? Net zero? Carbon Neutral? Where does it start? Where does it end? Are we failing as designers if we cannot consider these in our projects? What if the client cannot afford these sustainable design choices?

Do WE as architects have a duty to inform our clients of these sustainable measures, or should we just keep our thoughts to ourselves if the client is happy?  

These are all questions that lead me to the conclusion that yes the word sustainable is a nice word that makes everyone feel good. But how do we MEASURE what sustainable features are really necessary for a particular project? Nothing ever needs anything… or does it?