Comfort or Sustainability - What do you choose?
In today’s society we are taught that comfort is more important than saving our environment. We require things to be on demand, specifically air conditioning and heating. Our culture in the United States has taught us that comfortability is a requirement and that we should take nothing less or that you won’t be able to survive without it. However, places like those in Europe show us that air conditioning isn’t a requirement if your building is designed with environmental intentions in mind. AC is not a normal thing to have in your home and in order to have cool fresh air, natural ventilation is key. Architects in European countries actively use their design thinking skills to implement sustainable strategies from the beginning because their culture widely accepts the use of the natural environment for their levels of comfort. We as Americans need to learn from these cultures and take steps toward lowering our comfortability levels to save the environment and we as architects, make more of an effort to design with the environment in mind.
Hey Alex,
ReplyDeleteI think you give a great example when comparing a need to a want. I think back 100 years ago when air conditioning was not a thing and innovative nature strategies had to be implemented like cross ventilation, building orientation exc. If we in America focused more on architecture than air conditioning like in Europe of the rest of the world, maybe our architecture quality could improve.
I really appreciate the post, Alex. I think architects in America use technology like A/C as a crutch, or at the least, an excuse to not design with more intent and innovation. Design would be more in-tune with the occupants using the space if it was designed to integrate them into the function of the space, like utilizing operable windows as a passive heating and cooling strategy.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Michael that culturally in America, we use AC is a crutch because it provides on demand solutions like you suggested. We often look to other countries for inspiration or education on sustainability whereas comfort is more of a cultural component, binding efforts by those looking to increase our sustainability efforts.
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