The Unobtainable Sustainable
In the hustle and bustle of modern city life, it’s easy to forget that we are not separate from nature, but rather deeply intertwined with it. Ecological Urbanism, is a transformative approach to city planning that seeks to harmonize urban development with the natural world. It’s about recognizing that every building, street, and park has the potential to contribute to the health of our planet. By integrating ecological principles into urban planning and design, we can create cities that not only sustain life but enhance it.
I believe it’s crucial for universities to incorporate education on sustainable strategies into their curriculum. However, sometimes students misunderstand these concepts. They might just add green elements to their projects without truly understanding their effectiveness. I’ve found myself in this situation too. For example, I didn’t know that vertical louvers aren’t as efficient at reducing heat as we assume. We often accept information without testing it or gathering data to support it. I have also ran into times when it’s frustrating when the data we need to support our theories is unavailable. What do we do in cases like this? Do we just drop our idea since the evidence isn't available?
My main concern/question is: As architects we should always be aware of the information we use in our projects. But is it our job to find this data? I went to school to be a designer not a researcher. However, I think to be a good designer we must back up our designs with logic and reason (data), but to what extent do we seek to find this information?
The sad part of the story above is that many of us don't start our designs with the thought sustainability right from the conceptual stage. We tend to add a few things that will help us look our building sustainable in the end. I think if we genuinely start caring and considering sustainability as our one of the primary goal, it will really help in making our designs better.
ReplyDeleteTo answer your question, we are not mere designers. We will be architects. Research and case studies is our step one. We cannot skip that if we want to make sensible designs.
You raise some good points, and I agree, spending all your time running energy modeling studies is not much of a fun way to practice architecture. I suppose its our job as architects to see the value in these tools, use them as we see fit but strike a healthy balance between them and the traditional design process.
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