blog 1
When Vincent Scully gave a eulogy for the great architect Louis Kahn, he described a day when both were crossing Red Square, whereupon Scully excitedly turned to Kahn and said, “Isn’t it wonderful the way the domes of St. Basil’s Cathedral reach up into the sky?” Kahn looked up and down thoughtfully for a moment and said, “Isn’t it beautiful the way they come down to the ground?”If we understand that design leads to the manifestation of human intention and if what we make with our hands is to be sacred and honor the earth that gives us life, then the things we make must not only rise from the ground but return to it, soil to soil, water to water, so everything that is received from the earth can be freely given back without causing harm to any living system. This is ecology. This is good design. (Excerpt from architect William McDonough’s sermon “Design, Ecology, Ethics and the Making of Things” given at the centennial of the Cathedral of St John the Divine, New York, New York, February 7, 1993 as posted on the ASID website. http://www.asid.org/NR/rdonlyres/6F471628-9D8D-41D6-90A4-4B07C348F4A4/114/design_ecology_ethics.pdf)
DEFINING SUSTAINABILITY
“Our natural, built, and human environments are all under unprecedented pressure and undergoing change. To ensure our resources are used effectively and we maintain a healthy and balanced environment and society, it is critical that we act now to begin the journey toward a more sustainable future.” (AIA Roundtable on Sustainable Design V, April 19, 2006, http://www.aia.org/SiteObjects/files/liv_RTV_Summary.pdf)
Main Entry: sus·tain Pronunciation: s&-'stAnFunction: transitive verbEtymology: Middle English sustenen, from Old French sustenir, from Latin sustinEre to hold up, sustain, from sub-, sus- up + tenEre to hold -- more at SUB-, THIN1 : to give support or relief to2 : to supply with sustenance : NOURISH3 : KEEP UP, PROLONG4 : to support the weight of : PROP; also : to carry or withstand (a weight or pressure)5 : to buoy up
(Definition from the Mirriam-Webster online dictionary, http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary)
Though much could be said about the entire conglomerate that sustainable design entails (a subject that not only fascinates me, but which I passionately feel to be beautiful, visionary and essential), I will focus on the part of sustainability that my study group will explore: sustainable or ‘green’ interior finishes. In discussing what makes a product green, Global Green USA, a national environmental organization (http://www.globalgreen.org/), set forth these guidelines for sustainable materials:
Save Energy
· Products that either reduce heating and cooling loads, such as building orientation, high-quality windows, and insulation.
· Products that use less energy, such as Energy Star-rated appliances, efficient heating and cooling systems and florescent lamps.
· Products that produce energy, such as solar electricity generation systems.
Conserve Water
· Products that conserve water above and beyond what is required by law, such as dual-flush toilets and under-sink flow restrictors
· Products that consume less water, such as native landscaping and drought-tolerant plantings.
Contribute to a Safe, Healthy Indoor Environment
· Products that don’t release significant pollutants into the building, such as no-VOC paints, formaldehyde-free cabinets, and non-toxic caulks, sealers and adhesives, CRI Green Label carpets and pads.
· Products that block the spread of or remove indoor pollutants, such as duct mastic, effective ventilation equipment, and air and water filters.
· Products that warn occupants of health hazards, such as Carbon Monoxide detectors and humidity sensors.
Protect Natural Resources
· Products with recycled content, such as carpet, tile, wallboard, and wood replacements made from polystyrene.
· Products made from agricultural waste material, such as wheat straw, sunflower stalks, and rice hulls.
· Products that reduce material use, such as drywall clips and concrete pigments that turn concrete slabs into finished floors.
· Products made from rapidly renewable materials, such as bamboo flooring, natural linoleum, cork and textiles made from wool, sisal, hemp and organic cotton.
· Wood products from sustainably managed forests, certified according to the principles of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).
· Salvaged products, such as bricks, lumber and plumbing fixtures.
Reduce Buildings’ Impact on the Community
· Products that mitigate the effects of stormwater runoff, such as permeable pavers, green roofs and cisterns.
· Products that provide easy access to alternative modes of transportation such as bike racks and storage units.
· Products that do not require chemical pesticides or treatment, such as plastic lumber, physical termite barriers and native vegetation.
· Products that contain no dioxin-producing polyvinylchoride (PVC) or ozone-depleting HCFCs.
For interior materials and finishes, the third and fourth of these guidelines are most applicable. The air quality of the built environment is of major concern to sustainability. The USGBC (the organization which sets forth the regulations for LEED certification) estimates an annual sum of $15 billion is lost to illness in the US due to poor indoor air quality. Protection of our natural resources is also a necessary part of green design. Consideration should likewise be given to the ultimate destination of these products. Are they recycleable? Will they biodegrade, contributing to the overall health of the natural environment, or will they pollute it, contaminating the resources of future generations?
I love that one of the definitions of ‘sustain’ is to nourish. Many of the sources I have found in preparing for our study abroad, including our text Cradle to Cradle and William McDonough’s sermon which I quoted above, suggest that the perfect model for sustainable design is nature itself. It is the ultimate example of utilizing available resources and recycling them back into the system in a form that is useful for other organisms in the ecological cycle. Ultimately, that would be what sustainable design is about: creating healthy environments, both built and natural, by becoming a part of them and concerning ourselves more with our health than GNP.
PROBLEMS WITH SUSTAINABILITY
Speaking of the value of health v. GNP leads well into the next topic of this blog. While it is well to speak of sustainable design and accepting our role within ecology and designing to fit within that role, actually executing it is more difficult. For one thing, the products that allow us to design like this are still relatively young so to speak. There are still relatively few of them, though availability is rapidly growing.
Technology is constantly improving and we are moving in the right direction, however, we simply don’t have existing technology to effectively and completely design in an ecologically advantageous fashion. It is fine and dandy to speak of cradle to cradle design, but it is not quite feasible just yet.
Perhaps one of the greatest hurdles is cost. Though projected monetary savings by building green are significant, the upfront expenditure to construct a sustainable structure is often formidable. Similarly, utilization of sustainable interior finishes can become pricey, and the financial advantages are not as apparent as in the entire structure so clients concerned principally with the bottom line will likely be disinterested.
Public education is another major hurdle. Misconceptions about green products can render a client wary (at best) of using such materials. As products are improved and become more readily available, educating the public about them can change these perceptions.
SOLUTIONS
There are many products available which claim to be sustainable and which contribute in various ways to a green design. Here are some third party certification and screening program links that could be helpful when utilizing sustainable materials:
Carpet and Rug Institute Green Label, Forest Stewardship Council, Greenguard, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and Scientific Certification Systems are the most useful links for interior finish products. These resources can help designers recognize sustainable materials and why they are considered green.
EXPLORATION
There seems to be many ways that sustainability can be improved upon when concerning interior finish materials, from safer production methods, reduced (or ideally eliminated) emissions, recycleability, greater permanence or the other end of the spectrum, products designed to be broken down and reused or to easily biodegrade and reenter the soil. Each of these issues is being addressed at multiple levels, from production to distribution to execution. Vigilant personal education by designers is essential in further promoting and utilization of sustainable design.
CONCLUSIONS
While there is yet much to be improved in the sustainability of interior finishes, I would personally most like to address the issue of public and client education. While I believe in and feel passionately about the ideals of sustainable design, I also recognize that if we are unable to enact those ideals in our designs, we cannot “begin the journey toward a more sustainable future,” protecting natural resources for our children and our children’s children. I hope to educate myself more fully about sustainable design so as to more knowledgeably promote green principles to my clients and the public. If we can shift our system of valuation away from the almighty dollar to the potential of Mother Nature and her resources, we will become a far richer society. The revolution can start with me.
P.S. I have discovered that creating the file in Word and pasting it to the blog does not allow for images to be included. Sorry for the gaps. Perhaps a blog 1.5 is in order?
posted by janelle @ 10:20 PM
4 comments
