Sunday, August 19, 2012

Beyond Todays "Sustainability" Towards Tomorrows "Architecture" ..



‘Sustainability’ and  ‘Green Design’ are two catch-cries that comes to mind when one contemplates what it means to a ‘ Gen-Y’-er’, navigating the fast paces of Digital Age where more designers are continually striving for a response towards solutions to the major urban issues confronting our world today, from environmental destruction to economic decline to social alienation.

                                “Sustainability is simply an extension of the technocratic society we find ourselves in, not what it pretends to be.”  - Christopher Alexander [1]*

For many years now, the emphasis in Architecture and Design has been on creating flashy buildings with ‘green’ or ‘sustainable’ features that often become ‘iconic’. I have found myself thinking and questioning whether is negligence on the human aspect of buildings when they write their enormously influential and captivating critiques. It appears that they lack concern with how buildings may shape human experience and make people feel.  Designs now are seen as objects in space and not as a “place” that ennobles people — that makes them feel empowered and important. Presently, the fabrications of design seem to promote a design-centric philosophy where all that matters is the artistic statement perceived by a celebrity. Architecture’s potential is then questioned when designers seem to put all their focus on what shapes and facades to use in making their latest artistic statement.


The important question I often feel is ought to be asked is: Who are we designing for? Who will be occupying these spaces? Needless to say, the answer is ‘people’ and ‘community’ which is often overlooked in the current contemporary projects in architecture it appears. It is really the essential ingredient to a desirable architectural outcome.


In recent years, some new buildings that have won the most prestigious wards may symbolize what could also be called as a kind of new “Brutalism”. They educe that style’s monumental regard for human scale as well as connection to the surrounding streetscape. With some ‘green’ or ‘sustainable’ features, it seems like architects and designers around the world now are creating an “eco-brutalism” form that is quite often contemptuous to the needs of people, despite its contends in addressing the pressing ecological needs of our species and our planet. 


The first example that comes to mind would be the positive reaction garnered by the Cooper Union Building designed by Thom Mayne of the architecture firm Morphosis. It has won several architectural awards with its design, its LEED credentials and other “sustainable” measures. However, if for one moment we see it from a ‘non-architectural eye’ it could be speculated that there is a lack of perception when the building is seen as a sense of place. The massive meshed façade at first glance appeals as uninviting and unfriendly. If seen on a site context, it creates a dead zone in the centre of what once could have been a connected streetscape. It may be portrayed as a work or art but not as a destination where people would likely end up. 




                        Cooper Union Building by Morphosis, Source: Archdaily


However, not all buildings are caught up in such technocratic trap. For example, Council House 2 in Melbourne really adds to the life of a community and it also serves as an iconic place that creates a strong sense of place. It fits well into its urban surrounding as well as sparks a lively streetscape by initiating thought-provoking and playful interaction that would spatially engage people and as a result re-establish the connection between space, place and people (Knecht 2010).



                                 Council House 2 – Melbourne, Source: Inhabitat
 



The current downfall in development caused by global economic crisis gives us time to reflect and re-orient our focus. So how can we move beyond the era of narrow architecture to incorporate community, environmental stewardship and a sense of place into the evolving architecture of the 21st Century?



A good start would be for designers to ask the following questions before putting pen to paper towards the first sketch: How will the design embrace its context and community? How will it create a place for the community and draw on local assets (in terms of cultural, ecological, historical, social and economic)? How will it bring people together and create a vibrant public life?










References: 


 Alexander, C. 1977, A Pattern Language. London: Oxford University Press [1]*

 Knecht, Katja. “Interactive Spaces -Reactivating Architectural and Urban Space by Tracing the Non-Visual.” In Media City: Interaction of Architecture, Media and Social Phenomena, edited by Jens Geelhaar, Frank Eckardt, Bernd Rudolf, Sabine Zierold, and Michael Markert, 589-600. Weimar: Bauhaus-Universität, 2010.

Lehmann, Steffen. The Principles of Green Urbanism: Transforming the City for Sustainability. Washington, DC: Earthscan, 2010.