Clips: Sustainability 102

pic: takomabibelot

Just because something requires thought doesn't mean it has to be hard, and the right tool can make any job easier. When it comes to sustainability issues, a lot of those tools are in development, but there are quite a few available right now. Knowing that they exist and learning how to use them can color our approaches to problem solving.

Sustainability is complex and there are different tools for different jobs. Computers are great with numbers, and there are a whole bunch of quantification tools out there, from determining consumer electronics efficiency to measuring the thermal flow across a building membrane. For a methodology to measuring sustainability concerns within business and across value chains, consultancies such as Deloitte and BSR have published publicly available road maps for determining and addressing social,  environmental, and economic issues.

For more on this topic, see my latest post for Neenan, Sustainability 102: Tools for Creating Ecological Balance at Home and Work. Please leave a comment letting me know what sustainability tools you're using.

Clips: Healthcare 2050

pic: DieselDemon

This past year I spent quite some time looking at medical technology in the context of a material (electroactive polymer) tech transfer to architecture, but I haven't thought about it in a little while. When I was assigned to edit the comments of a group of medical visionaries for the Neenan blog this week it was great to be reminded of our thrilling bionic future! Of course that's only a small piece of the question of what healthcare will look like in forty years, plenty hinges on policy and systems design. Surprisingly, none of our panelists said anything about the design of hospitals themselves! (You can check out a CEU I put together on that topic a while back for Metropolis.)

Have a read and leave a comment giving us your 2 cents on imagining healthcare 2050.

Beauty and Endearing Destiny

pic: smastrong

"Be fun and engaging and strive for an aesthetic outcome. Government, business, and environmental organization cannot create a sustainable society. It will only come about through the accumulated effects of daily acts of billions of eager participants. Some think humans are predatory by nature. I cast my vote with those who feel humans take the shape of their culture, and that shifts in culture can occur in rare moments with remarkable speed and vigor. Good design can release humankind from its neurotic relationship to absurd destruction, and aim it toward a destiny that is far more 'realistic' and enduring. The urge to create beauty is an untapped power, and it exists in commerce as well as society."

--Objective #8 from the preface to The Ecology of Commerce, Paul Hawken, 1993

Clips: Schools 2050

pic: D. Sharon Pruitt

A gentleman of my father's age recently scoffed at me that sustainability will get no where as long as people of his generation are in charge and prospering off the status quo. Are baby boomers really so jaded? Is the future really only of concern to the young?

I think it's always important not only to lead by example but to lay a groundwork of tools and knowledge for those growing up in a harder climate. This week for Neenan I looked to the future in Schools 2050: Accelerating the Connection Between Green Building and Green Learning. Sustainable infrastructure needs to include both the physical and the intellectual. Take a look and let us know your thoughts and suggestions for getting there.

The Living Pavilion is Thriving

The Living Pavilion is visible from outer space on Google Maps satellite.

The Living Pavilion is doing great. My colleagues from CASE and I had a delicious picnic in it on Friday. In some of the milk crates, the Liriope were spurting purple flowers. We hadn't been sure if this species would bloom or not. It's been wonderful to see the pavilion growing into its landscape, and continuing to receive so much attention from the community. Here are a few clips from various times this summer, you can check out a bunch more on our Architizer page.

We were published in the New York Times style section, print and online.

New York AIA has continued to be an amazing supporter.

Design Trust for Public Space held their regular potluck at the pavilion.

Figment and the Living Pavilion was aired on WNBC.

Clips: Sustainable Urban Typologies

pic: Joel Bedford

My second post this week for the Neenan Company blog explores the question "How will we build in 2050?" following the twitter conversation #rethinkarch. I spoke with journalist Greg Lindsey and architect Robyn Vettraino about connections between technology, resources, and policy in the design of urban typologies. Take a read and please leave a comment letting us know where you stand on the urban/suburban spectrum.

Sustainable Urban Typologies: The 2050 Debate

Clips: Renewable Energy 2050

Wind turbines in Portugal by AiresAlmeida

This week for the Neenan Company blog I looked at international examples of renewable energy implementation and asked what's holding back the United States. Check out the article and please leave a comment at Renewable Energy 2050: Learning from International Lessons.

Since writing this piece I came across AMO's Roadmap 2050: A pathway to decarbonize the United States power grid, which reminded me that the first step is to flesh out the problem and the second to start sketching out solutions. The reasons and mechanics for our energy issues are vast, and looking at the international examples calls into the field an entire world of policies, resources, and national sentiments. It's easy to get overwhelmed, but the trick is to pick at our own problem from a lot of different angles at once.
 
AMO is the design and research studio of OMA. The roadmap redesigns the US energy grid according to the conclusion that "What we need is a technology neutral, energy agnostic, energy policy that ensures a massive infusion of capital for research and development." That sums it up pretty well, the actual sustainability of any type of energy or technology will depend on regional resources rather than monolithic prescriptions, and it's all going to take some money. 

I love seeing design solutions, visualization is a call to action. No matter how much we talk about it, or how wasteful we are, ultimately we will run up against limiting factors that make it impossible to ignore the big problems. It's better to start paying attention now. Every person in every field has something to offer.  

Video still from AMO.