What the F*** is Sustainability?
Following on from a lecture presented by Jörg Michel last week, we thought a summery of the topics discussed is interesting and relevant to the future of our profession.
The four main points were that Sustainability; is collaborative, needs attention, must be exemplified and is new and uncomfortable.Sustainability doesn’t just mean ‘green’. It is a complex topic with many factors to consider. In a recent project with AFF architects, effective communication between the Architect, construction workers and POLA meant that the excess concrete was poured into tubs which became seats within the project. This example highlights the way concrete in this context is used in a sustainable way. Every bit was used and the transportation and throwing away of materials was avoided entirely. This saved costs for everyone involved and lead to an interesting aesthetic to emerge. It is not the first time this type of collaboration as been articulated. A colleague of mine once built a house by placing brick moulds at a construction company, when they had excess waste they poured it into moulds. After a year they had enough bricks to build a beautiful house. Thus sustainability is innately collaborative!
Recycling is another way to incorporate sustainability into your practice. This first question we should ask is ‘what is here that can be reused and redefined?’ this can be as simple as recycling concrete on-site, using wooden pillars from an old building for furniture or even using the wood from trees that need to be demolished for the construction of new spaces.
Green roofs and facades are definitely important for the future proofing for cities but they are not enough, the topic should be expanded upon. These types of green spaces only live to the time frame of the building and do not provide permanent solutions to the state of sustainability in cities.
Finally, we should be open to the fact that debates on sustainability can be uncomfortable and harbour uncertainty that is difficult to bear, because new topics always harbour uncertainty.