RESPONSE

Achieving these visions and negotiated trajectories is where the contemporary architect comes in. Architects are the backbone of the industry producing buildings and infrastructure that contribute so vastly to the carbon dioxide emissions. But we don’t wish the industry to instead become an invertebrate, bypassing the skills of the architect; in fact quite the opposite. The architect should be at the forefront of intelligent design, sustainable ideas and eco-technology which drives the industry into the next generation. But if we instead continue the trend to which we have become so accustomed, we could pass the point of no climate change return, if indeed we haven’t passed it already.

Developing A Culture

Firstly, a culture must be fostered that celebrates eco-design, intelligent solutions and sustainable proposals which no longer rely on fossil fuels. This must start at grass roots level all the way up to the top of architecture firms, and the legislation brought in since the turn of the century regarding carbon-neutral targets is a positive step.

Embracing Technology

Next, architects must become very familiar with all things technological, as well as learning to work with biosphere and technosphere individually, avoiding one corrupting the other. We propose that technology is a big part of our ethical standpoint and our answer to the sustainability question, and so architects must embrace that technology in the design of prototypes, buildings, infrastructure and networks.

Redesigning The House

Our proposal to promote the use of the online and digital realms to work and socialise necessitates the rethinking of house and building design. If this proposal is to work, homes need to be specialised and geared towards people being there more often and using them for different purposes, perhaps somehow using the idea of integrated environments to design specialist spaces which are technologically advanced, with high quality internet connections and futuristic software and hardware. These spaces and buildings must allow the embracement of the digital network to be comfortable and attractive.

Architects can also be involved in other areas, such as the future design of less mechanical, more informational cars which not only have fewer or no emissions but also integrate further technology systems.

One Vision

Currently there seems to be a mixture of views and standpoints within the profession. Whilst there are many architects – perhaps more the younger generation who have been educated in an era when sustainability has been in the spotlight – who recognise the need to consider the environment as a priority in design, there is also a significant proportion who have not yet been converted. Whilst in some ways this is understandable given the impact sustainability considerations can have on time, cost and effort during the design process, it must be quickly realised by that proportion that there is no other viable option, especially given the recent government legislation regarding new buildings. Taking a long term view of the advantages of climate conscious design and embedding ecological issues in architectural education (and planning education, in light of the “Sustainability” text) will hopefully go a long way to strengthening the backbone of the industry and ensuring we collectively design with the future of the planet in mind.