2016.05.08
Systems for an Ecological Society
America is at a point in its culture’s history where it needs to replace the social constructs that drive it to desire new material possessions that have a lifespan of inevitable failure. Consumer culture has been so thoroughly ingrained into the American lifestyle that our built environments are now being valued in the same way as consumable disposable products. At a time when new technologies are constantly changing our outlook towards the future, we need to question how we build. Is it possible to create buildings with a timeless presence that can also adapt to meet the needs of an ever-changing social, cultural, and physical environment? Can we build sustainably without creating physical burdens for future generations?
The timelessness of our built environments is based on perceived culturally acceptable spatial and material values. Unfortunately, in America, most buildings are not designed or built with materials that last indefinitely. Once a building loses its perceived value, it is abandoned or demolished. The physical debt of a “valueless” building is typically added to a landfill and continues as environmental debt. America’s ever-increasing environmental debt also forces a questioning of how we design and build. To make sure future generations have the chance to use their value systems to determine the usefulness of their built environment, we should be developing design strategies that script the ecological feasibility of building materials.
With these design strategies and systems, America can take on the social responsibility required to facilitate sustainable environments. To promote these strategies I plan to develop an architectural practice that focuses on the conservation, adaptability, and reuse of existing structures while also developing systems for creating sustainable built environments. Through the focusing of America’s materialistic value systems, I aim to create architecture that defines our obligations in a sustainable society, challenges us to minimize our ecological footprint, and restructures our materialistic relationships with time.
The timelessness of our built environments is based on perceived culturally acceptable spatial and material values. Unfortunately, in America, most buildings are not designed or built with materials that last indefinitely. Once a building loses its perceived value, it is abandoned or demolished. The physical debt of a “valueless” building is typically added to a landfill and continues as environmental debt. America’s ever-increasing environmental debt also forces a questioning of how we design and build. To make sure future generations have the chance to use their value systems to determine the usefulness of their built environment, we should be developing design strategies that script the ecological feasibility of building materials.
With these design strategies and systems, America can take on the social responsibility required to facilitate sustainable environments. To promote these strategies I plan to develop an architectural practice that focuses on the conservation, adaptability, and reuse of existing structures while also developing systems for creating sustainable built environments. Through the focusing of America’s materialistic value systems, I aim to create architecture that defines our obligations in a sustainable society, challenges us to minimize our ecological footprint, and restructures our materialistic relationships with time.