OUGD601 - Extended Essay Reading - The Philosophy of Sustainable Design by Jason McLennan

Notes and Quotes

Preface

pg xxv

- humans are able to live in ways that benefit the environment

- designs are the first part of creating something and decide a majority of how the product will turn out

pg xxvi

- there will be social, economic and environmental effects if we continue using and wasting extreme amounts of resources

- technology and understanding need to be used for sustainability to work now and in the future

- inexperience rather than technology are a block to sustainability  

- action must be immediate for resources to be saved for future generations and every individual can help

Chapter 1

pg 2

- a majority of businesses are aware of sustainable design and understand that they need to - be more sustainable if they want to claim part of the market

- sustainable design does not explain the field of design

pg 3

- sustainable design is still new and trying to define itself 

- design as a field will need to rethink its role - Designers will need to rethink their occupation and be open to learning new things and changing their practices to become more sustainable 

pg 4

- sustainable design is not a trend and it is no longer the minority who only view it as important

- sustainable design aims to make the built environment better whilst having little impact on the natural environment

- originally sustainable design was considered an aesthetic which was detrimental to the field

- sustainable design is a type of design rather than an aesthetic meaning it cannot go out of fashion

pg 5

- early perceptions of sustainable design were that quality, comfort and well being had to be reduced. Sustainable design aims to create things that help / benefit people and does this using a holistic approach

- sustainable design aims to minimize negative impact on the environment

- there is a link between how things are designed and used and the environmental problems that are faced  - Design is in numerous ways the cause of environmental problems

pg 6

- Sustainable design relies on responsibility and respect

- the current design and manufacturing process have little respect for the natural environment

- ‘rather it is a by-product of ignorance and the inertia of progress and politics’ -

delay or resistance to sustainability is disrespectful to the environment 

pg 7

- Sustainable designers are creating something that will affect people in the future as well as the client

- sustainable design aims to create things that will benefit all, now and in the future

pg 9

- historically we have considered the planet to have infinite resources and viewed ourselves as superior to the environment, this viewpoint has continued into modern thinking

pg 13

- sustainable design comes from our historic ties with the planet

pg 14

- all creatures have impact on the environment so we should not feel guilty for some of the impact we have

- growth may be natural but it does have a limit

pg 15

- humans are the same as other species, however we have expanded beyond our natural boundaries, meaning restraint is needed before the environment acts

 

pg 16

- sustainable design thinking is not new and developed through history

pg 18

- Nature can provide us with solutions to problems

- It is a generalisation that ancient people were more environmentally aware than we are now, although mostly true  

- ‘Ecological superiority can be defined in a lot of different ways. In a sense it could refer to the relative impact that one individual has compared to another, or the awareness different individuals have of their local ecology. In these ways there is no comparison between the environmental footprint and awareness we have to that of our ancestors. However if ecological superiority is viewed a requiring a conscious choice not to impact the environment for ecological good, even if it has some negative personal consequences, it becomes less clear’ – ecological superiority has different meanings, depending on the context it is difficult to compare types of ecological superiority

pg 19

- in the past people would have seen local rather than the global environmental impacts of their actions

- the movement of people throughout history has led to changes in the environment

pg 22

- people still believe that they have the right to use nature as they wish

- technology was seen as a solve all solution

- technology was often used because it could rather than using the most suitable solution

- ‘In our haste to move to the future that was our destiny to claim, wester cultures staged a massive forgetting of the lessons and strategies learned over the centuries by our ancestors. This paradigm shift, this new world view, became so dominant by the nineteenth and early twentieth century that machine-like metaphors began to replace all other, even when it was biological processes being described’ – society has forgotten previous knowledge and technology has replaced this, to become a way of seeing the world

pg 23

- short term solutions were used for environmental problems rather than fixing the cause

pg 24

- ‘it was necessary for some level of environmental degradation to occur before people could react to it. Sustainable design is a conscious reaction to the consequences of unsustainable practices’ – environmental decline was needed for sustainable design to emerge in reaction

pg 25

- society has begun to realise the consequences of their actions on the environment

- responses to our impact on the environment do not question the central issues and causes

growth and use of natural resources is still the central belief of society

- Environmentalism developed from an awareness of the need to change for environmental and our own sustainability

pg 27

- consumption is encouraged in society despite huge levels already  

- we consume things that are often not wanted to impress others

pg 29

- 1980’s society encouraged consumption with little regard for the environment

pg 33

- sustainability has become mainstream with more awareness within society

pg 36

- our impacts on the environment call into question the sustainability of life on the planet

pg 37

- it is societies responsibility to create a world where both humans and other living things can prosper sustainably

- we are moving towards sustainability however the speed of this is inhibited by both perceived and real blocks

pg 39

- Biomimicry

nature can be a model, measure and mentor for sustainability

pg 40

- we are returning to nature for inspiration

- we have refused to acknowledge that we are part of nature and have seeked to detach ourselves from it by using manmade solutions to progress

- nature provides resources which we take with disregard

- Nature is seen as the provider of resources which humans can use, take and disregard as they please, however there was denial over the finite nature of these resources 

- nature already has solutions to problems

pg 43

- biomimicry is a new world view which means a designer needs to unlearn current design practices and learn new

pg 45

- ‘The biggest tragedy is not the waste of natural resources, though it is tragic. The biggest tragedy is the waste of human resources’ Oliver Wendall Holmes – wasting skill and knowledge

pg 46

- sustainable design considers people and their individual needs

- sustainable design is about people and the environment rather than being about the conflict between the two, which it is often made out to be - sustainable design is for people and the environment, rather than just the latter as the media often highlights through a dialogue of conflict between the two.

pg 47

- the needs of other species can be raised without affecting our own

- environmentalists have a concern for people and future generations

designers try to be sustainable for moral reasons

pg 52

- we are not restricted to local resources instead we can get them from further away

- ‘Indeed, since the industrial revolution, we have carried forth this approach with zealous intensity. It is almost as if we have resented our connection to nature, to climate and to place’ – since the industrial revolution we have maintained our use of resources suggesting we begrudge our link with the environment 

- technology has been used to replace previous building techniques despite them working just as well as newer techniques 

- technology is being misused across disciplines

- do not look at the wider impact of the technologies we use, or find alternatives that encourage environmental sustainability 

pg 53

- sustainable design is not about using past techniques but instead using technology responsibly.

- Regionalism is the focus of sustainable design which uses aspects of place to aid the design process

pg 54

- sustainable designers must highlight aspects of a place, whilst citizens must call for them to be highlighted 

- people have a need for place and home, which we identify with and are defined by, before this revolved around nature

pg 55

- sustainable design draws upon the environment it is from

pg 57

- while our faith in technology has grown, we have become detached from our environment 

pg 64

- we are part of the Cycle of Life which has been around for millennia

- We are part of the Cycle of Life so have a responsibility for the planet and the things we create and have to acknowledge that disrupting the cycle causes problems universally

pg 65

- people are not above the environment, we are connected to it, despite thinking we are not

pg 66

- we overengineer things, creating waste that lasts longer than us 

- we overengineer things which are used briefly, whilst promoting consumption - We carelessly promote consumption of overengineered products which are used briefly

we are guilty of over-engineering and under-engineering products inappropriately for their use - We are guilty of inappropriately over-engineering and under-engineering products for their use

- products are designed to become obsolete

- to respect the Cycle of Life their needs to be balance between the use and lifespan of products and consideration for materials post use as being food for the planet

pg 67

- most of what is created is damaging to the Cycle of Life

pg 69

- a majority of waste gets put into landfill due to insufficient separation systems

pg 71

- designers are not responsible for working out whether materials are safe this is for governments and industry to determine

- public awareness will lead to a shift away from atmospherically damaging technologies

pg 72

- production systems can make it difficult for designers to know which materials to use but they try with the knowledge they have

- designers have a responsibility for the effects their design has and for creating safe products

- designers should not have to decide between problematic materials, instead there should be a solution

- Society will be confronted with the problem of controlling itself rather than nature

pg 74

- society lacks respect for the environment’s resources

- resources are limited but we use them as if they are endless

pg 75

- ‘Enough solar energy falls on the earth in a single day to provide the whole planet with its electricity needs for the next twenty – seven years!’

pg 79

- Another principle of sustainability considers how we use natural materials

pg 80

- Historically we considered ourselves as citizens with responsibilities for the environment, before consumption became a pastime

- Historically we considered ourselves as citizens - with wider responsibilities including for the environment – now we are consumers, which devour resources

pg 81

- Resources are cheap and considered too have little worth

 

pg 82

- There will be little respect for resources if we continue to consider resources as valueless until processed industrially  

- sustainable principles view resources as having value in their raw form

pg 83

- our industrial system is a small part of the wider natural system, meaning any impact on natural resources has an negative effect on the economy

- resource use should be limited to what is essential for a project to be completed

pg 84

- resources should be chosen because of its suitability and environmental effect during its lifecycle

- a holistic overview will determine whether the right product choices are made – for the right product choices to be made a holistic overview is needed

pg 126

- Materials are marketed as green if they have or use:

-        Recycled content

-        Salvaged material content

-        Materials made from the waste stream

-        Healthy characteristics

-        Contributes to energy efficiency

-        Is free of ozone depleting chemicals

-        Does not contribute to global warming

-        Is from a renewable resource

-        Is natural

-        Is non-toxic

-        Has low embodied energy

-        Can be recycled

pg 127

- recyclable materials are not always recycled

pg 129

- Smart Wood, FSC AND Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) ‘These auditors look to see if forests are being managed to minimize erosion and to ensure that a functioning ecosystem is being kept intact. As well as a host of other indicators of sustainability, clear cuts are not allowed the certification system. Forest that have been managed in this way are able to consistently harvest lumber in perpetuity, keeping the quality of the products high while lowering environmental impact’

pg 138

- green credentials are not always based on science

- sustainable design may reduce environmental impact in some way but sometimes not perform as well

- the green aesthetic has limited the growth of sustainable design because designers were uncertain about its perceived style

pg 140

- defining green can be difficult and can have different definitions

pg 148

- sustainable design must focus on true sustainability rather than attempts at sustainability

pg 165

- people want to be able to adapt their space

- applying the same principle to all designs inhibits peoples ability to be creative

pg 175

- The Four Green Phases of Firms

Phase One – The Brown – Green Phase

Phase One companies have no or little knowledge

Phase Two – The Light Green Phase

Phase Two companies have an interest and some knowledge of sustainability

they understand some terms within sustainability and have an awareness of it within industry

pg 176

- Phase Three – The Green – Green Phase

Phase Three have an increased interest in sustainable design

There is field specific knowledge of sustainable design and basics in other areas as well as some solutions for the reduction of impacts on the environment

sustainability is usually an ineffective after thought towards the end of a project

pg 177

- Phase Four – The Dark Green Phase

Phase Four companies are high in interest and knowledge of sustainability and use holistic design processes

they are prepared to relearn design processes

pg 188

- The Greens in waiting

Greens in Waiting understand the environment is vital but will not change their behaviour greatly

- The Green Champion

Green Champions have a passion for sustainability and try to create change

pg 189

- The Green Warrior

Green Warriors have high skill levels within sustainability

pg 196

- sustainable design is considered more expensive which puts off designers considering this type of design or token design features are added to a product – the supposed expense of sustainable design puts designers off or token design features are added to a product

pg 210

- The design process traditionally does not consider the impact a product can have on the environment

- The Sustainable Design Process

-        It implies a willingness to do things differently than what was conventionally done

-        It requires expanded collaboration between disciplines and a greater focus on process

-        It requires adhering to a green design methodology or Order of Operations

-        It requires the use of a holistic thinking process by key decision makers on the project

pg 212

- Collaboration between disciplines is needed within sustainable design

pg 218

- Holistic approaches consider what is known and not known but does not need full understanding

- Holistic approaches contemplate a wider field of knowledge to enable the bigger picture to be considered however the flaws of this type of thinking are understood, in that it cannot consider the full picture

pg 226

- aesthetics will be important within sustainable design if it is to be the main method within the design process as it must engage people

- designers continue to think that to be effectively sustainable there needs to be compromise within the design

- sustainable design does not compromise on aesthetics or environmental success

pg 227

- sustainable design has a perceived bad aesthetic because of historic examples - sustainable design is not considered aesthetic because of historic examples

pg 229

- people considered sustainable design as having one aesthetic 

- there is an assumption that sustainable design has one aesthetic which is not as attractive as other styles

- designers can be put off from sustainable design because of the perceived aesthetic of the movement - designers decision to partake in sustainable design can be influenced by the perceived aesthetic of the movement

- sustainable design is new with a lack of stylistic examples

pg 235

- sustainable design needs to be aesthetic for it to last longer

pg 236

- a crafted design is likely to be reused

- once function and sentimentality have past, the aesthetic of the object is what determines whether it is kept

- some technologies with less environmental impact have created unaesthetic products, leading to their demise

- products with recycled material now have the same aesthetic value as new

environmentally friendly technology must be appealing to be used as a replacement for damaging technology. For the system of reuse or recycling to work it must be considered to have value

- there is little point using recycled or salvaged material to attempt to have less impact, if it is to create products which are substandard and more damaging

- for sustainable design to work designers must acknowledge aesthetics are important - by acknowledging aesthetics are important to people sustainable design is more likely to work – sustainable design can only work by acknowledging the importance of aesthetics

pg 237

- modernist approaches to design of form follows function should be developed to suggest form can improve the function of a design

- biologically there is a need for aesthetics for better mental health

- culturally quantity rules over quality leading to less respect for quality design

pg 238

- sustainable design stresses responsibility for the environment and people