image source :http://www.bluegumservices.com.au/environmental.aspx
It is very tempting to seduce ourselves, as architects or as anybody keen on architecture or otherwise involved in the design process that the answer to our problems lies with buildings. Do you actually believe you can separate buildings out from the infrastructure of cities and mobility of transit and the expectations and incentives of people?
I disagree with the point that we can separate the buildings out of the infrastructure of cities and the mobility of transit .There is a pre conceived notion of architects as designers of forms and functions for a building according to the conventional thinking .Instead architects need to become designers of eco systems, and raise questions like how Architects can improve the way of life for people. The ecological and economy systems should not only think about the people but also the natural resources like energy, water etc. The main task of architects is to incorporate the basic human consumption of these resources into our natural environment. There is a need for a solution for future development which doesn’t restrict us to the current lifestyle but improve it in a better way. Sustainability is not just a Technical problem and to make it successful it has to be addressing the Economic context. A sustainable project should improve way of life and make sense economically.
Why do people tend to believe that what is financially profitable (for developers) is not actually equivalent to economically feasible (positive impacts on social welfare)? How would you show that this does not necessarily have to be like this (but rather the opposite)?
Developers are only interested in what is financially profitable for them and think only about short term. The architect doesn’t typically choose a site for the developers; he is given the site and told to design accordingly. The architect has to be part of the larger picture to think about the sustainability of the project. To make it financially liable for developers the architect need to search for strong reasons for the developer to invest in a sustainable project. There is a need for education about the necessity and benefits of sustainable designs to expand the green buildings strategies. The architect needs to get involved in the public discussion so developers make smart decisions.
UDERSTANDING THE ECONOMIC VIABILTY IS THE KEY TO ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILTY