The term sustainable design is used quite generally in current times. Any design product or approach that even makes a remote attempt at addressing the issue of sustainability is branded and marketed as sustainable. What goes under the wide net of sustainable design has been documented through this blog http://comprehendingsustainabledesign.blogspot.com/.
The question that was often raised through this course was whether sustainable design as understood and practiced currently meets the sustainability agenda on efficient use of resource with minimal environmental disturbance.
What emerged strongly through class lectures and discussions was rather a need for a paradigm shift in thinking to start making real difference. The shift starts with critical evaluation of the choices we make everyday right from the time we switch on that light bulb during daylight times to the moment we start our car and so on. Shift from excessive consumption to moderate would be a step in positive direction.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Documentation_Journal Articles: Bethany Morris and Nathan Oliver
Journals_Bethany Morris and Nathan Oliver
1. Boake, Terri Meyer and Caroline Prochazka. 2004, ‘LEED - a primer: an overview of sustainable design issues in the LEED context’, Canadian architect, vol.49, no.1, p.30-33.
2. Bronson, Susan D. 2005, ‘The philosophy of sustainable design’, APT Bulletin, vol.36, no.4, p.56.
3. Forman, Richard T. T. 1993, ‘Ecologically sustainable landscapes: the role of spatial configuration’, GSD news, vol. 1, p19.
4. Laurian, Lucie. 2008, 'Designing Greenways: Sustainable Landscapes for Nature and People. Journal of the American Planning Association, vol. 74 no. 1, p145-145.
-Lucie Laurian found Designing Greenways to be valuable for its three scientific chapters. However, she criticized it for oversimplifying complex social processes. The authors’ method of posing questions for seven pages without offering any means of finding the answers was more frustrating than provocative.
5. Lindsey, Greg. 2008, 'Designing Greenways: Sustainable Landscapes for Nature and People', Journal of Planning Literature, May2008, vol. 22 no. 4, p360.
-Greg Lindsey favorably reviewed the book Designing Greenways: Sustainable Landscapes for Nature and People. The book is not intended to be a practical manual for cookie-cutter solutions to design problems. The book is instead a reference for a more general understanding of landscape ecology.
6. Maxman, Susan. 1995, ‘Reviewing the State of Sustainable Design’, Architectural Record, vol.183, p23.
-Susan Maxmann read and reviewed Gray World, Green Heart and Futures by Design simultaneously. Maxmann accessed Gray World, Green Heart was a “call to arms” for design professionals. Future by Design is a “book that has been created to be used”. It is a guide of sorts that has collected the works of many around the world.
7. Mazza, Ronald. 2007, ‘Sustainable design has changed building design’, Journal of green building, vol.2, no.3, p.12-17.
8. O'Connell, Kim. 2007, ‘Sustainable Landscapes Make the Grade’, Architect. vol.96 no. 13, p18.
- The ASLA, U.S. Botanic Garden and the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center are jointly working on a new rating system called the Sustainable Site Initiative. The US Green Building Council has agreed to incorporate the new system with future versions on the LEED rating systems. As the current rating systems are building centered, the goal was to generate a system to quantify sustainable design specific to landscapes.
9. Rajgor, Gail. 2004, 'Masters of sustainable design', Refocus, vol. 5 no. 5, p60-612p.
10. Shelton, Ted May 2007, ‘Greening the White House’, Journal of Architectural Education, vol. 60, no. 4, pp. 31-38.
This article focuses on the various policies and methodologies of sustainability and sustainable design that past presidents and vice presidents of the United States from Jimmy Carter to George W. Bush have implemented at the White House. The article also looks at how some of the presidents have involved citizens by encouraging them to participate in programs, like energy reduction in homes, which resulted in their support; as well as how Presidents like Reagan, who had the solar panels removed from the White House, with no question of citizen opinion and in turn did not reap the benefits of having their support. It discusses in detail how the White House not only suggested that Americans reduce energy consumption at their own homes, but also provided an example by practicing what was preached at the White House with solar panel initiatives for example. After President Carter and his solar and energy initiatives, it would be several administrations before another green effort was seen. This effort would show it’s face again during the Clinton and Gore administration where soon after he took office he would lay out the environmental goals of his administration, some of those goals being an energy and environmental audit of the White House, addressing climate change, and sustainable development. The Clinton administration would not focus much of its attention on solar panels as Carter did but would turn much of it’s attention to comprehensiveness and integrated thinking in terms of the environment and energy use. Lastly the article discusses the Bush Administration and future actions for the White House. Solar panels are back on the White House to provide hot water and for the first time photovoltaic panels are installed. However Bush and his administration did not prompt the installation of the solar panels but instead the National Park Service, which shares authority of the White House Grounds, took on the project. The article also compares the advances in technology from the solar panels installed by Carter to the new solar panels installed under Bush. These advances showed how the expense, efficiency, reliability, and aesthetics of the solar panels improved over the years thus providing less room for people to criticize the solar panels themselves and the installation. Looking to the future, the article addresses issues that will have to be addressed for the White House to remain an example for everyone else without being a vulgar display of wealth. In addition it will be a challenge to keep the gap between what has been demonstrated at the White House and what the intentioned home owner can accomplish close and not let the White House grow too fast without the support and accompaniment of Americans. As the author stated, “With sustainability, the White House has the possibility of being both a megaphone and message.” This article is a great resource that outlines sustainable practices that have been implemented, and at least once removed, by different administrations over time as well as challenges that they had to face.
11. ‘Students Plant a Green Future for the Environment & Economy’ Professional Safety, 2006, vol. 51 no. 12, p51-52.
-Forty-two student design teams received grants from the Environmental Protection Agency to research and develop sustainable environmental solutions. The competition entitled People, Prosperity and the Planet (P3) started in 2004. The intention of the designs is to prove that protecting the planet and economic prosperity are compatible.
12. Taecker, Matt. 2002, ‘Designing sustainable communities: learning from Village Homes’, Journal of the American Planning Association, vol. 68, no.2, p.217-219.
-In the article “Separation” is viewed as the nemesis of sustainable design. It has led to urban sprawl and waste. Buildings themselves are divided and inefficient. Both books reviewed by Matt Taecker, HOK Guidebook to Sustainable Design and Designing Sustainable Communities, supported integrated approaches for achieving sustainable designs and offered methods to impliment these innovative ideas.
13. Thayer, Robert L. 1989, ‘The experience of sustainable landscapes’, Landscape journal, vol.8, no.2, p.101-110.
14. Woolliams, Jessica, 2007, ‘A LEED of faith’, Canadian architect, vol.52, no.5, p.60-62.
- Woolliams contends “green” design is not mainstream. Only 5%-10% qualifies as sustainable design. The LEED program has been influential over the last decade by making the topic of green building mainstream. Cities in the United States and Canada have adopted all or portions of the LEED system as standards for municipal development. A new tool called Living Building Challenge has emerged to be beyond LEED and “move toward true sustainability”. The Living Building Challenge does not reward credits. It consists of only NetZero prerequisites. Its simplification of the rating makes it both harder to achieve and have a more positive impact on the environment.
15. Baird, Stephen L. Dec/Jan 2008, ‘Sustainable Design: The Next Industrial Revolution?’, Technology Teacher, vol. 67, no. 4, pp. 11-15.
This paper is written as a means of education for people of all ages to learn about sustainability and sustainable design, and as the author, Stephen Baird, states “We (as Americans) are paying little attention to the practice of sustainable design.” He begins the paper by discussing definitions of sustainability, for instance, he uses Wikipedia(2007) as a source to define sustainability as a characteristic of a process or state that can be maintained at a certain level indefinitely (Wikipedia, 2007). After defining sustainability he moves on to say that it is the responsibility of all individuals, communities, businesses, and governments worldwide to be good stewards of sustainable design, and the pursuit of a sustainable lifestyle today is of paramount importance for future generations.
After Baird establishes an understanding of sustainability he explains how sustainable design, a component of sustainability, is becoming the next industrial revolution. Baird describes that the next industrial revolution is the emerging transformation of human industry from a system that takes, makes, and wastes to one that celebrates natural, economic, and cultural abundance. It is up to us as individuals as well as landscape designers to take charge of what is to happen in the future and change the current trends in building and manufacturing to methods that are more sustainable in process and design.
Establishing an understanding of sustainability and what needs to happen in the future to be more sustainable is explained in the first part of this paper. In the next part of this paper he explains how sustainable design works in relation to building design. A large portion of this paper is sustainable building design and addressing topics such as the site, energy, on-site energy, passive soar, solar electricity, materials, indoor quality, and finally water and wastewater. It goes into detail on how each of these aspects of sustainable design, in the majority of this case building design, can benefit the environment and the specific aspects of a design project where they can be applied. Each topic gives current facts to help explain the relevance of that topic. For example, the section on site design tells us that a north-south orientation provides a more effective solar control, and with little to no extra cost a building can be oriented so that the building orientation creates energy savings without changing the design. This article is great especially for people trying get a better grasp on sustainability and sustainable design. It can be used as an educational resource for the everyday person or as an education tool in the classroom. The author makes a statement that concludes this paper very well, “Sustainable design doesn’t violate or compromise conventional design goals and objectives, but refines them to produce innovative solutions that can be justified economically as well as ecologically.”
16. Bert, Ray Dec. 2007, ‘The Designer’s Role of Sustainability: Charting the Conceptual Landscape through Economy, Ecology, and Culture’, Civil Engineering, vol. 77, Issue 12, pp. 69.
This article is by Ray Bert summarizes the book The Designer’s Atlas of Sustainability: Charting the Conceptual Landscape through Economy, Ecology, and Culture. It tells us what the book is about and what the author, Anne Thorpe discusses. Thorpe begins by telling us why she chose the word ‘atlas’ for the title and that the main idea of her book is to answer the question, What is Sustainability? She elaborates by explaining that many standard texts have failed to ‘click’ and identify with designers when it comes to defining the topic of sustainability. In her atlas, she attempts to click with designers by explaining sustainability. She accomplishes this through examples of sustainability from around the world, the aspect of an atlas, and stating that her book’s perspective is largely design in the industrialized world. She further explains sustainability in three primary sections of her book ecology, economy, and culture. The last section connects the three main sections above in an attempt to drive home her definition of sustainability and to click with the reader. Thorpe ends with a great message: designers are well positioned in the world to change it for the better.
17. Ozdemir, A. ‘Preventing Natural Hazard Risks through Sustainable Site Design’. Polish Journal of Environmental Studies, vol. 17, no. 4, pp. 457-462.
This paper addresses sustainable site design as a method to prevent natural hazard risks such as landslides and erosion. This paper focuses on how to prevent this issue from the initial stages of the design process, site design and by understanding the principles behind it. The author explains that with proper site analysis, and by using eleven principles that she explains, preventing natural hazard risks can be accomplished.
The eleven principles that the author uses to address sustainable site design are site selection, blending with existing topography, defining the use of existing vegetation, planting design for site prevention and engineering, understanding topographic conditions, structural and ecological engineering solutions, stormwater management, on-site water management, minimizing disruption to landforms and drainage patterns, minimizing paved areas and finally sustainable siting requirements. Each of these sections are relatively short but explain current issues that should be addressed at the initial stages of site design. By learning and understanding site design and the principles that encompass it landscape designers can achieve the principle component of sustainable site design: “to harmonize the relationship between humans and buildings, between buildings and the environment, especially natural landforms.” As the author states, “comprehensive management and site planning can play a role in reducing the risk of disasters and to mitigate the consequences if they should nevertheless occur-both on human lives and on the broader ecology.” After reading this paper, the reader comes away with a better understanding of how applying principles of site design and doing so at the initial stages of planning, can prevent natural hazards and simultaneously design a sustainable site.
18. Roy, Martin September 2006, 'Sustainable Design For Circus Big Top'. ASHRAE Journal, pp 77-81.
19. Cranz, Galen and Boland, Michael February 2004, ‘Defining the Sustainable Park: A Fifth Model for Urban Parks’, Landscape Journal, no. 23, pp. 102-120.
Defining the Sustainable Park: A fifth Model for Urban Parks looks at the historical design of urban parks and spaces and how urban park design is shifting towards a fifth model-sustainable design. The paper goes through an appealing history of parks and the design types that parks have progressed through over the last 150 years. The authors, Cranz and Boland, use a classic study of urban parks by Cranz 1982, to describe the four types of parks: the Pleasure Ground (1850-1900), the Reform Park (1900-1932), the Recreation Facility (1930-1965) and the Open Space System (1965-?). They explain the shifting of park types from era to era due to the social purposes that they served and the corresponding variations in designed form and how they evolved from the pressing social problems of that time. The paper continues by discussing specific traits that would define a new fifth model, Sustainable Parks. Some of those traits are increasing ecological performance, native plants, restoration of streams and other natural systems, wildlife habitat, integrating appropriate technologies and infrastructure, recycling, and sustainable construction and maintenance practices. The majority, if not all of these traits are concerned around ecological values; however the authors also realize the need for a social value in place as well. Another tool the authors use is analyzing the parks from journals and other publications to get an idea of percentages of parks that fall into the five categories of parks. The results showing Open Space with the highest (46%) and Sustainable Park being second (23%); however most (86%) of the parks showed traits of being sustainable. After analyzing the trends, Cranz and Boland move into policy implications of sustainable urban parks, breaking them into Principles I and II, resource self-sufficiency and the larger urban system, respectively. Principle I explains in detail that Sustainable Parks differ greatly from other urban park models by emphasizing internal self sufficiency with material resource and by implementing strategies to reduce the need for resources and increase self sufficiency, for example funding cuts, recreation demands, on-site recycling in the construction phase and onward through the life of the park, native plantings, and building orientation. Principle II moves on to explain how to incorporate the Sustainable Park into the larger metropolis. The authors have identified several ways that urban parks are used: to address poor air quality, provide access to sunlight, provide opportunities for exercise, and improve other problems associated with close urban quarters. In addition they have distinguished four broad categories that environmental urban problems can be classified into as to how Sustainable Parks could address them: infrastructure, reclamation, health, and social well-being. The authors conclude by explaining how to begin this process as a parks department trying to implement Sustainable Parks. They provide a very real-life explanations, start at the biggest, most expensive, and most troublesome problem, maintenance. Improve and radically rethink maintenance practices, focus on resource efficiency and develop a new aesthetic from that focus. Maintenance is the biggest problem in most cities because it is the biggest expense. This paper does a great job in describing, in detail, the history of urban parks and the possible future for the fifth model of urban parks, Sustainable Parks.
20. Ellis, David February 2001, ‘Driving forward sustainable design’, Landscape Design Journal, no. 297, pp. 32-33.
Driving forward sustainable design focuses on a large-scale re-master planning project of General Motor’s research and development campus in Detroit, MI. This site represents one of the largest campus sites operated by GM. The project involved consultants from San Francisco that determined requirements for project in terms of sustainable design. Some of those requirements were: state of the art sustainable design for site and building, a site design that enables the campus to be highly innovative and creative-maximizing the potential for technological development, maintaining a high level of flexibility and longevity in the original design, and a beautiful external environment which in compatible with emerging 21st century technologies. The existing site came with many preexisting issues including large masses of employee commuting, development on a flood plain, a re-engineered river, no on-site surface water retention, lakes that were unattractive and served no purpose and finally intensive management to maintain the grounds.
To meet the identified requirements and introduce sustainable design, the re-masterplan focused on sustainable building development and re-development of many existing site facilities. Re-working the river back to its natural state, creating a wetland, and altering the lakes to now serve an aesthetic and functional purpose were all strategies of the re-master planning project.
To rate the success of these projects, a sustainable assessment was created to benchmark the project on its sustainability of the built and external environment. The site was divided into twenty spatial areas to enable an environmental evaluation of the 645-acre site. As of 2001, 35% of the detailed design work was complete. This article was written in 2001 before the master planning projects were complete. However, it demonstrates a remarkable initiative for sustainable design. What happens between 2001 and completion will be a direct reflection of GM’s commitment to sustainable design.
1. Boake, Terri Meyer and Caroline Prochazka. 2004, ‘LEED - a primer: an overview of sustainable design issues in the LEED context’, Canadian architect, vol.49, no.1, p.30-33.
2. Bronson, Susan D. 2005, ‘The philosophy of sustainable design’, APT Bulletin, vol.36, no.4, p.56.
3. Forman, Richard T. T. 1993, ‘Ecologically sustainable landscapes: the role of spatial configuration’, GSD news, vol. 1, p19.
4. Laurian, Lucie. 2008, 'Designing Greenways: Sustainable Landscapes for Nature and People. Journal of the American Planning Association, vol. 74 no. 1, p145-145.
-Lucie Laurian found Designing Greenways to be valuable for its three scientific chapters. However, she criticized it for oversimplifying complex social processes. The authors’ method of posing questions for seven pages without offering any means of finding the answers was more frustrating than provocative.
5. Lindsey, Greg. 2008, 'Designing Greenways: Sustainable Landscapes for Nature and People', Journal of Planning Literature, May2008, vol. 22 no. 4, p360.
-Greg Lindsey favorably reviewed the book Designing Greenways: Sustainable Landscapes for Nature and People. The book is not intended to be a practical manual for cookie-cutter solutions to design problems. The book is instead a reference for a more general understanding of landscape ecology.
6. Maxman, Susan. 1995, ‘Reviewing the State of Sustainable Design’, Architectural Record, vol.183, p23.
-Susan Maxmann read and reviewed Gray World, Green Heart and Futures by Design simultaneously. Maxmann accessed Gray World, Green Heart was a “call to arms” for design professionals. Future by Design is a “book that has been created to be used”. It is a guide of sorts that has collected the works of many around the world.
7. Mazza, Ronald. 2007, ‘Sustainable design has changed building design’, Journal of green building, vol.2, no.3, p.12-17.
8. O'Connell, Kim. 2007, ‘Sustainable Landscapes Make the Grade’, Architect. vol.96 no. 13, p18.
- The ASLA, U.S. Botanic Garden and the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center are jointly working on a new rating system called the Sustainable Site Initiative. The US Green Building Council has agreed to incorporate the new system with future versions on the LEED rating systems. As the current rating systems are building centered, the goal was to generate a system to quantify sustainable design specific to landscapes.
9. Rajgor, Gail. 2004, 'Masters of sustainable design', Refocus, vol. 5 no. 5, p60-612p.
10. Shelton, Ted May 2007, ‘Greening the White House’, Journal of Architectural Education, vol. 60, no. 4, pp. 31-38.
This article focuses on the various policies and methodologies of sustainability and sustainable design that past presidents and vice presidents of the United States from Jimmy Carter to George W. Bush have implemented at the White House. The article also looks at how some of the presidents have involved citizens by encouraging them to participate in programs, like energy reduction in homes, which resulted in their support; as well as how Presidents like Reagan, who had the solar panels removed from the White House, with no question of citizen opinion and in turn did not reap the benefits of having their support. It discusses in detail how the White House not only suggested that Americans reduce energy consumption at their own homes, but also provided an example by practicing what was preached at the White House with solar panel initiatives for example. After President Carter and his solar and energy initiatives, it would be several administrations before another green effort was seen. This effort would show it’s face again during the Clinton and Gore administration where soon after he took office he would lay out the environmental goals of his administration, some of those goals being an energy and environmental audit of the White House, addressing climate change, and sustainable development. The Clinton administration would not focus much of its attention on solar panels as Carter did but would turn much of it’s attention to comprehensiveness and integrated thinking in terms of the environment and energy use. Lastly the article discusses the Bush Administration and future actions for the White House. Solar panels are back on the White House to provide hot water and for the first time photovoltaic panels are installed. However Bush and his administration did not prompt the installation of the solar panels but instead the National Park Service, which shares authority of the White House Grounds, took on the project. The article also compares the advances in technology from the solar panels installed by Carter to the new solar panels installed under Bush. These advances showed how the expense, efficiency, reliability, and aesthetics of the solar panels improved over the years thus providing less room for people to criticize the solar panels themselves and the installation. Looking to the future, the article addresses issues that will have to be addressed for the White House to remain an example for everyone else without being a vulgar display of wealth. In addition it will be a challenge to keep the gap between what has been demonstrated at the White House and what the intentioned home owner can accomplish close and not let the White House grow too fast without the support and accompaniment of Americans. As the author stated, “With sustainability, the White House has the possibility of being both a megaphone and message.” This article is a great resource that outlines sustainable practices that have been implemented, and at least once removed, by different administrations over time as well as challenges that they had to face.
11. ‘Students Plant a Green Future for the Environment & Economy’ Professional Safety, 2006, vol. 51 no. 12, p51-52.
-Forty-two student design teams received grants from the Environmental Protection Agency to research and develop sustainable environmental solutions. The competition entitled People, Prosperity and the Planet (P3) started in 2004. The intention of the designs is to prove that protecting the planet and economic prosperity are compatible.
12. Taecker, Matt. 2002, ‘Designing sustainable communities: learning from Village Homes’, Journal of the American Planning Association, vol. 68, no.2, p.217-219.
-In the article “Separation” is viewed as the nemesis of sustainable design. It has led to urban sprawl and waste. Buildings themselves are divided and inefficient. Both books reviewed by Matt Taecker, HOK Guidebook to Sustainable Design and Designing Sustainable Communities, supported integrated approaches for achieving sustainable designs and offered methods to impliment these innovative ideas.
13. Thayer, Robert L. 1989, ‘The experience of sustainable landscapes’, Landscape journal, vol.8, no.2, p.101-110.
14. Woolliams, Jessica, 2007, ‘A LEED of faith’, Canadian architect, vol.52, no.5, p.60-62.
- Woolliams contends “green” design is not mainstream. Only 5%-10% qualifies as sustainable design. The LEED program has been influential over the last decade by making the topic of green building mainstream. Cities in the United States and Canada have adopted all or portions of the LEED system as standards for municipal development. A new tool called Living Building Challenge has emerged to be beyond LEED and “move toward true sustainability”. The Living Building Challenge does not reward credits. It consists of only NetZero prerequisites. Its simplification of the rating makes it both harder to achieve and have a more positive impact on the environment.
15. Baird, Stephen L. Dec/Jan 2008, ‘Sustainable Design: The Next Industrial Revolution?’, Technology Teacher, vol. 67, no. 4, pp. 11-15.
This paper is written as a means of education for people of all ages to learn about sustainability and sustainable design, and as the author, Stephen Baird, states “We (as Americans) are paying little attention to the practice of sustainable design.” He begins the paper by discussing definitions of sustainability, for instance, he uses Wikipedia(2007) as a source to define sustainability as a characteristic of a process or state that can be maintained at a certain level indefinitely (Wikipedia, 2007). After defining sustainability he moves on to say that it is the responsibility of all individuals, communities, businesses, and governments worldwide to be good stewards of sustainable design, and the pursuit of a sustainable lifestyle today is of paramount importance for future generations.
After Baird establishes an understanding of sustainability he explains how sustainable design, a component of sustainability, is becoming the next industrial revolution. Baird describes that the next industrial revolution is the emerging transformation of human industry from a system that takes, makes, and wastes to one that celebrates natural, economic, and cultural abundance. It is up to us as individuals as well as landscape designers to take charge of what is to happen in the future and change the current trends in building and manufacturing to methods that are more sustainable in process and design.
Establishing an understanding of sustainability and what needs to happen in the future to be more sustainable is explained in the first part of this paper. In the next part of this paper he explains how sustainable design works in relation to building design. A large portion of this paper is sustainable building design and addressing topics such as the site, energy, on-site energy, passive soar, solar electricity, materials, indoor quality, and finally water and wastewater. It goes into detail on how each of these aspects of sustainable design, in the majority of this case building design, can benefit the environment and the specific aspects of a design project where they can be applied. Each topic gives current facts to help explain the relevance of that topic. For example, the section on site design tells us that a north-south orientation provides a more effective solar control, and with little to no extra cost a building can be oriented so that the building orientation creates energy savings without changing the design. This article is great especially for people trying get a better grasp on sustainability and sustainable design. It can be used as an educational resource for the everyday person or as an education tool in the classroom. The author makes a statement that concludes this paper very well, “Sustainable design doesn’t violate or compromise conventional design goals and objectives, but refines them to produce innovative solutions that can be justified economically as well as ecologically.”
16. Bert, Ray Dec. 2007, ‘The Designer’s Role of Sustainability: Charting the Conceptual Landscape through Economy, Ecology, and Culture’, Civil Engineering, vol. 77, Issue 12, pp. 69.
This article is by Ray Bert summarizes the book The Designer’s Atlas of Sustainability: Charting the Conceptual Landscape through Economy, Ecology, and Culture. It tells us what the book is about and what the author, Anne Thorpe discusses. Thorpe begins by telling us why she chose the word ‘atlas’ for the title and that the main idea of her book is to answer the question, What is Sustainability? She elaborates by explaining that many standard texts have failed to ‘click’ and identify with designers when it comes to defining the topic of sustainability. In her atlas, she attempts to click with designers by explaining sustainability. She accomplishes this through examples of sustainability from around the world, the aspect of an atlas, and stating that her book’s perspective is largely design in the industrialized world. She further explains sustainability in three primary sections of her book ecology, economy, and culture. The last section connects the three main sections above in an attempt to drive home her definition of sustainability and to click with the reader. Thorpe ends with a great message: designers are well positioned in the world to change it for the better.
17. Ozdemir, A. ‘Preventing Natural Hazard Risks through Sustainable Site Design’. Polish Journal of Environmental Studies, vol. 17, no. 4, pp. 457-462.
This paper addresses sustainable site design as a method to prevent natural hazard risks such as landslides and erosion. This paper focuses on how to prevent this issue from the initial stages of the design process, site design and by understanding the principles behind it. The author explains that with proper site analysis, and by using eleven principles that she explains, preventing natural hazard risks can be accomplished.
The eleven principles that the author uses to address sustainable site design are site selection, blending with existing topography, defining the use of existing vegetation, planting design for site prevention and engineering, understanding topographic conditions, structural and ecological engineering solutions, stormwater management, on-site water management, minimizing disruption to landforms and drainage patterns, minimizing paved areas and finally sustainable siting requirements. Each of these sections are relatively short but explain current issues that should be addressed at the initial stages of site design. By learning and understanding site design and the principles that encompass it landscape designers can achieve the principle component of sustainable site design: “to harmonize the relationship between humans and buildings, between buildings and the environment, especially natural landforms.” As the author states, “comprehensive management and site planning can play a role in reducing the risk of disasters and to mitigate the consequences if they should nevertheless occur-both on human lives and on the broader ecology.” After reading this paper, the reader comes away with a better understanding of how applying principles of site design and doing so at the initial stages of planning, can prevent natural hazards and simultaneously design a sustainable site.
18. Roy, Martin September 2006, 'Sustainable Design For Circus Big Top'. ASHRAE Journal, pp 77-81.
19. Cranz, Galen and Boland, Michael February 2004, ‘Defining the Sustainable Park: A Fifth Model for Urban Parks’, Landscape Journal, no. 23, pp. 102-120.
Defining the Sustainable Park: A fifth Model for Urban Parks looks at the historical design of urban parks and spaces and how urban park design is shifting towards a fifth model-sustainable design. The paper goes through an appealing history of parks and the design types that parks have progressed through over the last 150 years. The authors, Cranz and Boland, use a classic study of urban parks by Cranz 1982, to describe the four types of parks: the Pleasure Ground (1850-1900), the Reform Park (1900-1932), the Recreation Facility (1930-1965) and the Open Space System (1965-?). They explain the shifting of park types from era to era due to the social purposes that they served and the corresponding variations in designed form and how they evolved from the pressing social problems of that time. The paper continues by discussing specific traits that would define a new fifth model, Sustainable Parks. Some of those traits are increasing ecological performance, native plants, restoration of streams and other natural systems, wildlife habitat, integrating appropriate technologies and infrastructure, recycling, and sustainable construction and maintenance practices. The majority, if not all of these traits are concerned around ecological values; however the authors also realize the need for a social value in place as well. Another tool the authors use is analyzing the parks from journals and other publications to get an idea of percentages of parks that fall into the five categories of parks. The results showing Open Space with the highest (46%) and Sustainable Park being second (23%); however most (86%) of the parks showed traits of being sustainable. After analyzing the trends, Cranz and Boland move into policy implications of sustainable urban parks, breaking them into Principles I and II, resource self-sufficiency and the larger urban system, respectively. Principle I explains in detail that Sustainable Parks differ greatly from other urban park models by emphasizing internal self sufficiency with material resource and by implementing strategies to reduce the need for resources and increase self sufficiency, for example funding cuts, recreation demands, on-site recycling in the construction phase and onward through the life of the park, native plantings, and building orientation. Principle II moves on to explain how to incorporate the Sustainable Park into the larger metropolis. The authors have identified several ways that urban parks are used: to address poor air quality, provide access to sunlight, provide opportunities for exercise, and improve other problems associated with close urban quarters. In addition they have distinguished four broad categories that environmental urban problems can be classified into as to how Sustainable Parks could address them: infrastructure, reclamation, health, and social well-being. The authors conclude by explaining how to begin this process as a parks department trying to implement Sustainable Parks. They provide a very real-life explanations, start at the biggest, most expensive, and most troublesome problem, maintenance. Improve and radically rethink maintenance practices, focus on resource efficiency and develop a new aesthetic from that focus. Maintenance is the biggest problem in most cities because it is the biggest expense. This paper does a great job in describing, in detail, the history of urban parks and the possible future for the fifth model of urban parks, Sustainable Parks.
20. Ellis, David February 2001, ‘Driving forward sustainable design’, Landscape Design Journal, no. 297, pp. 32-33.
Driving forward sustainable design focuses on a large-scale re-master planning project of General Motor’s research and development campus in Detroit, MI. This site represents one of the largest campus sites operated by GM. The project involved consultants from San Francisco that determined requirements for project in terms of sustainable design. Some of those requirements were: state of the art sustainable design for site and building, a site design that enables the campus to be highly innovative and creative-maximizing the potential for technological development, maintaining a high level of flexibility and longevity in the original design, and a beautiful external environment which in compatible with emerging 21st century technologies. The existing site came with many preexisting issues including large masses of employee commuting, development on a flood plain, a re-engineered river, no on-site surface water retention, lakes that were unattractive and served no purpose and finally intensive management to maintain the grounds.
To meet the identified requirements and introduce sustainable design, the re-masterplan focused on sustainable building development and re-development of many existing site facilities. Re-working the river back to its natural state, creating a wetland, and altering the lakes to now serve an aesthetic and functional purpose were all strategies of the re-master planning project.
To rate the success of these projects, a sustainable assessment was created to benchmark the project on its sustainability of the built and external environment. The site was divided into twenty spatial areas to enable an environmental evaluation of the 645-acre site. As of 2001, 35% of the detailed design work was complete. This article was written in 2001 before the master planning projects were complete. However, it demonstrates a remarkable initiative for sustainable design. What happens between 2001 and completion will be a direct reflection of GM’s commitment to sustainable design.
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