Design for One Earth

The Future is Bright Green

One of my favorite books is Worldchanging: A User’s Guide for the 21^st Century. The book is edited by Alex Steffen, designed by Sagmeister Inc. and with an introduction by Bruce Sterling. With a cast like this you can’t go wrong. (Yes, you should Google these people.) One of the underlying themes from Worldchanging is the idea of the bright green future. The premise is that society’s current focus on sustainability and solving our mounting environmental, economic and social issues will lead to a new era of prosperity - hence we will change the world.

It’s not too difficult to connect the dots and understand that the role of the built environment is central to this bright green future. On one hand the built environment is a significant sustainable design challenge and opportunity because of the many impacts the built environment have on the environment, the economy and on our health and well-being. On the other hand the buildings we are designing right now will live in this future. What can they contribute in the long run and how do they help us invent a bright green future?

 

Sustainable design is not just smart design that reduces environmental impacts while enhancing social and economic benefits. Although this is important, sustainable design is also about creating a sustainable future. With the built environment the long term view is as important as a design’s energy consumption model and metrics. The question now goes beyond just how much energy or water might be saved to questions about how the building will stay relevant and valuable in a rapidly changing future.

Stewart Brand began to tackle this issue with his book, How Buildings Learn. Perhaps the most compelling chapter is Chapter 11: The Scenario-buffered Building, where he begins to outline how architects and planners can use scenario planning to strategically consider the future in the planning and designing of the built environment and create “scenario-buffered buildings”. Steward Brand is now moved to consulting for organizations about the future as part of the Global Business Network.

Scenario planning – or future-mapping, as RNL is coining it- is a powerful tool and when taken in the context of sustainable design for the built environment it adds an important element that is missing in much of the industry’s dialogue on sustainable design. After all, sustainability is about creating an abundant future within the limits of one earth. Our designs should be creating that bright green future.

Look for more on future-mapping and its strategic application within the Design for One Earth framework in the coming weeks.

Design for One Earth

Can we live abundantly within the limits of one earth?

Can we offer future generations an opportunity for an even better life than ours?

Humanity as a whole is using the planet’s resources as if we had 1.3 earths. If we all lived like Americans do we would be using the resources of five earths. RNL believes the design of the built environment not only has the capacity, but also the responsibility to build a new world with a bright green future. Creating sustainable built environments requires optimizing the triple bottom line of environmental, economic and social priorities.

Design for One Earth is a design framework that expands of the triple bottom line by identifying twelve values and measures that define sustainable lifestyles and built environments at all scales. The goal is to use the Design for One Earth values as a guide for a design that expresses our clients’ values and desires resulting in environments that enhance their long term prosperity and respects the limited resources of one earth.

The Design for One Earth Values:

1. Zero Energy – Balance energy use and renewable energy supply so that the built environment consumes net zero fossil fuel energy. Implement energy efficiency, demand side reduction, on-site renewable energy and distributed and grid-wide renewable energy.
2. Carbon Neutral – Eliminate GHG emissions from the combustion of fossil fuel related to all human activities.
3. Water Balance - Balance water use so that so that needs can be satisfied without depleting the renewable freshwater resources available. Implement water use reduction in buildings and landscaping, rainwater catchment, and water reuse.
4. Materials Balance – Balance material use so that needs can be satisfied without depleting renewable natural resources. Incorporate durability, longevity, adaptability so that materials can serve a long life. Incorporate design for disassembly so that materials can be captured and diverted at the end of their service life. Incorporate reused, repurposed and recycled materials. Optimize local and global resources in material choices.
5. Zero Waste – Eliminate waste. Waste is an indicator of inefficiency and a sign of a design failure. Close the loop on material cycles so that all “waste” is diverted for re-use, new use, recycling or composting rather than disposal. Eliminate pollutants and toxicants in all forms.
6. Land Balance – Balance land use decisions to preserve ecosystems, promote ecosystem services, and develop new habitat and landscaped open space. Consider land use and landscaping at all scales including large open space habitats, roof top gardens and interior plants. Globally, agriculture has a significant impact on greenhouse emissions, water use, health and the economy. Consider food production within the built environment.
7. Prosperity – Prosperity is an inclusive economic measure that considers personal wealth, natural capital and long term value. Create sustainable places that provide opportunities and allow everyone to prosper.
8. Resilience – Resilience is part stability and part adaptability. It is a quality that promotes long term viability and the ability to weather adversity. Create built environments that hold long term value, are adaptable and enduring.
9. Visionary – Visionary is the use of innovation to create new value. Visionary is the use of foresight to invest for the future but also to invent the future.
10. Health – Health is the foundation of life. Health is measured at both the public and personal level and can be greatly influenced by decisions and systems at many scales. Promote health in the built environment through design for active living and through access to quality air, daylight and thermal comfort. Eliminate toxicants and chemicals that impede health.
11. Beauty – Beauty is an intrinsic part of nature and humanity. It is a basic human need and not a luxury or elitist concept. Promote beauty in the built environment and provide for a connection to nature and natural beauty.
12. Happiness – Happiness is the sum of many things, but an important measure of quality of life. Happiness is tied to many things including the built environment. Create environments that promote happiness, well-being, productivity and delight.