design that cares for the earth and its creatures

Sustainable design

Sustainable design is about designing physical objects to comply with the principles of economic, social and ecological sustainability. This can range from the smallest object for daily use right up to mammoth skyscrapers or even cities. Unlike many other aspects of the ‘go Green’ movement, sustainable design is a down to earth long-term practice that is slowly but surely gaining momentum, and which can greatly help to conserve the use of the planet’s resources and be friendly or even good for the environment.

There are some high-profile projects taking place now that are making use of sustainable design. One example would be the proposal by renowned architect Steven Holl. Called the Linked Hybrid Project, this is a mixed-use urban housing complex meant for 2,500 people in Beijing. The highlight of this project is the geothermal (using underground heat) heating and cooling, and the grey-water (waste-water) recycling systems which will be the biggest ever built for any residential complex in the world. With the huge population in China, sustainable design is an essential design philosophy to manage the energy usage in a country growing and developing at a phenomenal rate. Singapore, with its limited land and resources, could also be a good candidate.

Sustainable design can also be seen in devices like automobiles or electronic appliances. These are increasingly being designed to be recyclable, made from materials like steel, aluminum and glass. Even wood can be used as it is a renewable material.

The need for sustainable design can be summed up in this quote from ex US Vice-President Al Gore in his book ‘Earth in the Balance’: “We must take bold and unequivocal action: We must make the rescue of the environment the central organizing principle for civilization. We are now engaged in an epic battle to right the balance of our earth; the tide of this battle will turn only when the majority of people become sufficiently aroused by a shared sense of urgent danger to join an all-out effort. It is time to come to terms with exactly how this can be accomplished.”

One company that has been a long supporter of sustainable design is Autodesk. The company has realized the importance of sustainable design at an early stage, and has even developed a Sustainability Centre online to educate people on the importance of sustainable design. You can visit the Sustainability Centre.