sense and sustainability

April 5th, 2006 by Peter Schmelzer

-Architecture!-

Here’s a link to a noteworthy article in Residential Architect Online, authored by David Miller FAIA.

Why noteworthy? Because it helps put sustainable architecture in a broader context than usual.

Miller suggests that

…the essential elements and principles of sustainable design go beyond issues of energy conservation and material content. They must bring into play the qualities of space and form, flexibility for adaptive use over time, qualities of transparency and utilization of daylight, the free flow of air within a building, and fit with a particular site. There should be an aesthetic quality that endures, heals the heart, and ultimately renders a house worthy of preservation.

He then goes on to name three overall concepts of sustainable design:

  • design for place
  • design smaller and multivalent solutions
  • design for beauty first
  • So, site matters; keep the design small, flexible, and functional; but above all, make sure the building captures our hearts, so it’s efficiencies last for generations.

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