The way we live, build, restore, expand, and organize our life and environment is very important for the present and future of the world as we know it. We are all in the search of sustainable societies and the rescue of the environment while learning to live a healthier life for us and our surroundings.
I am convinced that we can apply sustainable concepts one step at the time with no extra cost or extreme changes to our ways of life. There is always an easier way to “green” our environment or move a little towards a greener life without extensive efforts.
I believe that sustainable living is not as a way of stopping population growth or development, but doing it in a responsible way for the environment while ensuring our survival.
The World Commission on Environment and Development (1987) defined that: “Sustainable development meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.
We are ready for the challenge.
The Process of Design
The site:
The heart:
Materials, pieces of the puzzle:
Nature Works:
“Those who look for the law of nature as a support for their new works collaborate with the creator”
(Antonio Gaudi)
As designer, many times we look for inspiration in nature and its systems, trying to understand their perfection, and finding answers for our imperfect systems.
We should start to change the way we think of cities and build environments and start to understand them as a forest of living communities within, understanding each building as a breathing tree. Each tree will harbor a whole ecosystem, with living communities. Each of these trees will behave as an entity that nurtures from the forest (city) and relate with the other entities in it.
Understanding that happy and clean environments are enjoyable spaces where people can thrive without creating damage to their surroundings, will help changing the way we design.