The Future of Architects

Photo courtesy of: www.treehugger.com

When a new idea is introduced into mass marketing, the subject itself is often questioned. Why succumb to the low depths of feeding yourself mass information? There is always a catch, but usually a lesson also to be learned. Take for example modern approaches in architecture, engineering, and design. Recently, professionals in many fields have decided to “go green”. However, do we know what it means to “go green”? What is green engineering?

Many have attempted to answer this question and without fail, the varying definitions of green engineering have always come down to one strong point- sustain the environment that humans thrive off of. So, how does green engineering have anything to do with design? The very aspect of green engineering, that is, designing systems to sustain the needs of people and the environment has much to do with design. Written by architect William McDonough, Cradle to Cradle features a more non-traditional approach towards "green" and sustainable engineering. His book emphasizes the importance of creativity in ways that we can use nature as our model in designing our own sustainable systems. McDonough suggests: “in nature, waste equals food”. In other words, humans should celebrate the diversity of nature and resources we have available from it. For example, we can implement nature’s own designs by using current solar income, such as natural energy flows. Designing homes with carefully placed windows, efficient floor plans to take advantage of daylight, and architectural designs suited to the region can be taken into consideration in maximizing sustainable gain.

Carefully taking advantage of the diversity of nature and using it as a model is key in green and sustainable design. As mentioned before, sustainability is the future of architecture. Designers must move forward in order to meet the demands of today's concurrent design trends and ideology of social responsability. Here is the future of architects: design by green and sustainable standards.