Design for Sustainability PDF

Design for Sustainability D4S has emerged, which in its broadest and most inclusive meaning could be defined as A design practice, education and research that, in one way or another, contributes to sustainable development How to achieve sustainability through design PET bottles to Jeans...

Design for Sustainability D4S has emerged, which in its broadest and most inclusive meaning could be defined as A design practice, education and research that, in one way or another, contributes to sustainable development How to achieve sustainability through design PET bottles to Jeans In an attempt to tackle waste, Levi’s has created a new denim range which Uses eight plastic bottles for each pair of jeans Global bottled water consumption was more than 29 litres / person / year PET and poly propylene Recycling rates were 29 % in US and 51% in Europe at the time the project started Design interventions PET bottles to Jeans Research and development - from the design to new fibre-spinning techniques to sourcing waste plastic – has gone into waste less line Plastic bottles and food trays are collected from municipal sites, cleaned, sorted, crushed into flakes and made into polyester fibre This is blended with cotton fibre, which is finally woven with traditional cotton yarn to create the denim The look and feel seems no different from traditional denim, apart from the colour of the inside, which varies according to the hue of the plastic used in the weave: brown, green or clear. PET bottles to Jeans The company has reused more than 3.6 million bottles and food trays for the 3,00,000 waste less jeans and jackets produced for its 2013 collection, bottles that would otherwise have ended in a landfill or even burnt in incinerators Vortex – spiralling movement of a liquid Lowest energy path Water always try to travel in a vortex Availability of clean water Innovation – the vortex has the capacity to dramatically increase efficiency in water treatment, cutting costs while generating local jobs Technology platform of the vortex is inspired by the observation of dirty water cleanses itself as a river moves downstream The continuous swirling motion forces air in and out of the water, discouraging and stimulating beneficial micro-organisms Vortex - application Vortex – Blue economy Crystal clear ice Vortex machine helps to generate crystal clear ice since, water which includes air, dissolved in micron-size bubbles, is free now Air also acts as an insulator and requires more energy to cool water into ice. Hence now the energy and time required to make ice reduced. Air free ice also cracks less readily Ice rink Since there is no air in ice, aerobic bacteria that typically grow in ice like E.coli and Salmonella cannot survive Vortex - application Golf courses 0.3 million litres of water a day To save water, surfactants are added to water so that it penetrates faster into the lawn and less evaporates. If the water is treated by vortex machine, no chemicals are needed, reducing water requirement by 20 to 30 percent Vortex - application Removal of algae from stable water bodies Including swimming pools, which otherwise use Cl Treatment of salt water Eliminates formation of bio film on membrane – reduces membrane efficiency – leads to closure of desalination plant’s reverse osmosis installation every fortnight to chemically remove biofilms – increases maintenance costs and reduces plant efficiency Blue economy: 10 years- 100 innovations – 100 million jobs Gunter Pauli Blue economy business model will shift society from scarcity to abundance “with what we have”, by tackling issues that cause environmental and related problems in new ways It highlights potential benefits in connecting and combining seemingly disparate environmental problems with open-source scientific solutions based on physical processes common in the natural world, to create solutions that are both environmentally beneficial and which have financial and wider social benefits. More examples Coffee to mushroom farming Cradle to cradle ink Biomimetic approach design of systems Cradle to cradle 100 % renewable energy use Clean water output Social responsibility positive impact on community Material reutilisation recyclability / compostability Material health impact on human and environment Kluber lubricant service – S.A.T.E Evolution of design process What is green design? Linear and cyclical design Building design process Transitional model Green design Exact point of time not known Green design transcends mere descriptions of the techniques that may be employed in shaping a more sustainable existence on Earth It must also incorporate the principles, processes, and cycles of nature in a way that leads to a deeper understanding of what makes a design successful Green design Designs of much of past four centuries have assumed an almost inexhaustible supply of resources By applying laws of science, we can shape our environment and provide the products demanded by society both predictably and sustainably  “The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them” Einstein https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJzd6Hxnmzw Green design Since the industrial revolution of the nineteenth century, architects and engineers have been key players (culprits?) in the war against nature. Single-minded exploitation and subjugation of nature was the norm during much of the twentieth century and persists as a mainstay of design. Technology has hastened the process. Use of ACs in houses Is green thinking new? green thinking is not new at all. In fact, our new way of thinking resembles an understanding of and respect for nature found in antiquity, as evidenced by the designs of native peoples Reestablishing the link between built form and the environment will require a more complete understanding of the science Green design A more complete understanding of the first principles of science and a reexamination of the “normal” process of conception and delivery in the design and construction communities puts the green designer in a position of strength. Phosphate free product simply replacing the solvent with a water-based solution is often desirable LCA Link with local The law of unintended consequences is ever ready to raise its ugly head in design There are numerous examples of building design solutions touted as sustainable that fail to recognize and respond to the specifics of local climate. Wind turbines in an area that does not generate sufficient wind speeds throughout the year. Holistic approach needed design decisions on how we shape our environment also include less tangible impacts on the individual, society, and ecology that may not fit neatly on a data spreadsheet. Not necessarily cost-benefit ratio LINEAR AND CYCLICAL DESIGN The critical path from building conception to completion has changed very little over the thousands of years since humans began to shape the environment to create shelter from the elements Engineers vs Architects Strength / usefulness Delight / beauty  It was not until the industrial revolution that boundaries between professions began to become distinct, opening a path toward specialization The industrial revolution brought the rise of transportation and manufacturing infrastructure, providing the ability to fabricate components off- site and assemble on-site. Design Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary defines design as “to create, fashion, execute, or construct according to plan” and “to conceive and plan out in the mind.” Design process The actual view of the process of design, however, varies substantially both within the professions and between design disciplines. Some view the process as purely direct, sequential, and linear, following a prescribed set of activities that will lead to a final solution. This stepwise approach is often referred to as the waterfall model, drawing on the analogy of water flowing continuously through the phases of design. Building design process The process of design and delivery of buildings in particular, from conception to completion, has generally followed a linear or stepwise model in which distinct phases guide the design from definition of need or problem statement, followed by drawings through technical evolution, construction, and final completion. Linear Design Model Steps in Linear model Program or Problem Statement – need, why Skeletal Form or Schematic – support structure, design to meet the objectives Systems Development – development of internal systems Technical Detailing and Documentation/Implementation Transitional model Linear model is unchanged for decades The means for ensuring sustainability has been achieved using accountability point systems, such those in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Such documentation and recognition of “greenness” has emerged to encourage design and construction professionals to create projects with an eye toward environmental quality Goal as a part of design Transitional model Designs now undergo a series of integration steps, which have been articulated by Mendler et al Project description Team building Education and goal setting Site evaluation Baseline analysis Design concept Design optimization Documentation and specifiations Building and construction Post occupancy Transitional green design model Key difference between 2 models Transitional model - each step includes feedback to the preceding steps A key difference, however, is the extent of integration of goals into the design process. Mendler et al. identify global goals that must be part of a green design Waste nothing (a “less is more” approach; reuse, avoiding specification of scarce materials). Adapt to the place (indigenous strategies; diversity, form fit to function). Use “free” resources (renewable energy, renewable materials, locally abundant resources). Optimize rather than maximize (synergies, less reliance on active, mechanical systems) Create a livable environment (protect sensitive ecosystems, actively restore damaged habitats, look for pedestrian-friendly and mixed-use design options; avoid toxic materials). In a nutshell. The difference between the stepwise and transitional models is that the former is based on monetary costs, scheduling constraints, and quality; whereas the latter expands to integrate human health, safety, and comfort as well as ecological considerations the transitional model requires that even more scrutiny be given to costs, scheduling, and quality, so every step is reviewed in light of the preceding and subsequent steps The dynamic nature of the model means that more variables are introduced with each step LEED The LEED Green Building Rating System was conceived and implemented by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) to define and measure the sustainability of “green buildings.” The USGBC, created in 1993, formed a diverse committee representing expertise in architecture, engineering, real estate, environment, and law focused on the creation of a benchmark for measuring building performance. LEED benefits One of the important by-products of the introduction of this system framework is the increased collaboration between design and construction professionals united by common tools, principles, and the desire to achieve high- performance buildings LEED benefits Benefits of the program now extend well beyond the building community, as both the public and private sectors recognize the benefits of sustainable design and now in many cases require the incorporation of these design principles, providing direct and indirect financial incentives and recognition. LEED benefits Another ancillary benefit of the rating system is that it has created markets for green materials. For example, points are given for reusing building materials, such as old ceiling tiles, which had previously found their way to landfills. Green roof A green roof (also known as a vegetated roof) is an area of roof surface that is covered with living plant matter Benefits Preventing heat gain (also known as the urban heat island effect) Evaporation creates a cooling effect on the building Prefiltering rain water for later use Buffering rain water to prevent rapid site run-off Pleasing aesthetics Increasing the roof lifetime The Synthovation/ Regenerative Model Design is moving toward more sustainable solutions by increasing the role of teamwork to find synergies through synthesis and innovations synthovation: synthesis being the merging or integration of two or more elements, resulting in a new creation, and innovation being the introduction of something new—an idea, method, or device Innovation change that creates a new dimension of performance the capability of continuously realizing a desired future state The Synthovation / Regenerative Model Emerging collaboration software tools are creating the potential for powerful synthesis and integration across technical expertise that has historically remained segregated until much later in the life of a project’s development. This migration of technical input to earlier phases of the design process holds the opportunity not only for more complete synthesis but also the promise of innovation in the way we conceive and shape the built environment. (a) Synthovation model adapted from the nautilus shell; (b) nautilus shell cross section nautilus shell cross section The nautilus shell and sunflower seed patterns provide useful analogies when describing this new model that bridges concept to completion, with multiple interlocking spirals representing the continuous iterative process and integration of multiple dimensions of technical expertise The spiral pattern is repeated in nature in many variations from the rotation of plant stalks to provide leaves with optimal exposure to sunlight by never occupying the same position twice, to the spiral growth pattern of a seashell, continuously expanding and maintaining optimal structural strength Synthovation The design process that follows this spiral approach is preferable to the current “loops,” which represent feedback. Often, however, a synergistic and innovative design never goes backward. In fact, better and, frequently, more cost-effective features are being integrated into the project continuously. Secondary costs Integrated approach Design software is becoming increasingly robust. Design teams can rapidly develop prototype alternatives early in the process and continue to test development as solutions emerge and take form. And as we gather more data and test these models, our uncertainties will continue to decrease. Of course, we will never be completely certain about outcomes, in light of the myriad influences and variables. However, the integrated approach is much better than the brute force of a single design strategy, in which we can only hope that there will be no unpleasant surprises down the road (e.g., material and system incompatibilities, unexpected operational costs, change orders, retrofits). Synthovation - collaboration Synthovation - collaboration Continuous improvement calls for sound science For example, a more complete picture of energy consumption is gained by models able to look both upstream to manufacturing and transport to account for embodied energy, as well as downstream to test the digital prototype against a range of environmental conditions, not simply a static condition derived from the averages for a particular site. THE NECESSITY FOR SYNTHESIS-INTEGRATED INNOVATION IN SUSTAINABLE DESIGN Daniel Pink in his book A Whole New Mind He identifies six essential right-brain aptitudes necessary for the “whole new mind” that this new era will demand: (1) design, (2) story, (3) symphony, (4) empathy, (5) play, and (6) meaning. MODELS FROM NATURE OF INTEGRATED SYSTEMS DESIGN Human subtlety will never devise an invention more beautiful, more simple or more direct than does Nature, because in her inventions, nothing is lacking and nothing is superfluous Leonardo da Vinci MODELS FROM NATURE OF INTEGRATED SYSTEMS DESIGN Nature has been extremely successful in design at a vast range of scales. The elegance of the simplicity of a virus, and the complexity of a blue whale or a giant redwood tree, testify to the efficiency and effectiveness of natural systems. So, then, what can we learn from a tree as a system that can be emulated in good design? Tree as a design entity It is a very efficient and effective “factory” that makes oxygen, sequesters carbon, fixes nitrogen, accrues solar energy, makes complex sugars and food, creates microclimates, and self-replicates Beyond a single tree, the ecological association and community of trees makes use of what nature has to offer. Tree as a design entity A collective of trees is more than just a group. A stand of 100 trees is not the same as the product of 100 times a single tree. The collective system differs from the individual tree’s system. Tree as a design entity Engineers and architects can learn much from biologists, especially the concept of symbiosis. There are synergies, tree-to-tree relationships, as well as relationships between the trees and the abiotic components Principles of Biomimicry The biomimicry model looks to nature as a learning resource rather than merely as a natural resource commodity to be extracted from the Earth. nature would provide the models: solar cells copied from leaves, steely fibers woven spider-style, shatter proof ceramics drawn from mother of- pearl, etc Nature – scientific principles Nature demonstrates beautifully how scientific principles such as optimization and the thermodynamic laws are evident and interwoven in nature’s community of diverse and cooperative systems. Benyus’s principles of biomimicry Nature runs on sunlight Nature uses only the energy it needs Nature fits form to function Nature recycles everything Nature rewards cooperation Nature banks on diversity Nature demands local expertise Nature curbs excesses from within Nature taps the power of limits many innovations in material science draw inspiration from nature the study of lotus petals’ ability to repel rainwater is now finding applications in “biometic paint” and in surface treatment for concrete that absorbs pollution from the air EMERGING TOOLS FOR COLLABORATION, SYNTHESIS, AND INNOVATION IN DESIGN Open source software Think Cycle BIM Tools Open source software Open source software is counter to the traditional approach of source codes, which both technically and legally, protect the fundamental working structure of the software from the general public. Open-source software opens the operating system to anyone with the interest and technical ability to propose improvements or extend the capabilities of the software tool The emergence of open-source software has led to the collaboration of a diverse collection of people bringing varied experiences and creativity to the development of these tools. Think Cycle At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a group of graduate students in the Media Lab set up an open, online structure to allow them to collaborate on design and engineering projects. BIM tools Building information modeling (BIM) uses computer technology to create a virtual multidimensional models of a building as an integrated part of the design process, not as an afterthought for use in marketing the design as a finished product Building information modeling (BIM) This approach is revolutionary in the design professions. Most design software used in architectural/engineering offices since the introduction of computer aided design systems has represented productivity gains through increased efficiency but really has not represented major advances beyond digitally representing primitive lines, arcs, and circles to define buildings. Building information modeling (BIM) Designers using BIM software can apply digitally bundled information called objects to represent building components such as windows and doors. These models are enriched by their ability to represent a much wider range of information on the physical characteristics of the building. The potential for these models to behave in an “intelligent” manner provides the opportunity for exploration and collaboration among design disciplines as well as with the construction community. The term integrated practice has been coined to describe this approach, which represents both an opportunity and a challenge for the architecture and engineering professions. BIM approach Better quality, greater speed, and lower cost by way of improved efficiency From a sustainable design perspective, the greatest potential is for increased collaboration and integration across design disciplines supporting the promise of a trend toward systems solutions similar to those found in nature a more robust database and an adaptive expert system are available to the design team to explore and conduct more comprehensive life-cycle cost models. Integration and collaboration To be an architect, engineer, or designer is to be an agent of change, and by working collaboratively, we have the potential to become the alchemists of the future, transforming a collection of data and myriad inputs to derive designs that protect and shape our environment in a manner that benefits all. The amount of “lead” is increasing exponentially, but the opportunities for “gold” (innovation) are also rapidly growing. We may be tempted to take short cuts, but we must remain steadfast in search of sound designs. The common thread is adherence to nature’s rules as codified in scientific principles. There is no substitute for sound science in green design