Evaluative Report
Over the
few months course of this expanded practice unit, I have gained a lot of
knowledge and learned more clearly towards sustainable design in all fields,
such as architecture, fashion or textiles. I think that Sustainable design
plays an important role in our lives, but very often being forgotten by human
beings. It can be an idea, a property of living systems, a manufacturing
method, a way of life or the development that meets the criteria of the
present. It is living within the limits of what environment can provide,
understanding interconnections between economy, society and environment, or the
equal distributions of resources and opportunities.
Before I enrolled
in this unit I could consider myself being quite interested in doing practices
such as recycling and reusing materials. Very much often I found myself
sticking to reused materials when it comes to doing models for our work. At the
start of the unit, we were being introduced to the TEN strategies that I was
unaware of and how these strategies relate to the present design industry that
we will be involved. Then only I realised that there are so many issues often
being ignored and not being fully understood, such as unethical production of
almost all our clothing, or furnishings for an interior space, creating so much
waste from the past and present which is impacting our lives.
My
research was centered on architecture and interior spaces. I have gained
knowledge that the life cycle of every building can be divided into six phases:
obtaining raw materials, manufacturing of materials and components, sale,
construction, use and maintenance of the building, and demolition. Each of
these phases creates a burden on the environment in the form of energy use, as
well as of emissions of CO2 and other harmful or even dangerous substances.
Individual phases of the cycle may take place at some distance from one
another, which require transportation. The use of energy and the associated
emissions must therefore be looked at in the light of the entire life cycle of
the building. By using materials that are more environmentally friendly in the
phase of manufacturing and building (e.g. wood, cellulose insulation), we can
ensure fewer negative effects for highly energy efficient buildings by
comparison with less energy efficient new buildings. By using sustainable
design to build houses, which utilize renewable sources of energy, we can
decrease the negative effects over the total life cycle, even for less energy
efficient buildings and come close to the effectiveness of more energy
efficient buildings.
By
following the TEN strategies and apply them to each of the blogposts, I was
able to grab a better knowledge and understand design project examples that was
presented, understanding how cradle to cradle, durable design works. This
Sustainable design practice has made me more resourceful towards my practice. Also,
ever since then I have it constantly on my mind, how is every single production
going to impact people and their lifestyles. I can see myself starting to
reduce waste during every single project given in my studio and start to do my
part of helping the earth and provide information to people about the
environmental impact. I plan to extend my learning outcomes on my upcoming
project where we will be working on creating spaces at the little Venice,
perhaps by creating a speculative design that look more into sustainability in
terms of materials, recyclability and functionality of the space. This unit has
made me aware and be more considerate when it comes to designing. I hope that
my research blog could inspire others and enhance people’s awareness towards
the environment.
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