what is sustainable design?

sustainable design is the philosophy of designing physical objects, the built environment, and services to comply with the principles of economic, social, and ecological sustainability.


"sustainable development" [as first defined in 1987]
development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs" [World commission on the environment and development]

four pillars of sustainable design:

• equity today - consumption in one community should not undermine the ecological, social, economic basis for other communities to maintain or improve their quality of life
• environmental justice - equal access to a clean environment and equal protection from possible environmental harm irrespective of race, income, class
• inter generational equality - equity of those alive today and also future generations
• stewardship - responsibility for the rest of life on earth

sustainable design principles:

• low-impact materials: choose non-toxic, sustainably produced or recycled materials which require little energy to process
• energy efficiency: use manufacturing processes and produce products which require less energy
• quality and durability: longer-lasting and better-functioning products will have to be replaced less frequently, reducing the impacts of producing replacements
• design for reuse and recycling: "Products, processes, and systems should be designed for performance in a commercial 'afterlife'.
• design Impact Measures for total carbon footprint and life-cycle assessment for any resource used are increasingly required and available. Many are complex, but some give quick and accurate whole-earth estimates of impacts. One measure estimates any spending as consuming an average economic share of global energy use of 8,000 BTU (8,400 kJ) per dollar and producing CO2 at the average rate of 0.57 kg of CO2 per dollar (1995 dollars US) from DOE figures.
• sustainable Design Standards and project design guides are also increasingly available and are vigorously being developed by a wide array of private organizations and individuals. There is also a large body of new methods emerging from the rapid development of what has become known as 'sustainability science' promoted by a wide variety of educational and governmental institutions.
• bio mimicry: "redesigning industrial systems on biological lines ... enabling the constant reuse of materials in continuous closed cycles..."
• service substitution: shifting the mode of consumption from personal ownership of products to provision of services which provide similar functions, e.g., from a private automobile to a carsharing service. Such a system promotes minimal resource use per unit of consumption (e.g., per trip driven)^.
• renewability: materials should come from nearby (local or bioregional), sustainably managed renewable sources that can be composted when their usefulness has been exhausted.
• robust eco-design: robust design principles are applied to the design of a pollution sources

[wiki]

our new design vision:

• responsible
• synergistic
• contextual
• holistic
• empowering
• restorative
• eco-efficient
• creative
• visionary