Expansion Underscores Need for Sustainable Design

By Chuck Armstrong

Chuck Armstrong is principal and director of design with Dallas-based Corgan Associates Inc.

The author writes that collective stewardship of urban growth and an unselfish approach to sustainable architecture is the design task that matters most for all of us today.

On a recent trip to Rome I marveled at the centuries represented in the architectural artifacts. Only a few of these structures, such as those in the Roman Forum, even partially survived outside forces including invasions and earthquakes.

Roman cities were re-used, re-invented and "modernized" for new uses and needs. Only recently, the cities and towns of Italy became revered for their quality and charm as the Italians preserved, restored and renovated these structures.

Obviously, Western world architecture traces many of its stylistic origins to Greece and Rome. Even so, today's architects, constructors and engineers alike have moved far beyond the mason's art, adapting construction techniques driven by industries and economics reflecting our current fast-growth society.

Until relatively modern times, cities could be seen as organic derivatives of local resources. Now, architecture has moved beyond this trend with architects designing modern steel and glass buildings reflective of today's urbanism. Moreover, current architects are traditionally trained to objectify buildings as singular, one-off works of sculpture. While critical discourse and debate about individual buildings will continue, other more profound architectural influences on our society and environment need our keen collective attention in the coming decades.

Sustainable design and construction - a collective process conserving natural resources while embracing the economical and social circumstances of a project, producing architectural designs of long-term value - offers the potential to be one of the major trends through which buildings could impact their macro environment while still being individually important.

We know that, through the astounding rate of urbanization since the end of World War II, humans have impacted the environment greater than during any other time in history. We also know that we all benefit from new highways, new houses, offices, shops and restaurants. Despite our appreciation for these stylish advances in today's buildings, we have to pause and ask the hard question - how much longer can we expand our cities and suburbs before our overall environment becomes degraded beyond habitability?

Some Roman creations may have lasted for hundreds or even thousands of years, with some still in use today. By contrast, we throw our obsolete constructions into a landfill. Our average, an American building lasts little more than 40 years. Why can't we design buildings for a longer, more useful, adaptable lifespan? Perhaps if we integrated more sustainable design principles, we could.

We live in an ever-growing and sprawling, disposable human environment. We gobble up raw land for roads, sewers and neighborhoods while our landfills and wastewater plants are "super-sized" to keep up.

Again, sustainable design methods in commercial construction offer ideas on greater sensitivity to our environment in the usage of land.

The collective stewardship of urban growth and an unselfish approach to sustainable architecture is the design task that matters most for all of us today. Individual building aesthetics remain important. Even so, designing single buildings with a limited lifespan must take a back seat to the impact our continuing urbanization will have on the livable quality of our future environment. The status quo in growth policy and construction habit practices needs to be changed quickly if we are to embrace sustainability and positively impact our environment.

I would challenge everyone in the design, development and construction professions to become familiar with the concepts of sustainable design as described by the U.S. Green Building Council and others. Challenge your lawmakers at all levels of government to enact positive environmental policy.

Economic growth and urban expansion are vital to our way of life. We must learn to balance today's building demands with concern for tomorrow's environment. Growth without boundaries or sound principles holds the very real threat of pushing the environment beyond the tipping point. As we consider our design/construction legacy for generations to come, let us practice sustainable design techniques to optimize the society and environment we create for those who follow us.