Redefining the Design Team, 1995

In our urban environments, also spreading globally and ‘home’ to a larger and larger percentage of the earth’s inhabitants, there is a danger that we are establishing an exaggerated and cocooned sense of our own self-sufficiency, which in turn will further alienate us from the essence of life on earth. Urban sprawl, a major world environmental issue was not even on the 1992 agenda of the World’s first environmental conference in Rio de Janeiro.

The architecture we produce, and how we make our buildings is a reflection of our world view, or “how we walk on the earth”. [Fluy, Herne, The Emplacement, Curragh] This is difficult for architects to assess in real terms, within a society still dominated by the culture of science and technology within the present economic model.

Access to hard facts on energy, labour, social impact, recyclability, and the renewability of materials used in construction is very difficult. Graphs depicting comparative energy consumption of, for example, extracting raw materials or of processing them do exist. However, these ‘facts’, important as they are in signalling awareness, represent little in terms of the more complete picture. For example, we do not necessarily have the combined knowledge of the energy source used, their comparative polluting effects, the effect of these processes on health of the workers in these industries and consequent social as well as economic cost, etc. It is a mistake to assume that graphs/tables such as these give a whole picture. The importance and dependence on such abstracted and limited data discredits us. It is in these sorts of areas that information needs careful examination but will ultimately one hopes, through significant development begin to give us clear data on which to make our more holistic judgements on not just materials, but the entire construction and deconstruction process, and the way we access and use our built architecture; in fact a more whole picture of the consequences of our decisions and choices.
Another important view point is the effect (visual, psychological, physiological..) of the architecture on the “user”. Healthy built environments for humans is one important aspect of a continuing biosphere.

There can be no revolution in the industrialised regions of the world with regard to the way we extract, process & manufacture, distribute and consume materials – i.e. an energy revolution. Only a long campaign will eventually change our habits, of which this meeting is a small but important part.

Humanity and intelligence have as much to do with the process of decision-making as with the tangible artefacts which result from our application of science, technology and economics.

The need to make evident metaphorical intelligence and humanity in what we design should be indisputable.
It is this which drives our design approach.

Real progress for mankind and a real sustainable future for the earth are becoming essentially the same. Architectural and engineering design and construction must deal with its own progress by drawing upon the strong metaphorical stem of the human spirit and earthly values.

© Ian Ritchie, 16/10/1995
Incorporating extracts from IR writings from 1985-95