The aesthetics of sustainability
Treehugger proclaim their mantra to be “The key to sustainability is simply to use less, and the key to happily using less is to design things better.”
They credit Mies van der Rohe with the phrase “less is more”.
As design approaches efficiency, where does the line between aesthetics and function fall? Can we be truly sustainable and still live in a “beautiful” world? Is a world without beauty sustainable? And is truly efficient design in itself beautiful?
Does architectural design have a duty to be aesthetically pleasing in addition to energy efficient? I think so.
Preston has an interesting article on green roofs here, and although he’s generally in favour of the concept, one of his reservations is that it could:
” constrain some types of architectural expression”
Similar problems arise with microrenewables, especially wind turbines and solar water heating.
Something to mull over a while longer…
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