As humans, we are now faced with a challenge like no other in our existence. We have evolved and grown in such a way that has created a great amount of distance between man and nature. From the Agricultural Revolution to the Industrial Revolutions we have been separating ourselves from the very essence where we began. This gradual change had been at a constant speed for millions of years; however, with new technologies and careless man made materials this change is occurring at an exponentially faster rate[1]. We are now moving and growing at a speed that is leading us towards a dead end. What was once thought as “good” is now harming and creating imbalance between the human species and the natural environment meant to sustain us[2].
For example, medicine has almost eliminated natural selection for the human species[3]; even though we may see this as a good thing it has caused a huge imbalance. Building carelessly, separated from the natural surroundings and systems make dysfunctional homes, offices and cities that emit toxins and pollute. New materials led by design trends for their novelty send billions of tons to landfill per day across the globe[4]. The use of non-renewable materials for unnecessary things is a ticking bomb towards disaster since they are essentially our savings; we are living off our savings and we don’t have replacements[5]. Corrupt media for political or monetary gain creates a sort of immunity in some people to trust the gravity of a situation. The consequence of this is that they will not listen when the call is real because they may think it is either a fake scandal for money, an exaggerated story for control, or simply not worth listening to much less acting upon.
The call right now is real and it is directly aimed at each and every person in this planet. The call is saying that not one person, not one profession, not one country can do it alone. It involves perhaps the most difficult task as it is something we have not developed as humans; it involves working together for a common goal towards a common good. This common goal, that begs attention and lacks response, is the huge gap we have formed with nature. And for once there is no one person to blame because we are all guilty; we have happily jumped into the bandwagon of comfort and consumerism of things that may temporarily bring individual pleasure but in the long run harms humanity. The need to satisfy each individual wish instantly is the fuel for consumerism. Instant gratification is a habit or even a virus that has infected most of the world and the “cure” for it is still unknown and without enough interest for diagnosis, yet it is sending humanity to its end. It is taking us down further and further because what we create is so separate from nature that the short life cycle of most of the instant things that man creates and “needs” move in a linear system consisting of: manufacture, consume, and landfill. If we become more aware of this and not only try but actually work and succeed in forming new systems that are circular and involve nature in ways that benefit both the human race and the ecosystem we may be able to continue as a race.
That is the gravity of the situation we live in now. We must work with nature or perish because nature adapts instantly, while we must evolve in the course of billions of years. What we can do is think differently and question the way we live, question the way the world is run instead of just going with the flow. This urgent shift in mentality from following the latest trends to beginning a mutually beneficial relationship with nature is what can take us further as a whole[6]. Each profession can learn from nature by simply observing and mimicking the way it functions so effectively and intricately[7]. Nature is giving us answers we ignore but we have lost our ability to “see”. We now only look at things, we look for things, we don’t “see” things anymore. Actually “seeing” something is appreciating every little detail, every little groove in a flower, every little vein on a leaf, even every tiny branch on a tree has a function and a beauty like no other and we don’t regularly see this anymore; in fact, we are destroying it and replacing it with a hybrid of something that was once beautiful but now damages wherever it is placed.
As architects and designers, we can incorporate this natural, pure beauty into what we make. We can learn from the natural systems and creatures to create functional environments that work with nature[8]. There are a myriad of possibilities through design, and by working with nature we can actually help humanity to “see” again. We may not solve every problem we have created, but by forming this relationship with nature, like it was intended all along, we are benefiting the world. When the question of what path to follow is posed, as designers, we have the control to choose to either make something that gives back to our ecosystem or make something that contributes to the mess we are currently in. We have the power to make quality things that function in a closed loop system working together with nature in such a way that were not harming what sustains us.
A way to create a closed loop system is through the “Cradle to Cradle” approach by McDonough and Braungart. The key in “Cradle to Cradle” is to think of the full life span of anything we design: be it an object, a new material or a building. It paints the image of a new world that can be formed if we change the way we design by beginning to incorporate our surroundings. This approach takes design to a different level, one where the linear system is bent into a closed loop by reintroducing a material to the source it came from without damaging its surroundings but rather improving and nurturing them even once its life span is over. An ideal example of this approach to new design is one that McDonough and Braungart used constantly: a cherry tree. This tree, throughout its life span is not only a tree; it acts with the environments as well to cleanse the air and ground, foster life in its branches and to microorganisms in the ground, it provides fruit for many species and the fruit that isn’t consumed, acts as a fertilizer for the ground. Once its life is over, it goes back to the cradle it came from nurturing from beginning to end. This concept to “be like a cherry tree” is a great aspiration and it shows how we, as designers, can learn so much from something in nature that we may take for granted.
Additionally, our design possibilities don’t stop there, as architects, we can focus our buildings on being reusable and adaptable to change, we can design buildings that respond to climatic changes and create a relationship that goes beyond sustaining the damaged environment we already have by moving towards design that enriches our whole ecosystem as well as our entire race. For example, in the book “How Buildings Learn”, Stewart Brand writes about the need for architects to think ahead and while designing realize that whatever building they are constructing it will inevitably change with time. Building for change from the design process is something rarely practiced today even though it is known that a building will change. In fact, the survival of a building relies in change. It will transform not only with fashion but also physically with its different inhabitants through the years. By accepting these alterations we can facilitate them by making the building adapt. Furthermore, this adaptation should not only be about forcing a building to exist by using materials that will never decompose, but instead designing for this change by either planning room for change giving the occupants a variety of options to move within the structure of a building or by designing a building that can be disassembled. To consider the full life of a building allows alterations and is helpful to the environment in that it’s in because it begins to work with it rather than forcing against it.
Our power as designers is grand, the way we apply it makes all the difference. Designing in closed loops like McDonough and Braungart explained with their cradle to cradle approach, analyzing the essence of the way nature solves its problems through Biomimicry[9], and designing for more than a fashion statement that quickly comes to pass[10] are a few ways how we can make a difference. We must not be deaf to a call so strong. We have the power to change, to create a symbiotic relationship with nature, to inspire a new mentality through design. We have the power; it is now up to each of us to use it.
[1] Alcorn A. “Climate and Energy Lecture”
[2] Pedersen Zari, M. “The Fragile Balance Lecture”
[3] Ornstein R. & Ehrlich P. “New World, New Mind”
[4] McDonough W. & Braungart M. “Cradle to Cradle”
[5] Ornstein R. & Ehrlich P. “New World, New Mind”
[6] Ornstein R. & Ehrlich P. “New World, New Mind”
[7] Benyus J. “Biomimicry”
[8] Benyus J. “Biomimicry”
[9] Benyus J. “Biomimicry”
[10] Brand S. “How Buildings Learn”
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