A Sustainable Pattern LanguageA Comprehensive Approach to Sustainable Design.docx

A Sustainable Pattern LanguageA Comprehensive Approach to Sustainable Design.docx

《A Sustainable Pattern LanguageA Comprehensive Approach to Sustainable Design.docx》由会员分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《A Sustainable Pattern LanguageA Comprehensive Approach to Sustainable Design.docx（12页珍藏版）》请在冰豆网上搜索。

ASustainablePatternLanguageAComprehensiveApproachtoSustainableDesign

ASustainablePatternLanguage:

AComprehensiveApproachtoSustainableDesign

relatedresearch

designingresilience

respondingtomodernity

relateddesign

asustainablepatternlanguage-designexplorations

MasterofArchitecturethesis,UniversityofCincinnati,2008.Belowaretheabstract,thesisstatement,andasummaryofarguments.Thedesignworkisavailablehere.Thefullthesisdocument,however,isnotcurrentlyavailable.

Abstract

Atrulysustainablesocietyrequiressubstantialchangetooureconomicstructureandsocialorder.However,sustainabledesignaspresentlypracticedfocusesontechnicalsolutions,ignoringthesocio-culturaldimensionsofsustainability.Architecturemustbegintoengageboththesocialandtechnicaldimensionsofsustainability.

Thisthesisattemptstounderstandthearchitecturalimplicationsofthesedeeper,harderchangesbydevelopingandapplyingsocial-spatialpatterns.Theoutcomesare

（1）amenuofpatterns,ora"patternlanguage,"

（2）adesignmethodologyforpatterndevelopmentandapplication,and（3）designexplorationsintwocontexts.

ThesisStatement

Asystemthatisviableoverthelongterm（sustainable）—beitanecosystemorsociety—exhibitsofanumberofcharacteristicsthatallowittochangeadaptivelyovertimewithoutexperiencingovershootorcollapse—characteristicssuchasresilience,decentralizedcontrol,rapidfeedbackmechanisms,andself-organization,tonameafew.Achievingasustainablesocietythereforehastodo,atitscore,withthesestructuralcharacteristics,andthereforemeanssubstantialchangetooureconomyandsocialorder—notsimplymoreefficientbuildingsorrenewableenergytechnologies（importantthoughthesemaybe）.

Architectureanddesignmorebroadlyhaveyettoseriouslyaddressthesemostimportantsystemicchanges.Although"sustainability"isbecomingincreasinglyimportantinthedisciplineofarchitecture,itislargelybeingaddressedatatechnologicalormechanicallevel—anapproachthatignoresthevitalsocialdimensionofsustainability.Becausethebuiltenvironmentbothembodiesandperpetuatessocialnormsandpatterns,andbecauseatrulysustainablesocietyrequiressubstantialchangetooureconomicstructureandsocialorder,architecturemustcriticallyengagesocialandeconomicpraxis.Thisthesisattemptstounderstandthearchitecturalimplicationsofthesedeeper,harder,moresystemicchanges.

Aprerequisiteforthisinvestigationisanunderstandingofthenatureoftherequiredsocialandeconomicchanges.ThetheoryofJürgenHabermas,AmoryLovins,HermanDaly,andVernonScarboroughformtheprimarybasisofunderstanding,andrevealimportantprinciplesforasustainablesociety,includingresilience,diversity,decentralizedproductionandconsumption,labor-basedeconomics,andabundantsocialcapital.Theseprinciplesguidetheselectionofspecificpatternsthatsupportasustainablesociety.

OneframeworkforunderstandingthearchitecturalimplicationsofbroadprinciplesispresentedinAPatternLanguage

（1）.Apatternisaformalrelationshipbetweenahumanactivityandthegeometryofthephysicalenvironment;thuspatternshavebothasocialandspatialdimension.APatternLanguageprovidesaframeworkforcreatingpatterns,understandingtheirinterconnections,andexploringtheirarchitecturalmanifestations.Italsoprovidesasystemflexibleenoughtonavigatebetweenmultiplescales,fromthecitytothebuildingdetail.Theprocessesofpatterndevelopmentandapplicationarethemselvesnon-linearandinterconnected:

designexplorationssimultaneouslytestthevalidityofpatterns,suggestimprovements,andcreatenewpatternsentirely.

Thisthesiswill:

（1）assembleamenuofpatternsfromavarietyofexistingsources,basedupontheprinciplesoutlinedabove;

（2）developamethodologyforsimultaneouspatternanalysisanddesigndevelopment;and（3）exploretheimplementationofselectedpatternsthroughurbanandarchitecturaldesignsinseveralcontextsandatseveralscales.

Whatfollowsisthebeginningofwhatpromisestobeafarlargerstudy:

aninitialexplorationthatwillcontinuetoevolvelongaftertheendofthisthesis.Theprimaryintent,then,istolaythefoundation,boththeoreticalandpragmatic,forafardeeperexploration.

1.1:

SummaryofArguments

Theintentofthisthesisistonavigatebetweenthegeneralprinciplesofasustainablesocietyononehandandthespecificdesignofthebuildenvironmentontheother.Thefocusisonamethodologythatwillallowthistypeofexploration—onethatsimultaneouslyprovidesalogicalframeworkandallowsdifferentresultsineverycontext.Ratherthanpresumetoknowwhatwemeanby"sustainabledesign,"thisthesisinterrogatesthisquestionandasksifthereareother,morefundamentalwaysthanthosecurrentlyinvoguethatarchitecturecancontributetotheprojectofasustainablesociety.

Organization

Therearethreequestionsimplicitinthethesisstatementpresentedatthebeginningofthisdocument.Thesequestionsmustbeanswered（inthegivenorder）forthethesistoproceed.Theyare:

（1）Whatissustainability?

（2）Whatisasustainablesociety?

and（3）Howdowedesignforasustainablesociety?

This,roughly,istheorganizationofthethesis.Thefirstquestion,"Whatissustainability?

"isthesubjectofsection1.2:

Sustainability,Defined.Thesecondquestion,"Whatisasustainablesociety?

"isactuallycomprisedofthreesub-questions:

（2a）Whatisunsustainableaboutourcurrentsociety?

（2b）Whataretheimportantconditionsforsustainability?

and（2c）Whatmightasustainablesocietylooklike?

Question（2a）isaddressedbysection1.3:

TheCurrentSocialOrder.Thisexaminationwillhelpusanswerquestion（2b）,whichwillsubsequentlyhelpusanswerquestion（2c）.Thesequestionsaretakenupinsection1.4:

ASustainableAlternative.Thissectionwillendbysummarizingtheconditionsforasustainablesociety.

Finally,thethirdquestion,"Howdowedesignforasustainablesociety?

"isthesubjectoftheremainderofthethesis.Thisisprimarilyaquestionofmethodology;hence,amethodologywillbepresentedandtestedthroughdesign.

Disclaimer

Thisthesislaysthefoundationforamuchdeeperinvestigation.Moreconcretely,Iintendtoreviseandaddtothisdocumentaftergraduation;thoselookingformoreinformationorthemostrecentversionareencouragedtocontacttheauthoratthecontactlistedbelowthecopyright[carlsterner（at）gmail].

SummaryofArguments

1.Whatissustainability?

Sustainabilityistheabilityofasystemtomaintainviabilityoverthelongterm.Hereweareprimarilyinterestedinthehuman-naturalsystem,orthemulti-directionalinteractionsofhumansocietyandthenaturalenvironment.Alargenumberofvariablesaffectthisinteraction;toaddtothedifficulty,manyofthesevariableschangeovertimeatvaryingrates.Foreaseandsimplicity,thesignificantvariables,asfarastheycanbedetermined,aregroupedintothreeconceptualcategories:

society,economy,andenvironment.Eachofthesecategorieshasacorrespondingformofcapitalthatmustbepreservedtoachievethelong-termhuman-naturalviabilitybeingpursued:

socialcapital,economiccapital,andnaturalcapital.Theindividualvariables—orcomponents—withinthesethreecategoriesaredebated;thisthesisattemptsapreliminarysynthesis.

2a.Whatisunsustainableaboutourcurrentsociety?

DrawingfromJürgenHabermas,AmoryLovins,andHermanDaly,thisthesisarguesthatthecurrentsocialorderisdominatedbyagrowth-orientedmarketeconomysteeredbyinternalimperativesofproductionandprofit,ratherthanbycollective（democratic）decision-making.Thegrowth-orientedmarketerodesnaturalcapital

（1）bygrowingindefinitely,orincreasingthethroughputofenergyandnaturalresourcesthroughtheeconomicsystembeyondthecapacityofthenaturalenvironmenttorenewresourceorassimilatewastes;

（2）byfavoringresource-consumptiveproductionmethodsthat,whiletheymaximizeproductionandprofit,donotuseresourceorenergywisely;and（3）bycreatingasystemthatisbrittleandvulnerableshouldanyofitsexactingrequirementnotbemet—asystemcreatedinpartbythecentralizedresource-consumptivemethodsmentionedabove,andthat,duetoitsvulnerability,ispronetounpredictable,rapidchangethatisantitheticaltothegoaloflong-termviability.

Thegrowth-orientedmarketerodessocialcapital

（1）bygrowingintoandappropriatingthecontentsofinformaleconomiesthatsustaincommunities（commoditization）;

（2）throughitspreferenceforcentralized,large-scale,hierarchically-maintainedproductionmethods,whichbytheirverynaturearecontrolledbypowerfulindividualsandinstitutions,andareincomprehensibleand/oruncontrollablebyordinarypeople（centralization）;（3）viaeconomicprocessesthatfavorflexibilityandmobility,furthererodingbondstopeopleandplace（mobilization）;and（4）ultimatelysocializingindividualsaccordingtothevaluessupportedbythemarket（market-basedsocialization）.Thesesocialeffectsunderminethecollective（social）processesnecessarytoputmoralorethicallimitsonmarketactivity,orreorienttheeconomytowardqualitativedevelopmentratherthanquantitativegrowth.Theself-organizingcollectivecapacityforsocialchangecanaffectbothdailypracticeandestablishedlaws,andthisthesis,followingHabermas,reliesexplicitlyonthesecommunicativeprocessesforjustandequitablechange.Atthesametime,socialcapitalandsolidarityaredesirableendsinthemselvesthatincreasecommunitydecision-makingcapacity,self-reli