A Sustainable Pattern LanguageA Comprehensive Approach to Sustainable Design.docx

1、A Sustainable Pattern LanguageA Comprehensive Approach to Sustainable DesignA Sustainable Pattern Language:A Comprehensive Approach to Sustainable Designrelated researchdesigning resilienceresponding to modernityrelated designa sustainable pattern language - design explorationsMaster of Architecture

2、 thesis, University of Cincinnati, 2008. Below are the abstract, thesis statement, and a summary of arguments. The design work is available here. The full thesis document, however, is not currently available.AbstractA truly sustainable society requires substantial change to our economic structure an

3、d social order. However, sustainable design as presently practiced focuses on technical solutions, ignoring the socio-cultural dimensions of sustainability. Architecture must begin to engage both the social and technical dimensions of sustainability.This thesis attempts to understand the architectur

4、al implications of these deeper, harder changes by developing and applying social-spatial patterns. The outcomes are (1) a menu of patterns, or a pattern language, (2) a design methodology for pattern development and application, and (3) design explorations in two contexts.Thesis StatementA system t

5、hat is viable over the long term (sustainable) be it an ecosystem or society exhibits of a number of characteristics that allow it to change adaptively over time without experiencing overshoot or collapse characteristics such as resilience, decentralized control, rapid feedback mechanisms, and self-

6、organization, to name a few. Achieving a sustainable society therefore has to do, at its core, with these structural characteristics, and therefore means substantial change to our economy and social order not simply more efficient buildings or renewable energy technologies (important though these ma

7、y be).Architecture and design more broadly have yet to seriously address these most important systemic changes. Although sustainability is becoming increasingly important in the discipline of architecture, it is largely being addressed at a technological or mechanical level an approach that ignores

8、the vital social dimension of sustainability. Because the built environment both embodies and perpetuates social norms and patterns, and because a truly sustainable society requires substantial change to our economic structure and social order, architecture must critically engage social and economic

9、 praxis. This thesis attempts to understand the architectural implications of these deeper, harder, more systemic changes.A prerequisite for this investigation is an understanding of the nature of the required social and economic changes. The theory of Jrgen Habermas, Amory Lovins, Herman Daly, and

10、Vernon Scarborough form the primary basis of understanding, and reveal important principles for a sustainable society, including resilience, diversity, decentralized production and consumption, labor-based economics, and abundant social capital. These principles guide the selection of specific patte

11、rns that support a sustainable society.One framework for understanding the architectural implications of broad principles is presented in A Pattern Language (1). A pattern is a formal relationship between a human activity and the geometry of the physical environment; thus patterns have both a social

12、 and spatial dimension. A Pattern Language provides a framework for creating patterns, understanding their interconnections, and exploring their architectural manifestations. It also provides a system flexible enough to navigate between multiple scales, from the city to the building detail. The proc

13、esses of pattern development and application are themselves non-linear and interconnected: design explorations simultaneously test the validity of patterns, suggest improvements, and create new patterns entirely.This thesis will: (1) assemble a menu of patterns from a variety of existing sources, ba

14、sed upon the principles outlined above; (2) develop a methodology for simultaneous pattern analysis and design development; and (3) explore the implementation of selected patterns through urban and architectural designs in several contexts and at several scales.What follows is the beginning of what

15、promises to be a far larger study: an initial exploration that will continue to evolve long after the end of this thesis. The primary intent, then, is to lay the foundation, both theoretical and pragmatic, for a far deeper exploration.1.1: Summary of ArgumentsThe intent of this thesis is to navigate

16、 between the general principles of a sustainable society on one hand and the specific design of the build environment on the other. The focus is on a methodology that will allow this type of exploration one that simultaneously provides a logical framework and allows different results in every contex

17、t. Rather than presume to know what we mean by sustainable design, this thesis interrogates this question and asks if there are other, more fundamental ways than those currently in vogue that architecture can contribute to the project of a sustainable society.OrganizationThere are three questions im

18、plicit in the thesis statement presented at the beginning of this document. These questions must be answered (in the given order) for the thesis to proceed. They are: (1) What is sustainability? (2) What is a sustainable society? and (3) How do we design for a sustainable society?This, roughly, is t

19、he organization of the thesis. The first question, What is sustainability? is the subject of section 1.2: Sustainability, Defined. The second question, What is a sustainable society? is actually comprised of three sub-questions: (2a) What is unsustainable about our current society? (2b) What are the

20、 important conditions for sustainability? and (2c) What might a sustainable society look like?Question (2a) is addressed by section 1.3: The Current Social Order. This examination will help us answer question (2b), which will subsequently help us answer question (2c). These questions are taken up in

21、 section 1.4: A Sustainable Alternative. This section will end by summarizing the conditions for a sustainable society.Finally, the third question, How do we design for a sustainable society? is the subject of the remainder of the thesis. This is primarily a question of methodology; hence, a methodo

22、logy will be presented and tested through design.DisclaimerThis thesis lays the foundation for a much deeper investigation. More concretely, I intend to revise and add to this document after graduation; those looking for more information or the most recent version are encouraged to contact the autho

23、r at the contact listed below the copyright carlsterner (at) gmail.Summary of Arguments1. What is sustainability? Sustainability is the ability of a system to maintain viability over the long term. Here we are primarily interested in the human-natural system, or the multi-directional interactions of

24、 human society and the natural environment. A large number of variables affect this interaction; to add to the difficulty, many of these variables change over time at varying rates. For ease and simplicity, the significant variables, as far as they can be determined, are grouped into three conceptua

25、l categories: society, economy, and environment. Each of these categories has a corresponding form of capital that must be preserved to achieve the long-term human-natural viability being pursued: social capital, economic capital, and natural capital. The individual variables or components within th

26、ese three categories are debated; this thesis attempts a preliminary synthesis.2a. What is unsustainable about our current society? Drawing from Jrgen Habermas, Amory Lovins, and Herman Daly, this thesis argues that the current social order is dominated by a growth-oriented market economy steered by

27、 internal imperatives of production and profit, rather than by collective (democratic) decision-making. The growth-oriented market erodes natural capital (1) by growing indefinitely, or increasing the throughput of energy and natural resources through the economic system beyond the capacity of the n

28、atural environment to renew resource or assimilate wastes; (2) by favoring resource-consumptive production methods that, while they maximize production and profit, do not use resource or energy wisely; and (3) by creating a system that is brittle and vulnerable should any of its exacting requirement

29、 not be met a system created in part by the centralized resource-consumptive methods mentioned above, and that, due to its vulnerability, is prone to unpredictable, rapid change that is antithetical to the goal of long-term viability.The growth-oriented market erodes social capital (1) by growing in

30、to and appropriating the contents of informal economies that sustain communities (commoditization); (2) through its preference for centralized, large-scale, hierarchically-maintained production methods, which by their very nature are controlled by powerful individuals and institutions, and are incom

31、prehensible and/or uncontrollable by ordinary people (centralization); (3) via economic processes that favor flexibility and mobility, further eroding bonds to people and place (mobilization); and (4) ultimately socializing individuals according to the values supported by the market (market-based so

32、cialization). These social effects undermine the collective (social) processes necessary to put moral or ethical limits on market activity, or reorient the economy toward qualitative development rather than quantitative growth. The self-organizing collective capacity for social change can affect both daily practice and established laws, and this thesis, following Habermas, relies explicitly on these communicative processes for just and equitable change. At the same time, social capital and solidarity are desirable ends in themselves that increase community decision-making capacity, self-reli