Role of Architects in Sustainability Development

THE ARCHITECT’S ROLE IN SOCIETY WITH REGARD TO SUSTAINABILITY (For 1st Intern Internati ationa onall Tr Tro oi!a i!all Ar!"i Ar!"ite! te!t# t#ral ral Con$ Con$ere eren!e n!e%% Ar!" Ar!"it ite! e!t# t#re re an& an& Ur'a Ur'an n Desi Desin n in t"e t"e Tr Tro oi!a i!all rei reio ons) ns) S#staina'ilit* an& So!iet*% oranise& '* NUS+ , C Tin -o"n .resi&ent% Sinaore Instit#te o$ Ar!"ite!ts

It is my privilege to be invited to participate in this 1 st  International Tropical Architecture Conference organised by the Department of   Architecture,  Architecture, National University of Singapore, to share some thoughts on the architects role in society !ith regard to sustainability" I !ill discuss this role from t!o perspectives # the macro $i"e" SIA% and micro $i"e" individual architect%"

De$inition o$ S#staina'le De/elo0ent &efo &efore re loo' loo'in ing g at this this role role,, let let me defi define ne !hat !hat is sust sustai aina nabl ble e development" (or the purpose of my tal', I !ould li'e to borro! the defi defini niti tion on

from from

the the

Sust Sustai aina nabl ble e

&uil &uildi ding ng Tech Techni nica call

)anu )anual al,,

produced by *ublic Technology Inc and US +reen &uilding Council" Sustai Sustaina nable ble devel developm opment ent is  the challe challenge nge of meetin meeting g growi growing  ng  human human needs needs for natural natural resource resources, s, industri industrial al product products, s, energy, energy, food, transportation, shelter and effective waste management while conserv conserving ing and protecti protecting ng environm environmenta entall quality quality and the natural  natural  reso resour urce ce base base esse essent ntia iall for for futu future re life life and and deve develo lopm pmen ent. t. This This concept recognises that meeting long-term human needs will be impossible unless we also conserve the earth’s natural, physical, chemical and biological systems” 

Go/ern0ent’s ision o$ S#staina'ilit* The

Singapore

sustainability"

+overnment

This

is

committed

commitment is reinforced

to

ensure

in the

its

vision

statement, !hich is stated in the Singapore +reen *lan -.1- and I /uote0

“Clean and green ingapore has beaten the odds to come this far. !or the ne"t lap of our development, we strive to forge a country  that will give our people and all who come after them, their best  home possible, e"ercising wise and #udicious stewardship of our  resources and optimising the balance between $an and %ature. &ith intelligent innovation and strategic partnership, we will prevail  over our limitations, to build a ingapore that will endure for  generations to come.”  In the +reen *lan, there !as also a statement, !hich I feel is important for the discussion of my topic today and that is, “!or us, sustainability can be no mere fad' (ur very survival depends on it”. This statement, together !ith the vision statement testifies to the +overnments commitment to ensuring Singapore sustainability"

2a!ro .erse!ti/e 3 SIA’s Role I believe that sustainability is the responsibility of every constituent of society and each must play its part to achieve maimum results"  A critical element of sustainability is ecology and architecture and ecology cannot be separated in the creation of a conducive habitat for man'ind" 2n the one hand, the basic physiological and psychological needs of man must be fulfilled and architecturally epressed" 2n the other hand, there is a need to balance, harmonise and integrate mans habitat !ith the surrounding in all aspects" This need to integrate architecture !ith ecology is no! being brought to sharper focus arising from various environmental

movements to!ards sustainable development over the years" 3et me cite t!o eamples of the Institutes effort in promoting sustainability through green architecture"

The first eample concerns the promotion of eco architecture" Singapore as a land scarce island city#state, the achievement of  eco#architecture is not only a greater challenge in terms of design innovation and technical 'no!#ho! as compared to many developed nations, but also it must have its o!n flavour in order to be identified as Singapores response to 4co#Architecture" The development of capability in this direction meets !ith our national and professional aspiration to become a )odel +reen City5" It is this belief that has been the driving force behind the Institutes effort in promoting sustainable or green architecture over the years" In 1667, the Institute organised a 4co#&uilding Architectural Design Competition5" The

ob8ective

!as

to

promote

broad

based

a!areness for the environment both indoor and outdoor, design innovation and technological applications" In con8unction !ith this competition, there !as also a design competition for students and a seminar on the same sub8ect" This !as then part of the effort of the Institute to complement the 1 st Singapore +reen *lan"

The second eample is the promotion of ecological design in the tropics" This is done through an 4DITT programme in 1669" 4DITT stands for 4cological Design in The Tropics5" This initiative !as predicated on the fact that the built environment is a ma8or factor in the energy consumption, pollution production and resource usage of any society" The air#conditioned, electrically lighted, mechanical services modern building : from offices to factories, from schools to hospitals, from homes to hotels : are all ma8or elements in the environmental e/uation of energy flo! and pollution control that

constitute the ecological and environmental agenda of Singapore" ;e live, !or' and play in buildings, in an urban and artificially maintained environment" )uch, if not all, of !hat !e do is supported by services and facilities that are housed in buildings and in the built environment" 2ur physical acts of eating, sleeping, !or'ing and playing do not create an ecological crisis" The physical environment !ithin !hich such activities occur do" Indeed, the energy consumption and environmental impact of a society is directly proportional to the urban /uality of its built environment" If  the built environment is a primary factor, then architecture must and can

provide

a

ma8or

contribution

to

the

solution

of

the

environmental crisis"

;e believe, both these initiatives had generated substantial a!areness in the architectural fraternity as !ell as in the industry"

2i!ro .erse!ti/e 3 In&i/i&#al Ar!"ite!t’s .erse!ti/e 3et me ta'e you no! to the micro perspective, that is the individual architects role" The primary role is to contribute through designing buildings, !hich achieve the ob8ectives of sustainability"

I believe, in order to achieve sustainable development, buildings must be designed inclusive of the concepts of sustainable development, epounded in my introductory remar's" Such buildings !ill have a positive impact on the environmental, social and economic systems, !hich !ill lead to enhancing both the economic !ell being and environmental health of communities and the /uality of life" Sustainable buildings should meet certain ob8ectives, li'e0

-

protecting the health of building occupants<

-

improving employee productivity<

-

using energy, !ater and materials more efficiently<

-

incorporating recycled building materials<

-

minimising !aste< and

-

reducing the environmental impacts associated !ith the production of ra! materials, building construction and building maintenance and operations"

The concept of sustainability challenges architects and urban planners to thin' and act in terms of long#term conse/uences of  their decisions on the diminishing resources of the !orld" Increasingly, there is a realisation that current architectural practices

have

ecological

conse/uences

that

degrade

the

environment" Therefore, architects must address the /uality and sustainability of the use of natural resources and ecosystem, /uality of life, impact of the production and use of energy" Unfortunately, the reality is that !hen doing building design, architects are confronted

!ith

available

technology,

cost

factors,

clients

epectation and regulatory limitations, current public policy that promotes economic competitiveness as an end in itself, at the epense

of

the

public

good"

=o!

can

architect

achieve

sustainability in buildings>

I believe the architect can contribute to!ard sustainability if !e consider the interrelationship among building site, design elements, energy and resource constraints, building systems and building function and follo! an environmentally responsive design process in the building design and construction of a pro8ect" 3et me briefly eplain !hat is this environmentally responsive design process"

4ssentially, this process follo!s the conventional process, but !ith additional consideration given to sustainable design, materials and systems" I !ill touch on the three more important additional considerations in sustainable design # namely developing a green vision, establishing pro8ect goals and establishing green design criteria"

+reen ?ision In order to achieve a sustainable building, it is critical that a green vision should be developed to guide the modus operandi of the pro8ect team" Such a vision should embrace sustainable principles and an integrated design approach" The architect together !ith his team and the client !ill articulate and define this vision statement, !hich !ill be enforced as the sustainable goals throughout the pro8ect"

+reen &uilding +oals The -nd  important tas' in the design process is to establish the pro8ects green building goals" These are developed from the vision statement" +reen building goals must come from the client and reflect his needs and values he attaches to the building" goals

need

not

be

specific,

but

broad

Such

statements

of 

environmentally#based ideas that can be further developed and integrated by the pro8ect team" Such a statement should include such

issues

li'e

energy

efficiency,

indoor

and

outdoor 

environmental /uality, !aste minimi@ation and general principles of  sustainability"

+reen Design Criteria The green design criteria are usually more specific and should start by clarifying the most important and relevant aspects of the pro8ect" (or eample, the criteria should include a certain level of  improvement in energy efficiency over conventional usage, indicate a  of rene!able energy strategies and e/uipment to be used, stipulate re/uirements for site design, provide guidelines for indoor  environmental /uality and indicate levels of resource conservation and recycling"

T"e C"allene to Ar!"ite!t Adopting the sustainable design process is a challenge to the architect" This is because the current paradigm of thought treats building as an economic process, rather than an ecological, social and cultural phenomenon, responding to peoples needs and aspirations" Such deeply entrenched economic thought dominates social and cultural concerns as !ell as the environment and this poses an obstacle to achieving the ob8ective of sustainable design" There is a need for a change in mindset" I believe the vision of the Singapore +reen *lan should be propagated continually throughout all the government ministries and the developers, !ith the ob8ective to effect a paradigm shift to place priority to ecological concerns in their decision#ma'ing process" 2nly in this !ay, !ill buildings and the built environment achieve a /uantum leap in sustainability" In addition, !e believe sustainability ob8ectives must be embodied in building policies and regulations as !ell as in design briefs" ;hile the architect can follo! a sustainble design process, the final decision rests !ith the promoter, !ho must !ant sustainability in their building" -B.-.7occ