Embedding Sustainable Design in a Design-Build-Studio: An experimental bioregional community-based project

Abstract

Design guides for sustainable design typically concentrate on incremental improvement on current and past design practice; such as creating energy and water efficient buildings rather than buildings that have net positive ecological and social impacts. Often, environmental assessment tools are used for design, which are neither designed as design guides, nor do the custodians of these tools encourage their use as design guides. In the creation of a Design-Build-Studio for third year students an approach to embedding sustainable design was adopted. As the project - a flood-response community project - evolved it became evident a new approach to sustainable design needed to be embraced. The principle of Positive Development as outlined by Birkeland2 was embraced and embedded in the design-build process. As with sculpture, where the output is the art object, construction was considered as an extension of the creative process; integral to the art and science of designing and erecting a built environment. This philosophy proved invaluable to the inexperienced labour-force when responding to the significant percentage of reused/recycled/donated/scavenged materials, whilst retaining the design intent. Limited resources and sustainable design motivated an emphasis on dematerialisation, heightening the relationship between design and connection detail. The outcome for this multi-award-winning (including a National Architecture Award), trans-disciplinary project spanning education, industry and community, successfully embedded sustainable design in a socially-responsible building contributing to bioregional growth. Keywords: Sustainable Design; Design Build Studio; Education; Reuse materials; Community