Prompt 6 - Some Inspiration
Sustainability is a very broad subject, and achieving sustainability is very radical goal, especially considering our region is China. China is the most populated country, and is quickly increasing is population and industry. This is why it is essential for China to embrace sustainability. Here's an eye opening fact: of the 20 cities world wide with the most polluted air, 16 are in China.
I found this image interesting because it puts the whole world into perspective regarding sustainability. The amount of resources a region uses determines how swollen it is.
Japan is noticeably larger than Russia. Oy!
Since I began researching China's path to sustainability I have found various plans that I feel will have a great impact on reaching this goal.
This is a urban plan for the town of Huangbaiyu which outlines many features required to make regions sustainable.
Here's what this plan would accomplish:
- The village would be solar powered
- Buildings will be constructed of locally sourced, renewable materials.
- Quality of life will improve because of increased community, and biodiversity due to the layout of the village.
The source of power is also a major component to sustainability. There are various way energy is being efficiently produced and distributed, but this needs to be a widespread practice throughout the entire country. Power plants such as this one will be very effective in achieving sustainability and reducing pollution.
Transportation is also a major topic in the quest for sustainability. Present day transportation relies too
much on cars, which are not very sustainable, and pollute the environment. Here is an alternative China is developing in Shanghai: A Magnetic Levitation Train. If this were only implemented in the other 15 cities with the worst air pollution.
Sustainability cover numerous realms of design. All aspects of design should be influenced by policy so that the future of our global environment is secure. There are endless possibilities for architecture to influence sustainability.
Sustainable Design in Architecture is illustrated here by the Phare ("Beacon") Tower scheduled to be completed near Paris, France in 2012. This building is quite sustainable because first it generates its own wind power, also it effectively uses natural light, and is energy efficient overall. Montana State University architecture graduate Patrick Dunn-Baker was on the Morphosis firm competition team whose design won the contract.
These are only a few examples to the direction architecture and design can take to achieve sustainability. In this day and age where people have not, up until recently, considered the aftermath of their consumption, it is up to the research, technology and ability we have globally acquired to ensure our future on this planet.