The semester is close to ending. Every time I study with this course, I am reminded of how the Anthropocene epoch is defined: humans are reshaping the environment. And design is one of the primary drivers of this reshaping. As I study more, I realise that the design I am learning is about more than just aesthetics and purpose; it is also about restoring the balance between humanity and the natural world.
At the start of the semester, I had a superficial awareness of environmental issues, believing that design and nature were unrelated. However, as I learnt, I realised that human activities are significantly altering the earth’s ecology, as well as the gravity of environmental concerns, so I made it obvious that design must assume environmental responsibility. Kelly (2020) emphasises the same point: Because human actions and interventions have a large impact on ecological outcomes in the Anthropocene, design thinking must consider sustainability and conservation. In Week 2 of my blog, I highlighted the inextricable link between humans and nature. While William Morris pushed designers to deviate from convention, Fry stressed that design should heal the environment rather than simply eliminate harm. These concepts prompted me to rethink my design work and consider how design may support sustainability.
This semester, I also began to experiment with incorporating sustainability and environmental friendliness into my interior design project. I would like to focus on the most intriguing aspect of my project. In order to conform to the product nature and style of the brand Aarke, I designed several long sections of glass walls, with the unique feature that the interior is filled with water and the bottom contains a device that generates bubbles (because the brand’s main product is an air bubble machine).
Screenshot From My own Sketchup Model
However, in order to be environmentally conscious and to incorporate local elements, I chose to collect and reuse rainwater from Edinburgh as a water source within the glass walls. My original plan is to transfer rainwater from the roof into the water storage facility via the drain pipe (the brand makes water filtering goods) and then into the wall after a basic treatment. Although I am aware that the practicality and operational technology of certain concepts cannot be examined in the short term, what I have learnt is more focused on space design. This design idea, in my view, is to ensure that the design is beautiful, that the brand attributes are consistent, and that water recycling is in line with the Cradle to Cradle mode. This is a great start!
Week seven study on “The Life of Things” taught me that every object is not only an expression of design intent but also a vital element of the ecosystem, which challenged my previously held belief in the static nature of materials and design. Week five study of the circular economy topic reinforced my belief that designers should not just decrease resource waste but also optimise resource recycling through innovative design. Overall, taking this course has given me a lot of thinking breakthroughs. Whenever I believed there would be no new concepts, the following week’s learning would once again increase my understanding, and I was pleasantly shocked by the debate on the future last week! In this mood, I began to try to incorporate the things I had learnt into my professional work. I believe this was the original idea behind the creation of this course!
As a designer, this course makes me feel like I have a greater sense of societal obligation. Although my current thoughts and environmental design methodologies are not mature or thorough, I am looking forward to continuing to progress. From now on, I will continue to use inventive design as a starting point and encourage the interior design industry to create advances in resource utilisation, material selection, and environmental protection technology application. Design is a romantic cooperation between humans and the environment, and I am excited to contribute more inspiration and support to this ongoing conversation about sustainability!
Bibliography：
1.Kelly, L.T. et al. (2020) ‘Fire and biodiversity in the anthropocene’, Science, 370(6519). doi:10.1126/science.abb0355.
