Any views expressed within media held on this service are those of the contributors, should not be taken as approved or endorsed by the University, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the University in respect of any particular issue.
We will continue to focus on materials this week. This week, we mainly focus on the material of plastic. We are trying to recycle plastic products through manual processing in the workshop. Then, a debate was held in the seminar on “This house believes that we must fall in love with plastic again.
In the workshop, I only made simple modifications to the plastic bottles I brought, due to limitations in materials and tools.
According to Vitalist Materialism, plastic as a substance is also dynamic. Plastic is not pollution. Plastic is actually a very stable material. It is not easy to decompose and is acid and alkali resistant. This is the ideal material for making containers.
So, I think recycling plastic bottles as plastic bottles is a good solution. However, we need to try changing its functionality. So I decided to transform it into a box.
My handling method is very simple, I cut open the plastic bottle. After cutting out the lid, a link and a small buckle were cut out to allow the plastic box to open and close freely. As for the usage method, it depends on imagination. It can be laid down to make a flower pot, and the bottle cap can be used for drainage. It can also be used to store items.
The method of recycling plastic is not only environmentally friendly, but also ethical. We do not directly deprive plastics of their right to vitality, but rather stimulate new vitality through recycling and reuse.
Next, we debated ‘This house believes that we must fall in love with plastic again.’.
Although plastic is difficult to degrade and plastic particles that fall off during use may pose a threat to human health, we have to acknowledge the irreplaceable nature of plastic. For example, during the pandemic, plastic masks exhibit excellent corrosion resistance and antibacterial properties.
In addition, plastic only pollutes the environment when it leaves the industrial chain and flows into nature. Just like the lead in televisions, it is equally toxic, but we can avoid pollution by completely recycling and reusing this lead. The same goes for plastic.
I think a quote from a classmate is very interesting. Inger Anderson from UNEP says we can’t recycle our way out of the crisis; We do need to use what exists, but recycling is not the answer as needs hub infrastructure.
On the contrary, we can view waste plastic as a new resource and develop it. This approach can also be applied to most human generated waste, such as kitchen waste, construction waste materials, and heavy metals in waste light tubes.
Reference：
* Pictures 1-8 are taken by me, Pictures 9-11 are from search engine
I am glad to be able to participate in this course with all the teachers and classmates. My name is Zhu Shenxu. You can call me Zhu, which is my surname. I will share with everyone in the first blog about my hometown, the reason why I came to study abroad, and my expectations.
My hometown：
My hometown is Shanghai, which is a developed city and also the economic center of China. The buildings there are very distinctive. I think the architecture in Shanghai consists of three parts. The first one is the alley in Huangpu District, which represents the local traditional culture. The second is the Bund architectural complex, which represents the wars that occurred in the last century and the cultures of other countries. The third one is the skyscrapers along the Huangpu River, representing the development of the city over the years. I believe that these three types of buildings together build the spiritual home of the local people.
Why I came to study abroad：
I think using escape to describe my motivation to study abroad is very appropriate. In recent years, the construction industry in Shanghai has started to stagnate and entered a bottleneck. I even suspect that if it weren’t for national policies, this industry might collapse. I think the main reason for this phenomenon is that in the past 20 years, Shanghai achieved rapid development by “planting” houses. So much so that the potential of this market in the next 10 or even 20 years is drained. The interior design industry has also been greatly affected. I think Britain was the first country to experience an industrial revolution and may have gone through similar historical stages before. I hope to find my future development direction through studying in the UK.
My expectations：
I have always been confused about the future. I really wanted to choose the course of environmental design because the name of the course included the word ‘future’. I speculate that this elective course may help me achieve my goal of transforming my country’s construction and related industries, in order to pursue sustainable development in the future. I believe that humans are like viruses in nature, and when they poison nature, they also promote its evolution. No one can define the quality of evolution. We can only say that the fittest survive.
This book introduces two sustainable methods, one is ecological sustainability, and the other is technological sustainability. Ecological sustainability mainly focuses on solving specific ecological problems. And technological sustainability mainly focuses on management and the operation of society.
The author emphasized the value of local knowledge and its importance in ecological design. Because local knowledge is applicable to specific information such as climate, geology, biology, etc., respecting local culture can help us reduce damage to the ecological environment in most cases.
At the same time, the article also mentions an interesting point. Ecological diversity and cultural diversity are closely linked. Ecological diversity provides the soil for cultural development, while cultural diversity consolidates ecological diversity. The popularity of compost toilets mentioned in the article is a good example. Compost toilets were not only popular in rural areas of the United States and Europe, but also in many rural areas of China in the last century, there were only compost toilets. Although it can handle people’s excrement and produce gas and fertilizers, its user experience is really terrible. I have used it before, and the stench inside is unbearable in the summer.
I came up with an ecological design related to my life. When I was traveling in the mountainous areas of southwestern China, the local residences left a deep impression on me. This type of building is called a stilted building (as shown in the far right picture above). Because the local area is extremely humid and there are many poisonous snakes and insects, residents will use bamboo poles to support the buildings. Then local residents will surround the first floor with a circle of bamboo walls and raise livestock inside.
This design fully conforms to the first principle of ecological design, and the answer comes from the place. However, due to limitations of the times, these designs did not comply with the second principle, and ecological accounting relied on information for design. However, the daily activities of local residents have had little impact on the local environment. At the same time, these buildings are built according to water and incorporate natural landscapes, so they comply with the third principle of ecological design. This architectural form is actually a summary of the local residents’ architectural techniques, so it conforms to the fourth principle of architectural design, where everyone is a designer. This architectural form is willing to communicate with nature, for example, people can interact with nature through rows of windows, so it conforms to the fifth principle of ecological design, making nature visible.
In addition, the research methods mentioned by the author are also worthy of our reference. The article mentions an example where a group of mathematicians once studied how long the coastline of England was. They used Koch curve to fractal the coastline. Through this method, they have calculated various details of the coastline, such as a straight line on the map that, when zoomed in, you can discover that it may be a peninsula or composed of many different ports, alluvial fans, and hills.
This method can effectively help us calculate natural resources. Then, we can overlay a Cartesian grid on top and record human activities on the grid. By using mathematical methods to calculate the natural capacity and pollution generated by human activities, we can more accurately identify where the environment urgently needs our protection. Meanwhile, through this method, we can also better understand how closely humans are connected to nature.
So, ecological design needs to break the singularity of thinking and start from the relationship between humans and the ecological environment.
reference：
1.Ecological_Design_Book_Ryn and Cowan
2.On the cultural value orientation of Tujia stilted buildings; XiangLong, LongXiangping
* Picture 1-3 is from search engine, Picture 4 is taken by me, Picture 5-6 is from bibliography, Picture 7 is from search engine
In this blog post, I would like to share my understanding of “Environmental Histories of Design: Towards a New Research Agenda”This article was published in May 2017. This article explores the reasons for the formation of the interdisciplinary field of environmental design from a historical perspective.By understanding this article, we can re-examine what environmental design is and use it as a reference for our further exploration.
I think this article mainly discusses the following three things.（The above three images were created using AI tools and correspond to the following three things.）
The first thing is that designing around nature may not be environmentally friendly.
The second thing is that industrial development has driven the field of environmental design, and industrial development is also a cause of environmental damage.
The third thing is the exploration of early scholars on the topic of symbiosis with nature.
The original text states that if early environmental history works erected or strengthened barriers between nature and culture through a focus on wilderness and conservation, subsequent generations of scholars increasingly focused on removing such barriers. And provide examples of the design of the Flamingo in the United States and the promotion of SUVs to demonstrate that the nature that consumers encounter is “commercialized, modified, dead, out of ecological context” and may even be harmful to nature.
I associate a constructive case，Waterfall Villa. This design does not include building the villa next to a waterfall, as in the previous two cases, and then placing a plastic waterfall inside the villa. This design uses a design language that communicates with nature.The designer of the flowing villa put aside human pride and respected nature and the surrounding environment of the building. I think this is very valuable. This architectural design made me realize that although the building appears to be a separate space from nature, people and the building are actually a part of nature.
The article then introduced the arts and crafts movement that influenced environmentalism, as well as the outstanding figure Morris in this movement. Morris became famous through literary works on utopian themes and demonstrated that it is wrong for humans to view nature as an opposing concept to humans. This is a false binary opposition. But Maurice’s utopia was ultimately shattered by World War I. Because industrialization itself is a potential risk of natural destruction. When we see the scorched earth brought about by war, we can intuitively experience it.
The article concludes by discussing the origins of these trends, Bauhaus. The designers of Bauhaus explored the relationship between humans and nature with many ineffective yet enlightening designs, such as the penguin pool that no penguin would use. At that time, designers began to think about the impact of design on the environment and their essence.
From a historical perspective, I believe that designers in the last century advanced the development of design by a significant margin. With the advent of the Industrial Revolution and war, people began to reflect and evaluate their existing knowledge systems. Many constructive schools of thought have emerged, such as deconstructionism, stylism, and the Memphis design organization. These are great revolutions and innovations in the field of design.
Based on the study of this history, I believe that environmentally friendly design should not be limited to imitating the appearance of natural organisms and expressing natural graphics, nor should it only focus on the human perspective and ignore the laws of natural operation. Merely imitating forms cannot achieve environmentally friendly design. We should let go of human arrogance, abide by natural moral principles, and design from a natural perspective.
Reference:
1. Environmental History of Design: Towards a New Research Agenda; Kjetil Fallan and Finn Arne J ø rgensen
2. From luxury brands to street vendors, why is this pink flamingo so popular; https://www.sohu.com/a/163573917_788514
3. AD Classic: Flowing Villa; https://www.archdaily.cn/cn/622965/ad-classics-fallingwater-house?ad_source=search&ad_medium=projects_tab
* Unlabeled images are from search engines
end slide 4
begin slide 5
Environmental design-Week3 Treasure hunt game & Debate Zhu ShenXu
The initial knowledge of humanity comes from the induction and summary of nature. We can still see the shadow of natural elements in today’s design and cities. This week’s studio encourages us to go outdoors and search for various elements of nature and human society. I believe that cities are actually a microcosm of natural ecology, and the elements and operating rules in nature can still guide our current urban, architectural, and interior design.
Various elements in nature have potential meanings. For example, lichens can symbolize decomposition and circulation, islands can symbolize independence and closure, and water can symbolize medium and carrier. I can compare different parts of a building with natural elements. I believe this can help us better understand the connection between artificial space and nature.
The above two pictures are my sketches. One uses natural elements to describe the city, and the other uses natural elements to describe the interior.
In the second image, I mapped natural elements to some indoor objects. For example, doors symbolize boundaries because they are controlled by humans, which makes them more like boundaries rather than walls. For example, a walkway symbolizes a pipeline because it means circulation and connection, and both can be extended. Finally, there is the window, which is very similar to water because it can bring vitality to the interior. Rooms without windows are often very oppressive. The above is the first set of metaphors, mainly focusing on the connection and disconnection of space, as well as the resulting effects, such as vitality.
The second set of metaphors will focus on people and their surroundings. I want to compare people to fire, they always bring vitality to various things, but at the same time, they unknowingly destroy them. Next is the sofa, which I want to compare to a shelter. Finally, there is an independent room, much like an island. Private rooms are often a concrete manifestation of the homeowner’s spiritual space. At the same time, the walls turned into an ocean.
The last group is related to the activity. I compare open spaces to parks because they generate activity by stimulating people’s creativity. Then, compare trash cans to lichens because they not only clean the environment, but also can recycle. Finally, there are some disharmonious design elements that are difficult to eliminate, just like pollution.
In summary, the basic elements of architecture include space (Group 1), time (Group 2), and story (Group 3).
This week, we also had a debate on the theme that “Designers have not yet come to terms with their complicity in the creation of the conditions of environmental crisis or with their environmental responsibility, nor have they yet reformed their practices accordingly.”
We discussed factors such as the responsibilities of designers, the influence of big brands, the wave of consumerism, and the influence of capitalism in this debate.
Firstly, the opposing party believes that designers who lack awareness of protecting nature during the design process cannot be called designers, but they are indeed designing, so this sophistry is not valid. But we also noticed that environmental awareness is a mandatory course for every designer.
Some brands lock users by creating a culture, such as Apple, but sometimes this can also lead to waste. This situation is more obvious and serious in the fashion industry. The trend is changing every year, and products that have been eliminated generate huge waste.
This phenomenon is also influenced by consumerism. Sometimes it is necessary to acknowledge that consumption is an important channel for generating personal value in a capitalist society. The consumption power of individuals is an important measure of their social value. But consumption power may also be waste power.
Starting from the superstructure, some brands and capitalists have set their sights on profitability. We can sacrifice for this, but many consumers do not accept it. This also prompts many brands to develop their own political stance and brand values. This has to some extent alleviated waste.
Designers are a service-oriented industry, so sometimes we have to cater to customer needs. However, I believe that a successful designer should be a manager who should point out the right path for social development.
Reference:
1. Cities and natural processes: the foundation towards sustainability; Michael Haff
2.Architectural concept: Red is not just a color; Bernard Tschumi
* Pictures 1-7 are taken by me, Pictures 8-10 are from search engine
This week, we will continue to explore the future of the environment. The possibility of the future is determined by our current decisions. We have discussed the viewpoint of “Future humans, looking back on our early mid 21st Century design considerations and actions, will thank us more than condemn us.”. Finally, we also proposed 5 principles for environmental design based on each individual’s own perception.
I personally hold a negative attitude towards this viewpoint. I don’t think our descendants will appreciate the design we have made. The emergence of this viewpoint is not only based on an analysis of the current situation and development trends of the environment, but also on an understanding of social processes and the development of human civilization.
Let’s first take a look at a set of data. Since the 1960s, industrial production has quadrupled, and human control over pollution emissions is weakening. Plastic production has doubled in the past 20 years, but only 9% of them have been successfully recycled. The textile and fast fashion industries cause 20% of water pollution during the dyeing process.
We can find that the development of human society will inevitably cause harm to the natural environment.But most of the harm is unnecessary harm caused by consumerism. With the development of capitalism entering the golden age, production oriented capitalism has shifted towards consumption oriented. At the same time, guided by the theories of “marginal utility value theory” and “effective demand” by economists such as Menger and Keynes, the West began to transition to post capitalism, which mainly stimulated mass consumption.
Philosopher Baudrillard discovered that human consumption is gradually being hijacked by symbols. Most people’s consumption is no longer based on the symbolic value of goods, just like bags are no longer meant to hold things, but rather symbols of identity, taste, and high-end.
The phenomenon also exists in the field of environmental protection, just like the wilderness in SUV promotional videos and the popularity of plastic flamingos in the United States. Most of the time, numb consumers are not concerned about whether environmentally friendly products are environmentally friendly, but rather about the symbols of their health, harmlessness, and social responsibility.
We are a very difficult generation as we experienced the 2008 financial crisis. We experienced COVID-19 in 2019. We have focused too much attention on regulating internal conflicts in human society, but we can still see war and gunpowder around the world.
If one day, the water sources on Earth are polluted, energy is depleted, and a large number of species become extinct, humans will not be able to survive alone. So, how our descendants perceive us is not important, what matters is the decisions we make now. I propose the following five environmental design principles.
1. Use existing materials for production.
2. Do not make unnecessary designs.
3. Respect location and culture.
4. Continuously innovate and reform technology.
5. Synchronize design with the rhythm of nature.
Reference:
1. Consumer society, Jean Baudrillard
2. Principles of National Economics, Marginal Utility Value Theory, Karl Menger
3. Reviewing why sauce flavored lattes can handle people, Yoloidea
4. Environmental History of Design: Towards a New Research Agenda; Kjetil Fallan and Finn Arne J ø rgensen
* All images are from search engines
end slide 6
begin slide 7
Environmental design-Week4 Reading: Cradle To Cradle Zhu ShenXu
The book I read this week is’ Cradle to Cradle ‘, and this blog mainly shares some post reading experiences.This book tells the author’s environmental philosophy from cradle to cradle, rather than from cradle to grave. And achieve the goal of environmental protection by rethinking and planning every step of product production.
This book points out that the current design and production process adopts a production model from cradle to grave. Then it pointed out some measures that people have already taken. For example, recycling materials from waste products and processing them into new products. But this process will generate new pollution, such as dioxins, a carcinogen, when recycling plastic. Fortunately, we have new plastics, but this does not allow plastics to return to nature. These measures only change the way pollution is caused or delay the time of pollution.
The author then told us that we need to consider the ecological benefits of Eco Effectiveness. And comparing the world to a tree, the best development model is like falling leaves returning to roots, where all the waste generated in our development will become food for social progress.But we all know that such ideas are difficult to implement, so we have to force ourselves to do so.
Seeing this reminds me of an architectural case, the Ningbo Museum designed by Wang Shu. During the design process, the designer collected the bricks and tiles of abandoned residential buildings that were not inhabited around the site, and then glued them with clay to create the exterior walls of the museum. Some people also evaluate this building as the best exhibit in the museum because it, like other exhibits, reflects the local customs and traditions very well.I think we can call this kind of construction architecture-to-architecture.
Next, the author points out that we should respect diversity in the production process. Many sustainable cycles originate from nature, imitate nature, and integrate into nature. At the same time, we also need to respect cultural diversity, for example, the “wind spoon” in Pakistani architecture can effectively achieve the circulation of wind. In the long history of development, ancient people have always left behind something worth learning for modern people.
The final step is to put Eco Effectivity into practice. The author finally gave 5 suggestions.
Step 1: Get “free of” known curves.
Step 2: Follow informed personal preferences.
Step 3: Creating a “passive positive” list.
Step 4:Activate the positive list.
Step 5: Reinvent.
The definition of culture can be summarized into two types, one is culture in the sense of social structure, and the other is culture in the sense of individual behavior. They established a common understanding and cultural imagination.
Environmental protection has actually become a popular culture. Perhaps not everyone wants to protect the environment, but no one is willing to live in a polluted environment. Some supermarkets in China have “green vegetable sections” that sell vegetables grown in a pollution-free environment without the use of pesticides or genetic technology. Almost all citizens are willing to pay for these high-priced vegetables.
From the perspective of individual behavior, rushing to purchase pollution-free vegetables is going to become a culture. From the perspective of social structure, can we adjust the supply-demand relationship to keep more farmland away from pollution. For example, we can use the profits from pollution-free vegetables to improve farmland. And, attract more farmers to adopt this planting model through profits. Drive the transformation of planting methods with economic benefits.
In fact, with the development of industry, many lands have been polluted. About ten years ago, rice from certain parts of China was found to exceed heavy metal standards. We can use these methods to bring the soil back to its original state. Or rather, by building and improving culture, nature can be brought back to its cradle.
reference：
1.Cradle to cradle；Michael Braungart，William McDonough
For me, the greatest value of this course is that it has made me realize my shallowness and the complexity of environmental issues. The environment has always been a huge issue. I will analyze my latest perspectives on society, environment, and environmental design in this blog to summarize this course.
The current human society is filled with dissatisfaction with existing environmental issues and anxiety about potential environmental risks in the future. I believe these are the main driving forces for the development of the field of environmental design, as well as the driving forces for the development of human society. The driving force for the development of human society has shifted from “I am hungry” to “I am afraid”. At the same time, environmental design has also become a necessary discipline.
Most of the existing environmental risks are not due to a lack of control over nature, but rather the expectation of more intense control over nature in the future. In these years of development, humans have conquered natural space and land through technological and cultural means, and conquered traditional social markets through capital and labor. The arrogance in human nature and the binary opposition between nature and nature have made the natural environment worse.
Looking at the field of environmental design now, what is the value of environmental design to all parties? Perhaps most people’s viewpoint is to protect nature, but I don’t think so. I believe that the greatest significance of nature, environment, and society lies in development. The greatest value of environmental design is to continue this development. However, when we observe the current society, we will find that many things are not optimistic.
In the process of human development from modern society to postmodern society, it has triggered self reflection. In addition to the well-known natural destruction and environmental pollution, for example, developed regions will import a large amount of agricultural products from underdeveloped areas due to cost issues. Food pressure and market demand will trigger the use of large amounts of pesticides and genetic technology in underdeveloped regions, ultimately leading to a global food security crisis.
Most of the natural damage caused by humans originates from social and production structures. What can I do as an interior designer? I may be able to rebuild the connection between humans and nature through space. I may be able to connect interior design with other industries to reduce waste. Maybe I shouldn’t use design to make garbage.
Although human development requires criticism and reflection, overall, I still hold a positive attitude towards the future of humanity because I believe in the efforts of everyone involved. I think this is also the reason why we gather here for class. This course took me into this field, but the next path will depend on me.
Reference:
1. Risk Society, Ulrich Beck
2. Illusion, Daniel Bursting
* The cover was taken by me, and all the images in the article came from search engines
This week, we mainly discussed and explored the circular economy. Although the circular economy has been criticized by some as green capitalism, it is an inevitable trend for sustainable development because unprofitable structures cannot expand.
In the studio this week, we did two activities. In the first activity, we used cards to represent different production steps and natural elements. These cards are then arranged to represent the linear economy of producing plastic bottles and the cycles that exist in nature.
Through different permutations and combinations, I found that it was important to keep the production process in line with nature. Since the original production raw materials come from nature, only by returning all the final production waste to the natural cycle can zero pollution, zero damage and sustainable development be achieved.
In the second event, we explored the circular economy in more detail. Our group has proposed some improvement suggestions for the linear production of jeans to move it closer to a circular economy.
The existing jeans production process not only consumes water, but also pollutes it. Producing a pair of jeans requires nearly 4 tons of water. More seriously, dyeing jeans can pollute downstream water sources. The water in the drainage area near many jeans factories appears light blue.Our group proposes to use natural dyes instead of chemical raw materials for dyeing. Factories can try dyeing plants such as IsatisindigoticaFort that contain indocyanin. (Indigo glycoside turns blue when exposed to alkali)
The existing circular economy is more like a cross combination of different linear economies. In a circular economy, different industries are constantly producing raw materials from other industries, while also constantly digesting waste from other industries. The circular economy is like a collage, which eliminates the gaps between different industries to reduce waste and natural burden.
Next, we held a seminar to discuss “This house (ie. we) would enforce a circular economy.
In this debate, both sides believe that we need to develop towards a circular economy, but there have been disagreements on the feasibility of a circular economy. We have discussed materials, infrastructure, structural expansion, and policy implementation in the circular economy.
When it comes to circular economy, the first thing we think of is the recycling of materials, which achieves sustainable development by reinserting production waste into a certain step of production. However, this idea is too idealistic, because there are losses in the process of recycling materials every time, just like recycled paper is not as strong as ordinary paper. And some recycling processes create new pollution and energy consumption.
At the same time, most of the existing production facilities are linear economy production facilities that are not suitable for circular economy. So, we need to integrate the system of circular economy into existing systems instead of rebuilding a new one.
This involves the popularization of the circular economy as a production structure. I believe that an unprofitable production structure cannot be popularized. So whether starting from economic benefits or reducing infrastructure waste, we should develop circular economy on the existing linear economic structure. This is a bottom-up transformation strategy.
We believe that the simultaneous top-down development of circular economy is necessary, but we cannot impose it on different cultural and social backgrounds. The Scottish government has been implementing a circular economy in recent years, such as conducting community activities and issuing relevant legislative policies. I think this is a great approach. We can also strengthen publicity, such as introducing successful pilot cases of circular economy. This can strengthen the public’s confidence in implementing a circular economy.
The Earth is like a lonely spaceship floating in the universe. We have no supplies, so we can only produce based on existing material. Therefore, we cannot pollute the environment, and there is no concept of mining. We have to choose a circular economy.
reference：
1.Natural Resources and Environmental Economics; Tom Titanberg, Lynn Lewis
* Pictures 1-4 are taken by me, Pictures 5-8 are from search engine
I will share with you my gains during Reading Week in this blog. We have been studying environmental design for six weeks and have gained an understanding of the history and philosophy of environmental design. So, I read some books related to my major, interior design, this week.
The green imperative : ecology and ethics in design and architecture
Author: Papanek, Victor.
This book adheres to the sustainable design concept of ‘cradle to cradle’, but it focuses more on how to apply this concept to cities, buildings, and interiors. What impressed me deeply are the following two points.
The first point is that the author reflects on what good design is in the book. If we ask the designers of Bauhaus, what is good design. I believe the answer I received must be to maximize its functional design. However, the author believes that design is not designed to serve survival. He believes that design has deeper spiritual significance, especially its aesthetic and moral significance. Next, the author searches for his position in the design process by constantly asking himself questions. The following set of questions left a deep impression on me, and I would like to share them with you.
“Will the design significantly aid the sustainability of the environment?
Can it make life easier for some group that has been marginalized by society?
Can it ease pain?
Will it help those who are poor, disenfranchised or suffering?
Will it save energy or – better still – help to gain renewable energies?
Can it save irreplaceable resources?
A positive answer to these or similar questions does not make the desin visibly spiritual. But the performance of such services to our felowhumans and the planet wil help us nwardl. it wil nourish our sou and help it o row. That’s where spiritual values enter desian.”
Our task has undergone a transformation.
The second point is that he proposed that with the development of society, people gradually moved indoors. Therefore, interior design has become particularly important. The author believes that architecture should not only be connected to nature, but also to local culture. Meanwhile, the author points out that we are all involved in the design. As end users, we are both consumers and victims of the environment, buildings, tools, and artifacts that make up our world. Design is a conscious and intuitive effort aimed at imposing a meaningful order. Therefore, we need to understand the meaning behind design in order to establish a sustainable order.
Economies of recycling : the global transformation of materials, values and social relations
Authors:Joshua Reno，Catherine Alexander
This article mainly discusses how people can meet their needs by recycling and utilizing waste materials in different places and backgrounds. I think this is a circular economy, although some people do it due to the pressure of life. However, this move connects the ends of the linear economy together, making resource utilization more efficient and reducing waste. At the same time, this move also generated economic value, and most participants also benefited from it.
Earthships: The Homes That Trash Built
Authors:Rachel Harkness
The author introduces the concept and construction method of Earthships in this article. Earthships are a type of residential building constructed from waste materials. It adopts the concept of zero waste. Waste has no fixed classification and can be reused and reshaped. While building Earthships, they change the way they use their environment and resources by reusing waste.
Builders have a strong sense of morality, which can be seen from the way they treat sewage. They collect and clean this sewage, and then use and reuse it, such as for household and horticultural purposes.
In addition, the article also mentioned that Earthships builders value handcrafting, which can strengthen their connection with the environment and better recycle waste. They are very concerned about the environment and have strong environmental ethics. And through this approach, a new community relationship has been established.
Overall, Earthships, as an innovative residential construction method, propose a new way of resource reuse.
Thinking building dwelling: examining earthships in taos and fife
Author:Harkness, Rachel Joy
This article emphasizes that the responsibility of interior designers is to meet people’s diverse needs for the environment. The article also mentions that sustainable interior design not only involves spatial efficiency and productivity, but designers also need to promote sustainable relationships between individuals and organizations from a holistic perspective.
Interior design can support and maintain community relationships, cultural atmosphere, family relationships, and personal life. The article also emphasizes that interior design plays an important role in the sustainability movement. Although designers entering this industry have received training in sustainability principles and practices, they do not always have sufficient information to complete tasks.
This article aims to enhance the standards of the design industry, thereby enabling users to use spaces healthier, happier, and safer.
Reference：
* Pics 1-14 from bibliography, Pics 15-18 from search engine
Vitalist Materialism is a radical form of environmentalism. The author holds that matter has vitality, and man is also a vital substance. Therefore, people are also part of the material world. This theory downplays the boundaries between man and the environment, thereby driving the development of environmental design.
The vitality of matter refers to the ability of objects to have an effect. The vitality of matter is usually expressed in the function and ability of objects. For example, a stone can be just a stone, but at the same time it can be a tool for digging holes. Even if we don’t move it, over a long period of time, the dust held back by this stone will create a small mound.
In this theory, assemblage is very important for understanding non-identity. Non-identity refers to those who are not governed by knowledge and are “different” from the concept. A assemblage can be understood as an existence that acts on us. We as epistemologists are plagued by a disturbing feeling. No matter how accurate our analysis, there are still uncontrollable factors in nature.
Objects do not leave no room in the concept. So life will always be beyond our knowledge and control. We need to accept it. Only then can we stop being angry at a world that refuses to give us “reconciliation.” By understanding the assemblage, we can better understand the non-identity of the way to exist, so as to feel the vitality of matter.
As human beings are part of the vital matter, our power is also a material power. This means that human actions and abilities are also manifestations of matter, and not merely the function of the mind or soul. Therefore, the vitality of matter exists not only in non-living objects, but also in human beings.
Through this understanding, we can better realize the importance and influence of matter. At the same time, promote the interrelationship between human beings and the environment.
This doctrine is radical because it challenges the traditional boundaries between subject and object, and between human and non-human. It presents a new view that matter has its own power and agency, and is not merely passively utilized by human subjects. This view breaks with traditional anthropocentrism, which holds that all things have their own value and rights. Following this hypothesis, human beings may be dominated by matter. Humans will exploit and oppress non-humans. It challenges traditional notions of ethics and morality.
We can also see many examples of the vitality of matter in our daily life. For example, the human immune system relies on the bacterial community in the body to function properly. The activities of the human body are not only controlled by humans themselves, but are composed of other organisms and substances that interact with humans.
