Is it time for designers to walk away from a project that could be branded unsustainable?

When newspapers such as the Daily Mail start criticising the “huge carbon footprint” of Dubai residents, it’s a reflection of how much public awareness and attitudes towards the environment have changed.

The Mail made the reference in a report on plans to refrigerate a beach in the Emirate “so filthy rich holidaymakers don’t burn their feet on scorching sand”. Although the developer claims the beach will be environmentally sustainable, such an energy-profligate concept is an easy target for criticism.

How long before other schemes, such as ski slopes in the desert, come in for similar derision, perhaps jeopardising a consultant’s chances of working for environmentally committed organisations?

Of course sustainability is not just about the environment; social and economic issues are equally important, as most design teams would be quick to point out. Take, for example, the cooled greenhouses that are the centrepiece of the Gardens by the Bay scheme in Singapore (pages 24-28). An air-conditioned greenhouse seems the antithesis of environmental awareness. Yet it is hard to see how Atelier Ten could have designed the services for this project to be any more sustainable. A convincing case is made that the scheme will be a colourful amenity for high-rise-dwelling local residents and that the gardens should help attract valuable tourist dollars to the area. And then there’s the all-important argument that the scheme will generate fees for the UK-based design team. The same points could, no doubt, be trotted out in defence of the refrigerated beach.

The challenge for designers is to ensure that these less obvious but equally valid justifications are heard alongside the environmental arguments in the public appraisal of a scheme. In the global downturn it is unlikely any firm can afford to turn down the opportunity for work. But with growing public awareness of sustainability issues, designers should beware of allowing their names to become linked to environmental white elephants.

Source

Building Sustainable Design