How can architecture better serve social, economic, political and environmental concerns?

Question

How can architecture better serve the social, economic, political and environmental concerns of our present and future?

This question was asked at the Dropping Knowledge event on 9th September by Kenneth Hinchcliffe, 41, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA. To find out more about Dropping Knowledge check out our blog:

Dropping Knowledge in the UK: http://uk.blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-qT1KKPQoRKdVT4lowpJCljbFokkuIzI8?p=1048

Dropping Knowledge in the US: http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-d8pH0dcoRKeB12yOcnUQp.9VCFos?p=12745

To discuss this subject in more detail follow this link to the official Dropping Knowledge website: http://www.droppingknowledge.org/bin/posts/focus/9677.page

Answer 1

1. Every student of architecture should have knowledge of social, economic, political and environmental concerns given to them in their earliest studies of architecture.

2. Move slowly in building of any structure so that the wants and needs of the community are best served by the construction, using methods such as town meetings, zoning, and voting to insure the most economical way to proceed.

3. I feel that politics and wealth should be left out of it. This step will be the crux. Everyone knows that money is what makes the world go round. Politics and wealth should work around social and environmental concerns. After all, politicians should SERVE the people. And, the people are the source of resources of the wealthy; therefore, the same rules for politicians should go for the capitalists .

4. Continue to review a structure's appropriateness to the community using the steps above and be ready to proceed when it is time to move on.

Answer 2

There is a new standard and certification called LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) that effectively implements adding environmental and economic benefits into architectural design.

LEED is a system for rating the energy efficiency and environmental friendliness of a building design. This provides economic incentives for adding environmentally conscious technologies to building design which might cost more up-front but in the long run save money and the environment.

While this system has a long way to go before having an major impact on all of the fronts you mentioned (social, economic, political, and environmental) it is a step in the right direction and will contribute to the education necessary to bring about permanent change.

LEED is a great tool to implement "greater good" purposes without limiting the creativity, uniqueness, and artistic value of architecture.

Answer 3

Architecture can influence how, where, and why we live. So simple modern examples;

1. Shopping malls. Modern enclosed suburban shopping malls continue the Greek and Roman model of centralized trade. Millions of homeowners live in subdivisions exclusively designed to support malls. Our economy relies on efficient and timely distribution of goods. What better point of sale than a shopping mall.

2. Levittown. Post WWII module ranch style home design enabled millions to purchase affordable individual housing. No where else in the world can match home ownership in America. Our simple utilitarian mass produced homes are the envy of the world.

3. American skyscrapers. American built them first and the rest of the world followed. There is nothing more beautiful than the Empire State Building.

4. Municipal design. My hometown of Indianapolis was designed and built before anyone lived in it. After Wash DC, Indianapolis was the next large capital city designed from scratch.

5. Henry Ford and mass production. Before Ford, complicated machines were built in small specialized companies that assemblied the finished product at various locations with uncertain results. Ford built a single factory where the complete manufacturing process can take place. Volume, reliability, and speed increased while driving down the price of automobiles. Old factories may be ugly, but its still architecture.

Architecture is not just weird expensive odd shape buildings, but also everyday structures. Yes, architecture serves an social, economic, political, and environmental purpose.

Answer 4

My father is an architect, and I like a lot of his ideas. He has used earth-integrated (read: partly underground) buildings, which help regulate the temperature of the building, so less energy is used heating and cooling it. He has also used passive solar (greenhouses), geothermal, and other types of ways to prevent using fossil fuels. This is not only environmentally, but also economically sound.

I'm not sure how many buildings can be used to further a "political" agenda, beyond the solid feeling of the Pentagon, or the Federal design on many state and U.S. government buildings. These are intimidating, and are sure to make people feel intimidated by the power of the military/government.

Also, Dad believes a building should look like it is part of its environment, not that the surrounding ground was just a handy spot to build a building on. He likes to add, as he calls them, "growies"--trees and other plants. These also help filter the air and cut down on air pollution.

Every building has a function, and it should be designed to enhance its use by people, and not just be a pretty building. A simple example is in a church. He often uses open, exposed-wood decks in a sanctuary. This creates a feeling of openness which often makes the parisioners feel like they are truly in a holy place.

Answer 5

Architecture suggests buildings designed by skilled people in response to a requirement. That requirement is often developed by a city authority.
That authority is often a odds with the reality of how a city develops in an organic way, usually driven by unofficial creation of shanties or 'slum' areas.
The authority usually focusses on the keynote activities of institutions and industries, and tend to forget the diversity of the needs of the people who actually support these actitivies.

Architecture needs to find a way of allowing cities to develop in an organic and appropriate way, without trying to impose preconceived 'standards' which create artificial and unrealistic demands on space and materials.

Answer 6

I don't expect architecture styles to change. Speaking fantastically though, a pleasant looking work environment could increase the contentment of the workers, which is good for business! (Rather than drab, plain, and prisonlike!)

An aesthetically enjoyable environment makes people want to spend time there; think of how much more a man would like to spend time with a woman who is pleasant to look at! The same for your grocery store or shopping mall .. .

Answer 7

I always thought that a community of say, condominums , if formed in a circle so that everyone had to share the same back yard -might teach people to live more harmoniously with others. The circle as town is a very tribal and would bring back a sanse of the whole as one, not the destructive individualism of western culture.

Answer 8

ALOT of ways!
It can benifit the evironment and the economy by building with renewable and sustainable practices... heck lets check out Permaculture they got alittle something going on.
Anyways, socially it'll promote health on all levels, enviro health, social health, metal health, physical health, economic health...
Yep...
Architecture can do alot of good or alot of bad... depending on how you do it and how the final parts cometogether...
It's like any other technology ;-)
How will it help politically, well I think it has the power to empower people in their local areas if done right.


Like I said if it's built sound and built to help the development of the community around it, and built economically and evironmentally sustainable and from renewable resources all will fall into place. Because if the person can save or be free from energy costs then that's more $$$ in their pocket, and then more money in other things they will spend in their community ;-), that also means they can afford to stay there, if it's easly reparable then that saves money, and if the evergy they save or get for free saves the environment that's even better for all the rest of the catigories you're talking about. Being able to afford living is politics within its self.

I like Bamboo
Cob
and recycled houses
;-)
They look cool to me, and are sustainable and economical both to buy and to keep up.
(well I think Cob is the cheapest Haha it's right under our feet)

;-)

Man, if only I wasn't stuck renting in an apartment...
But that's what us poor folk get, or section 8 housing if it's not filled up

If anything we should start with architecture in poor areas and for poor people, poor people are the majority of people in the world after all. Imagine how better off we'd be if we started building these types of things for poor people FIRST?!?
Any Nation's energy cost would be cut in half and maybe more LOL. Of course rich people are insane and just can't fathom this...

Cya!
::: Peace :::

Answer 9

My friend's husband was run over by a drunk driver a long time ago. He was an architect who developed a system for helping buildings withstand hurricanes, and they told me that some of his buildings were the only ones which survived the Hurricane that came through Homestead, Florida. Obviously his work did serve all those concerns, so it's a real shame he was killed.

Answer 10

Trace back after world war two before independence.
How the elders created with success like the stars up in the sky being overlook on planet earth
Observe at what height were those buildings in those days.
The design and structure does not change with time but stays in time being overlook on planet earth.