Smith - Environmental Issues for Architecture

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Copyright 2011 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

Smith, David Lee, 1940
Environmental issues for architecture / David Lee Smith.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-470-49709-8 (cloth : alk. paper); 978-0-470-64433-1 (ebk); 978-0-470-64434-8 (ebk); 978-0-470-64435-5 (ebk); 978-0-470-95106-4 (ebk); 978-0-470-95123-1 (ebk)
1. ArchitectureHuman factors. 2. BuildingsEnvironmental engineering. I. Title
NA2542.4.S535 2010
720.47dc22
2010007962

PREFACE

Since the beginning of time, living species have had to find ways to adapt to the natural environment. While some adaptation can be achieved physiologically or the need for it can be reduced through migration, many species, particularly humans, have also developed physical structures to help adjust the natural conditions to form an environment that can not only support life but also provide comfort. These constructions are the beginning of architecture, but for building to achieve this status, it must also embrace an emotional expression of intention or, as some would say, a sense of poetry.

Over time, designs intended merely as a way of providing functional adaptation to the natural environment often acquired an aesthetic quality that transcended their initial purpose. At times, perhaps when the intentions of these designs were no longer understood, the designs were applied to conditions for which they were not applicable or no longer relevant. As such, these designs acquired an intrinsic value in terms of their compositional or artistic expression rather than their functional potential.

With the development of modern technology, reliance on direct architectural intervention became less critical. The developing architectural form often was possible only because technology could not only adjust the natural environmental conditions but could also correct for the additional imposition of the architecture. The assumption was that technology made anything possible, and the intention of architectural design was no longer focused on environmental adaptation. For this reason, many designers felt that they were free to pursue poetic expression while relying on others to develop technological methods that could support this freedom. Unfortunately, this practice has given rise to a serious disconnect from the basic intentions of design.

The unfortunate result is that today architecture often seems to be part of our environmental problems rather than part of the necessary solution. Architectural design should be able to contribute to the solution of our environmental problems in a manner that is both effective and poetic. But for this to happen, architectural designers must be aware of the basic concepts and principles of the various environmental issues that are critical to sustaining life on this planet. While we as designers can embrace technology and utilize it to enhance our efforts, we must begin by understanding what is intended rather than focus on what is possible, particularly in terms of utilizing technology. Based on this belief, the title selected for this textbook was Environmental Issues for Architecture , for we must understand these issues if we are to realize the environmental contributions that can be achieved through effective architectural design. At the same time, we need to be knowledgeable about technology so that we can successfully integrate its potential into design. Architecture can then achieve its purpose and enhance the physical design.

As an architectural educator, it is important that I avoid the temptation of prescribing specific solutions to complex problems. Instead, my challenge in lectures and in the studio is to attempt to instill in my students an awareness of the~critical issues that must be addressed, an understanding of the concepts and principles that underlie these issues, and a commitment to work to resolve them through responsible design. In this vein, I have written this book with the hope that it might inspire future designers to appreciate the potential that environmental issues have for architecture and to support that inspiration with the understanding and skill that can help them achieve this potential.

This intention was the basis for a conference held many years ago in Boston for architecture faculty teaching technology. The gathering started with a keynote address by Jerrold Zacharias, a professor of physics at MIT. He began his presentation by swinging one of two disks that hung behind a projection screen located above a huge chalkboard. As this disk swung back and forth, the second disk began moving in what appeared to be a somewhat erratic manner. Professor Zacharias began to compare the two motions and then suggested that we could analyze them mathematically in order to figure out what was causing the erratic movement. He then proceeded to fill the chalkboard with mathematical equations and finally exclaimed, Now we know whats happening!

As a nonengineer with a somewhat lazy mathematical mind, I had pretty much ignored his presentation, thinking instead about the wonderful things that I could do in Boston, but I continued to pay enough attention to be amazed that Professor Zacharias could fill the chalkboard and solve the problematic equation just before running out of space. I was also astonished that so many in the audience, who like me were teachers in architectural schools, seemed not only to be able to follow the presentation but apparently even relished the mathematical experience.