Abstract
In search of new methods for practicing architecture that addresses the growing need for design that engages contemporary environmental, economic and social issues, this study introduces the concept of Responsible Architecture (RA). RA is presented as a design paradigm that uses participatory sustainable building practices to promote long-term sustainable behavior as a goal.
We propose 20 design and building principles to achieve RA that address environmental, economic, social and behavior change strategies. Through analysis of an individual case study report on the Tejase project in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, we present an example of a sustainable house construction that used these principles in its design and building process.
Data was collected through direct participation in the construction in 2015 and postoccupancy evaluation in 2018 and 2019, including interview surveys, focus group-discussion and observation. The discussion focusses on showing how the project succeeded in building an 80m² two-story sustainable house with clean sewage, a garden and green roof in three months spending only USD 14,000 by incorporating local and recycled materials, educational programs and
community collaborations with local volunteers into its construction.
Findings reveal that the project had a great impact on the participant’s pro-environmental behavior change, even four years after construction. The success of the project is related to the fact that architects and owners embraced as their responsibility to promote sustainable and participatory construction methods, making a project that involved people in an educational building process that could not only help them to build a house in a tight budged, but also
influence in people’s sustainable behavior and provide life changing experiences.
We conclude that a RA approach for design could be a powerful tool for promoting sustainable construction by changing people’s perception of value and their expectation of what they can do towards building and designing in a sustainable way. This can lead to a great shift in the way we think, practice and teach design. We argue that RA can promote the state and values of the society we want to create towards sustainability. This has great impacts not only for how
architects will design in the future, but also how we will teach the next generations about our discipline.
We propose 20 design and building principles to achieve RA that address environmental, economic, social and behavior change strategies. Through analysis of an individual case study report on the Tejase project in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, we present an example of a sustainable house construction that used these principles in its design and building process.
Data was collected through direct participation in the construction in 2015 and postoccupancy evaluation in 2018 and 2019, including interview surveys, focus group-discussion and observation. The discussion focusses on showing how the project succeeded in building an 80m² two-story sustainable house with clean sewage, a garden and green roof in three months spending only USD 14,000 by incorporating local and recycled materials, educational programs and
community collaborations with local volunteers into its construction.
Findings reveal that the project had a great impact on the participant’s pro-environmental behavior change, even four years after construction. The success of the project is related to the fact that architects and owners embraced as their responsibility to promote sustainable and participatory construction methods, making a project that involved people in an educational building process that could not only help them to build a house in a tight budged, but also
influence in people’s sustainable behavior and provide life changing experiences.
We conclude that a RA approach for design could be a powerful tool for promoting sustainable construction by changing people’s perception of value and their expectation of what they can do towards building and designing in a sustainable way. This can lead to a great shift in the way we think, practice and teach design. We argue that RA can promote the state and values of the society we want to create towards sustainability. This has great impacts not only for how
architects will design in the future, but also how we will teach the next generations about our discipline.
| Originalsprog | Engelsk |
|---|---|
| Titel | International Conference of Asian-Pacific Planning Societies 2019 |
| Antal sider | 16 |
| Udgivelsessted | Seoul, Korea |
| Publikationsdato | aug. 2019 |
| Status | Udgivet - aug. 2019 |
| Udgivet eksternt | Ja |
Kunstnerisk udviklingsvirksomhed (KUV)
- Nej