News Sustainable Biz Designers define sustainability, discuss implementation
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By Joe Boomgaard | TBL
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WEST MICHIGAN — Sustainability relies on good design. So much of why a “thing” is sustainable or not relates back to its initial creation and the decisions that take place before it ever makes it off the drawing board.
With that in mind, Design West Michigan, the West Michigan Sustainable Business Forum Design Committee and TBL set out to explore what sustainability means to various design disciplines and sponsored a panel discussion with representatives from five different types of design.
The event was held Jan. 20 at Kendall College. Beforehand, the panelists took time to share with TBL how each design discipline defines sustainability and how the concepts of sustainability mesh with sound design thinking. Participating in the Q&A were:
Jeup: First, I think we need to understand that every professional in my field (high-end, luxury lifestyle) approaches design and sustainability differently. Some are wholly devoted to the principle of sustainability, while others barely acknowledge it at all.
For us, sustainability means using materials as responsibly as possible. From the use of certified exotic woods to our manufacturing processes, we do our best to engage in practices that are as sustainable as possible without sacrificing the integrity of our work.
Metz: The American Institute of Architects defines it as such: Sustainability envisions the enduring prosperity of all living things. Sustainable design seeks to create communities, buildings and products that contribute to this vision. To paraphrase architect Bill Reed: Sustainable design is a process that supports and improves the health of the systems that sustain life.
Davis: The profession of interior design is founded on bringing our clients great design that supports their health, safety and well-being while meeting their functional needs and elevating their sense and appreciation of the aesthetic. With that as our foundation, interior design as a profession supports the collaborative efforts of practitioners, educators and industry members to use design strategies that reduce negative impacts on the environment, design in a socially responsible way and to use design to educate the public on the role of sustainability in promoting the health and well-being of the people who will inhabit the spaces we design.
Budelmann: AIGA, the professional association for design, endorses the philosophy presented by the Living Principles framework. “Originally conceived by AIGA, the Living Principles for Design celebrate the efforts of all partners, amplifying their voices and working collectively to move the sustainability conversation forward across disciplines and around the world.” Sustainability is a key component of the AIGA Mandate for 2014, and contributes to various regional sustainability efforts, including events such as Compostmodern from the San Francisco chapter.
Muyres: Sustainability is a commonly used word these days, and depending on who is speaking it, it can have many different meanings. I have worked with many industries, but primarily the auto industry. I recently organized a series of summits on sustainable mobility in which we brought together various influencers on the future of the transportation industry to discuss how best to move people and goods around the planet. For the most part, we would define it along the lines of how it was defined in the 1987 United Nations report: “Meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.” Or in simple terms, having a zero net effect on the planet. A sustainable car, or car business, would use no more energy or materials than it is able to give back after the life cycle of the car is complete. This of course is not being achieved today, but should be the ideal goal of car manufacturers and all transportation providers.
Jeup: Well, I can’t speak for my colleagues, as they all incorporate sustainability principles into their design processes differently. I think, though, that on average those designers who care about sustainability look at the whole product lifecycle — from materials selection to product disposal — and try to engage in practices that are environmentally responsible. At our studio, we do the same. We believe that it’s not just what we use that impacts our goal of sustainable design, but how we use it. While my designs often require me to use exotic woods and other materials, we specifically seek out protected, certified lumbers and other materials whenever possible. In addition, because we are able to influence the manufacturing process, we can incorporate materials, like a recycled brown glass material, into our designs. We’ve also developed formulas for our finishes and application processes that have reduced the amount of bleach by 70 percent. Plus, any waste material is contained and is then recycled. So we use fewer solvents while simultaneously creating a healthier working environment for our craftsmen. Basically, as a small company, we can set our “green” priorities, of which sustainable design is one. Can we do more? Probably. Will we continue to do more? Absolutely. Ultimately, we can never lose sight of the fact that we have to protect the materials that make what we do possible. Not just for the sake of our business, but for the sake of the environment as a whole.
Metz: It is a constant presence. We are always asking ourselves, how much energy was used to create something, how much energy will be expended to get that something, how much energy is required to use that something, how long will that something last? We also think about economic sustainability about where the money is going to end up. As an example, with bamboo flooring from China, the energy expended to get it to West Michigan is astronomical and the economic sustainability is not good for our region as well. When designing the form of a space, we are always conscious of maximizing nature and minimizing the man made. For instance, providing glazing that maximizes daylight, but design features that minimize unnecessary heat gain. Or designing space to maximize natural airflow in lieu of having to rely upon mechanical systems.
Davis: Interior designers have integrated sustainability into the core value of designing for the health, safety and welfare of our clients. With this integration, sustainability becomes a key component in all designs and is brought into the design conversation and collaboration from the beginning of a project. This requires designers to evolve their solutions with sustainability as a key component from the first conversation, idea and sketch.
Budelmann: AIGA’s history has been mostly in the 2D space, but in an increasingly convergent world of design thinking and methods, AIGA is representing many forms of professional design. 2D designers generally have less influence over material use than their 3D counterparts. While all designers should consider their impact on the economy, ultimately much of the demand for sustainable practices and materials is driven by clients. The commitment of sustainability efforts in corporations range from deeply held beliefs to straightforward green washing. AIGA member interest in the topic varies from a casual interest to being the primary focus of their business. At Peopledesign, we admire those firms who are making a genuine effort in this work and steer toward sustainable business practices, dematerialization and producing less.
Muyres: I work with the NewNorth Center for Design in Business and we often teach principles of design thinking and how to use them to reliably and repeatedly create new opportunity for business. In my work within the transportation industry, there has been much discussion recently around sustainable mobility. From a design thinking approach, I often talk about the need to look beyond just the devices themselves for more sustainable forms of transportation. If we look at the car alone, we may only solve specific car problems. Maybe develop some technical improvements here and there. If we step back and ask what the purpose of the car is itself, then solve that problem, we may have a much more effective solution. For instance, changing the drive system over to electric will save on gas, but an electric car gets stuck in traffic like any other car. EVs only solve half the problem and do not address congestion and parking issues. If we step back and ask why people and goods need to get from A to B and then solve this problem, we can develop much better, holistic and effective solutions to our future transportation needs. Part of design thinking is asking the right questions. Maybe there are better solutions out there than everyone having to “own” their forms of transportation. tbl
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