On the 23th of January I attended a lecture of Michael Braungart in Rotterdam. His message comes down to this:
Minimizing waste is a negative agenda and is based on guilt. If we focus on minimizing our ecologic footprint we in fact say to our children they are unwanted. The total biomass of all ants extends that of all humans and yet they do not have a negative effect on our habitat (except when they are in your kitchen). All good things in life are wealthy: a symphony of Mozart, a painting of Van Gogh. We should cherish wealth, but with a focus on recycling materials either in the biosphere or the technosphere. Then the concept of ‘waste’ will cease to exist. Waste will equal food.
Image: Michael Braungart in Rotterdam
From all material cycles 70% is related to buildings. As a consequence, architects have a key role in the responsible use of materials. Right now we design buildings that are sealed. Toxic gasses that evaporate from building materials stay in the building, just like dust. As a result 40% of all 5 year olds already developed an allergy. We shouldn’t approach a building like a machine, but like a tree: from Bauhaus to Baumhaus. A building is not a product, but a service. Buildings should not be eternal but temporary. For the architect it is primarily not a matter of eco management, but of ego management.
Some regarded Braungart’s approach as being to limited, especially in relation to the renovation of existing buildings. His solution: demolish and rebuild. Braungart however is not an architect, and his approach should be seen in relation to his definition of sustainability. In his view, sustainability should not be seen as an overall concept, but as a kaleidoscope of approaches that together help to build a better environment.
In Braungart’s words: we should cherish mediocrity.
Braungart does use a rather haphazard approach to the relationship between buildings and overall sustainability. But I believe his heart is in the right place. A more reasoned attitude is developed by Robert Ayers, the originator of the Industrial Metabolism concept. But I would have enjoyed hearing Braungart speak. I attended a talk by William McDonough recently, and he has an excellent attitude toward sustainable buildings.
Thanks for the suggestion, I’ll try to get some more information about it. I am a great fan of McDonough. Together with Braungart they make a great team.
My note contained a typo: It is Robert Ayres, not Ayers. Another interesting thinker in this general area is Walter R. Stahel, who invented the Cradle to Cradle concept. He is at the Product-Life Institute in Geneva: http://www.product-life.org/
Thanks again. Not that long ago I also attended a lecture of the initiators of Superuse. By this initiative they aim to collect used materials to reuse them in the technosphere, often without adaptation. One example to be found here and here, a shoe shop where they used window screens of Audi cars. Quite interesting.
You can find more info on this here: http://www.product-life.org/en/cradle-to-cradle