Architect Mark Waghorn have just finished helping out with a 2nd year architecture students’ project about designing a one planet settlement on the edge of a real town, for the School of Architecture students at Swansea’s branch of the University of Wales Trinity St Davids.
We judged their projects last Friday.
In general students began to become aware of the need to consider the wider implications of development than simply providing a building to live in, a good thing! They learned that one planet thinking involves considering how to minimise resource use and consumption while improving the environment (soil, habitats). This means doing much more with less. In a word: coming up with elegant solutions that solve many problems at the same time – a holistic, integrated approach.
Some made this journey better than others, with one design that we all agreed was outstanding. We want students to be imaginative and creative. Ask questions. Look everywhere for the answers that others have found and learn from them. To picture that everything that passes through or into the site is part of a wider process and imagine them all in great cycles. Then to ask: how do you reduce the total life cycle impact of each process? And, can you remove the need for it altogether?
If you want more info, please get in touch.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.