Sustainable design is the art of the built environment and designing physical objects to comply with the principles of the social, economic and ecological sustainability pillars. It ranges from the design of small objects for everyday use, through to the design of buildings and cities. It is a growing trend in many fields, including those of architecture landscape architecture, urban planning, urban and industrial design, interior design, engineering, graphic design and even fashion design.
The aim of sustainable design is to produce products and services that reduce the use of non-renewable resources, which as a result minimises the environmental impact. Sustainable design is seen as a necessary tool for achieving sustainability.
Some of the main principles of sustainable design are;
• Low-impact materials
• Energy efficiency
• Quality and durability
• Design for reuse and recycling • Design Impact Measures
• Biomimicry
• Service substitution • Renewability
• Healthy Buildings
Sustainable design has various fields;
Sustainable architecture
It is the design of sustainable buildings. It attempts to reduce the collective environmental impacts in the production of building components, in the construction process, as well as in the lifecycle of the structure. This design practice focuses on the efficiency, alternative energy sources, such as solar energy. Even reused or recycled building materials, rainwater harvesting for gardening, and on-site waste management are considered. Today’s sustainable architects try to design with sustainable living in mind.
Sustainable landscape architecture
This is a category of sustainable design that focuses on the planning and design of outdoor spaces. It includes design techniques of tree planting to provide shade and protection for buildings, using local materials, and trying to reduce green waste generation, buying stock from locally to avoid energy use in transportation.
Sustainable graphic design
This considers the environmental impacts of graphic design products including packaging, printed materials, etc. throughout the life cycle that includes raw material, transformation of the material, manufacturing, transportation, use and eventually disposal. There are various techniques for sustainable graphic design which include the reducing in the amount of materials for production, using recycled materials, printing with eco-friendly inks and using production and distribution methods that require little amount of transportation.
Other examples of sustainable design are Agriculture, Domestic machinery and Disposable products.
The aim of sustainable design is to produce products and services that reduce the use of non-renewable resources, which as a result minimises the environmental impact. Sustainable design is seen as a necessary tool for achieving sustainability.
Some of the main principles of sustainable design are;
• Low-impact materials
• Energy efficiency
• Quality and durability
• Design for reuse and recycling • Design Impact Measures
• Biomimicry
• Service substitution • Renewability
• Healthy Buildings
Sustainable design has various fields;
Sustainable architecture
It is the design of sustainable buildings. It attempts to reduce the collective environmental impacts in the production of building components, in the construction process, as well as in the lifecycle of the structure. This design practice focuses on the efficiency, alternative energy sources, such as solar energy. Even reused or recycled building materials, rainwater harvesting for gardening, and on-site waste management are considered. Today’s sustainable architects try to design with sustainable living in mind.
Sustainable landscape architecture
This is a category of sustainable design that focuses on the planning and design of outdoor spaces. It includes design techniques of tree planting to provide shade and protection for buildings, using local materials, and trying to reduce green waste generation, buying stock from locally to avoid energy use in transportation.
Sustainable graphic design
This considers the environmental impacts of graphic design products including packaging, printed materials, etc. throughout the life cycle that includes raw material, transformation of the material, manufacturing, transportation, use and eventually disposal. There are various techniques for sustainable graphic design which include the reducing in the amount of materials for production, using recycled materials, printing with eco-friendly inks and using production and distribution methods that require little amount of transportation.
Other examples of sustainable design are Agriculture, Domestic machinery and Disposable products.
References
Sustainable Design . 2015. Sustainable Design . [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/104462. [Accessed 4 January 2015].
Sustainable design - Green Wiki. 2015. Sustainable design - Green Wiki. [ONLINE] Available at: http://green.wikia.com/wiki/Sustainable_design. [Accessed 4 January 2015].
In brief: a history of sustainable architecture . 2015. In brief: a history of sustainable architecture . [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.architecture.com/RIBA/Aboutus/SustainabilityHub/Designstrategies/Introduction/1-0-5-Inbriefahistoryofsustainablearchitecture.aspx. [Accessed 4 January 2015].
Sustainable Design . 2015. Sustainable Design . [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/104462. [Accessed 4 January 2015].
Sustainable design - Green Wiki. 2015. Sustainable design - Green Wiki. [ONLINE] Available at: http://green.wikia.com/wiki/Sustainable_design. [Accessed 4 January 2015].
In brief: a history of sustainable architecture . 2015. In brief: a history of sustainable architecture . [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.architecture.com/RIBA/Aboutus/SustainabilityHub/Designstrategies/Introduction/1-0-5-Inbriefahistoryofsustainablearchitecture.aspx. [Accessed 4 January 2015].