We Haven’t Come A Long Way, Baby
This is an interesting article about the Green building movement and how it is developing as a category of distinct-looking buildings, designed first for function and second for aesthetics.
The author talks about how LEED is behind the times in leading America to a green future. I’ve also got big problems with the LEED rating system being a checklist that isn’t necessarily holistic in its approach. This summer I worked at the most boring job in the world: the IRS. The branch I was working in was in the butt of West Virginia, but the building and property was an interesting bundle of American concepts.
This particular facility had a completely glass facade on one side facing a landscaped walking path, and the other side was a huge concrete pad and parking lot pretty much as far as the eye can see. There was a bike rack at the door, but it was empty every single time I checked (every single day I was there). And who would use it? The nearest houses for miles are farms! The walking path is a wonderful idea, but the fact that it leads from the main building to the secondary “annex” building, about a 5 minute walk away, is overshadowed by the fact that 7 of 10 employees would DRIVE between the buildings for daily meetings or lunches. Yes, the architect surely could have checked off some of LEED’s standards, but was it ultimately effective? NO!
My question is this: if the government is going to continue to keeps its arms folded and watch Americans make short-term decisions that aren’t in our long-term best interests, then can’t government facilities at the very least be decent a model for change?
I am easily transfixed by slideshows of wild sparkly buildings, and I am basically in love with Buckminster Fuller and his ideas, but I can think of some problems with rethinking the design wheel completely when it comes to green building. It’s true what Sarah said, Americans tend to get sour stomachs when “modern” buildings pop up in the neighborhood, so springing unusual style on us generally is not well received. It’s interesting though, because Americans also seemed to be so taken to trends, and what was so wonderful for home decor or fashion all of a sudden can become “tacky” overnight. This is partly my concern with the green movement – will Americans tire of it?
So I guess for now, we’re still treading lightly to avoid the too-much, too-soon reaction, but is it going to work? Maybe pushing the envelope of design a little more might be more than some will be able to find palatable, but it may be the only way to help Americans adjust to green construction. Still, I can’t help but wonder what will happen in 20 years when there is a whole stock of buildings that were from the “green phase”. Will the styles of all these European buildings become “tacky”? Because in that case, they’re going to have a serious problem justifying all those green materials on buildings that will expire aesthetically. Maybe it is for the best that Americans approach this in a more modest way, at least for now, so we don’t waste materials where they won’t be appreciated for as long as the buildings are meant to last. Or maybe we can just trick everyone by gluing biodegradable shutters and bricks to of any new building and convincing Americans it’s Green Colonial style.
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