THE NEW ARCHITECTURE OF THE SUN AND WIND: - School of ...

DESIGNING A NEW FUTURE
“The greatest challenge to
any thinker is stating the
problem in a way that will
allow a solution.”
—Bertrand Russell
“Architecture is the reaching
out for the truth.”
—Louis Kahn
This selection of recent AIA COTE award–winning projects reveals that the next
generation of design thinking has already emerged, and it is one that calls the
profession to a more ambitious and inspired level of leadership to meet the
urgent ecological issues of our time. Edward Tufte, information designer and
author of Beautiful Evidence, suggests that the “...commonality between science
and art is in trying to see profoundly—to develop strategies of seeing and
showing.” Today’s design challenge is to meet new standards of sustainable
performance and cause a shift in social consciousness that will enable people to
“see profoundly” into a new future. Buildings alone can not solve our ecological
problems, the way humans live on this Earth also has to change and evolve.
Architecture can reveal tangible ways of living more lightly, connecting more
deeply with place, and honoring all forms of life. Architecture is a critical means
of integrating sustainability into our daily lives and actions; it can help us practice
new ways of dwelling on Earth. The greatest lesson from these projects is the
vision of a future that solves ecological problems with design integrity and beauty
and provides solutions to living more respectfully within our local ecosystems.
Architects are called to integrate both the art and science of an architecture of
the sun and wind as means to awaken the heart and enable our society to
embody a new ecological ethos that is both hopeful and promising.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
AIA COTE Whitepapers are supported by corporate sponsorship. This Whitepaper
was sponsored by Metro. For more information about our Whitepaper Series or for
information on how your company can become a COTE sponsor supporting this or
other COTE programs, please contact us at COTE@aia.org.
Metro (www.metrofurniture.com) has evolved over the past century as a
residential and contract furniture manufacturer to become a leader in creating
refined, modern furniture. Today, Metro is a 100-year-old company that continues
to reinvent itself to remain relevant—driven by a pioneering spirit and passion that
is prevalent throughout the organization. As the world changes, so must our
thinking. The ecology of today's changing world gives us cause to rethink our
sense of responsibility and commitment to environmental stewardship for the
generations that will follow. We believe that in this century, our thinking—and our
practices—must continue to move toward that which renews, preserves, and
sustains the world we all share.
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