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This is part of a weekly series of posts about architecture in Austin by local architects. The views expressed in this post are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the outlook or beliefs of Austinist or anyone else in the IST network.
This column is by Jonathan Pearson. Jonathan received his Bachelor of Architecture from UNC Charlotte in 2002 and his Masters of Architecture in Sustainable Design from U. Texas in 2006. He was a partner with Studio B, LLC Design/Build in North Carolina. He is currently an Associate with Studio 8 Architects and is working on the Downtown Austin Plan.
The Promise of the [not really] New Sustainability
The concept of sustainability has become a hot button issue in the design field within the last few years. So much so that “green” architecture has found its way into the mainstream. Clients are now requesting, if not demanding, LEED certified projects. The general public seems to have begun linking sustainability to architecture. I believe that this trend will continue and eventually the concept of sustainability will be codified both the theory and practice of architecture. But for now, the problem is that most people have a limited view of what it means to be “green.” They have equated sustainability solely with material choices and energy savings/efficiency.
To most designers, the concept of sustainability has always held much more potential. Being “green” should be a holistic approach to design and not an appliqué. It wasn’t until I read William McDonough’s “Cradle to Cradle” and “Natural Capitalism” by Hawken, Lovins and Lovins that the totality of sustainability emerged for me. I realized that buildings - and all things really - can break from their current pattern of linear existence. Most buildings are constructed, used, and thrown away within 40 years; a pattern resultant from the subconscious - yet seemingly collective - view that buildings and the natural environment are in direct opposition. We presently think of buildings as a refuge from the outside world, which is actually antithetical to being “green.”
Unfortunately for Austin, there is not a multitude of gorgeous 19th century mills and warehouses that are just waiting to be converted into new uses. But the opportunity for adaptive reuse still exists. While the design of future buildings will be more inherently flexible to accommodate multiple uses, we are still left with the problem of current buildings resultant from single solution design. These buildings are harder to adaptively reuse, but not impossible. Save the wrecking ball for now. All we really have to do is find uses that have analogous space requirements. So the question for architects and designers in Austin becomes: what do we presently have that won’t be used in the future?
It will also mean that we will have built a multitude of parking decks that we no longer need. When density, diversity of uses, and relative proximity reach a certain point, there are many people who will no longer need a car. I think that change will quickly; within a short time period many parking decks will become vacant and unused. Although, some might view this as a problem it is actually an opportunity for adaptive reuse. Former parking decks can be used for housing, energy production, urban farms, storage space and a whole host of other uses.
The old adage that change is the only constant - death and taxes aside - only furthers my point. We need to start designing buildings beyond a single use with the flexibility to adapt. And in the interim we should find ways to reuse what we have.
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A neat article, we were talking about the need to design parking decks for reuse like this way back in the late 1990s in the OWANA neighborhood plan (motto: "We Were The Only Ones Who Took Our Responsibility To Not Just Say 'NO' Seriously").
Great, even more excuses for shady guys to charge me 15 dollars for a parking spot downtown.
Is this really a new idea? Buildings without car garages? I think this has been a big problem in Austin for years.