(http://www.ted.com/talks/bjarke_ingels_hedonistic_sustainability.html)
Bjarke Ingels discusses design of buildings in a distinct way. His creative approach focuses heavily on sustainable design. The idea is that sustainable architecture can increase quality of life, an idea going against the norm. Many people think about sacrifice when they think of sustainability. Bjarke says a creative design process can create more benefits than sacrifices.
He argues that architects should design cities as ecosystems and focus on closed loops. Heat, energy, waste, and water, not only people are important considerations. Architects should focus not only on the flow of people though spaces, but also on integrating their waste into a usable source for the system.
Through this design focus, the Eight House was created. The structure mixed shops and offices, townhouses and apartments. The alignment of each of these elements was also distorted. This allowed the angle of each block to maximize views and sunlight.
The city of Copenhagen is an example of a city that has truly embraced this way of thinking. 4% of Copenhagen’s waste is land filled. In Chicago it’s 86%. Most trash is incinerated in turn creating electricity. 3 KG of household trash is equal to 4 hours of light and five hours of heat. The equivalent of one ton of trash is almost two barrels of oil.
Bjarke’s video really shows how the design process is important for creating sustainable solutions. The most important part is to start with a framework of what you must have. From there you have an open slate of what you can add, what you can create. Even after watching this video multiple times, I still cannot believe these radical ideas were actually put into action. Sustainability and the design process go together hand in hand.