ON SUSTAINABLE DESIGN
Sustainability to us, and to those who use our building, means contributing to make a better society and improving the lives of people while having either no impact, or creating a positive effect on the environment. A building’s purpose is to better the surrounding community as well as inspire, teach, and illustrate how to build responsibly and effectively for that geographical, economical, and cultural conditions of that area. With a rapidly growing population in developing countries, there is a growing need for a realistic and economically responsible solution to sustainability. The Rift Valley Resource Center was built off the grid not only for the respect of the environment, but also out of necessity. Many rural communities do not have the opportunity to connect to the grid so there is a natural and obvious shift to make these projects sustainable whether they be mud huts with thatch roofs, or impluvium water collecting devices such as our building. Sustainability should no longer be the responsible choice when building around the world, but it should be the only solution architects and builders look to when designing buildings and cities.. In many ways, people in developing countries have skipped an era which developed countries have already undergone, and are trying to erase. This is known as leap-frogging. Canada is aiming to lower their carbon emissions but in these rapidly growing countries, there is an opportunity to collaborate and design with responsible, smart solutions which adapt to each respective community and environment.
DESIGNING OFF-SITE
Alex and I met our client completely outside of any school setting, or architectural competition. Being social people, the conversation grew naturally and then the opportunity was ours to design the resource center. Our client was fun to work for, clear in the project requirements, and enthusiastic throughout the design process. One of the challenges of course, was designing a building on a site we could not visit. It was difficult to get accurate information about the site, so a simple design using local materials and building techniques was essential. Our drawings had to be simple, clear and easy enough for anyone to read.
During our 3A co-op term, Alex and I lived in different cities, as did our client. This made meetings challenging, but thanks to three-way video we were able to talk about the design development. After our day jobs, Alex and I would go home to work on this project. It was tiring, but the motivation to design and build a project for real, was the perfect fuel to keep us going.