Architecture: Suffering from Engineering and Saved by Landscape Architecture

The 2012 National AIA Convention was held in Washington, DC this year. Although attendance has dropped by over forty percent due in part to the recession, it remained a large event replete with “business as usual” offerings. Notable among them was the vast Expo populated by building component suppliers. What seemed oppressively discouraging was a general lack of attention to sustainable design in spite of this being the profession’s declared commitment. If no one was allowed to exhibit an unsustainable product, then architects would more easily learn what they need to know to design with this newish sensitivity in mind.

General meetings were kicked off with opening speeches and a staged singing of God Bless America. Much as I like this patriotic song, it was sprung on the audience by hidden professional singers who rose up with microphones singing the well-know first verse but then singing solo during the lesser-known later verses. Unlike the respectful tradition of singing the national anthem before sporting events where everyone stands, faces the flag, removes their hat, and puts their hand over their heart, this group was at a loss having been sandbagged by this empty, nostalgic attempt at “positivity.” I was not amused.

Further disappointment followed. Committed to a policy of continuing education, and evaluated in a way that penalizes self-promotion over the conveyance of useful information, the worst presentation, for example, explained local historic preservation methods without extracting transcendent information that might benefit their national audience. Lazy. The best presentation I attended was a panel on biophilic design entitled ‘Design Connects to Nature: Examining the Myriad and Innovative Ways the Built Environment Uses Nature as a Metaphor and Amenity.’ After an engaging presentation on design methods that are more responsive to the human use of natural resources, a question was asked of the audience: how can this way of working have more influence? While many offered suggestions, my comment was simply for the architect to rely less on engineering for building design performance, and more on the landscape architect’s expertise. In the past, ill-considered engineering has required unsustainable energy consumption – think of south-facing window walls that require year-round air conditioning – and an attitude that architects have the vision and the engineers make it work. Any landscape architect who indulges their visionary imagination without regard for ecological systems is likely to get a dismal failure when their garden or landscape does not thrive, or even survive.

And this is the very approach that architects need to engage when designing buildings. For instance, what if architects responded to the forces of nature instead of slapping on exterior louver shading devices where all building exposures have the same elements not to mention that the lower floors which can be shaded by trees have the same devices as the upper floors, and recommending office policies allow people to wear shorts. Of course, sometimes Nature says “Too much,” or even “No;” a word proud architects don’t like to hear.