Cradle-to-Cradle Design Approach

Hawken describes the industrial economy as an immature ecosystem. The economy uses resources in a way that mimics the use of sunlight stored in plants and fossil fuels. It acts as a newly formed ecosystem and functions

The bizarre economy that we live in has affected us in many ways than our simple mind can fathom. After World War II there was massive push in innovation. Human were gifted with inventions like the Airplane, color T.V., polyvinyl cups, and precooked dinners. Nevertheless, these “gifts” came at an enormous cost. That cost was pushed onto the environment and people living in that environment. “The Market Economy” by Marge Piercy illustrates the movement in American aimed at bring attention to a global problem as well as an effort to save the planet along with the people living on it.

This manifesto proposes an approach to sustainable design that I am interested in exploring during my time studying architecture. The idea of sustainability is a complex one, not without apparent contradictions. This makes it difficult to define in a wholly satisfactory manner. For the purposes of this manifesto I will advert to the definition proposed by Jason McLennan who asserts that sustainable design: “seeks to maximize the quality of the built environment, while minimizing or eliminating negative impact to the natural environment.” I find this definition particularly useful in the emphasis which it places on quality. By quality, in this

Factors of production is arguably the most influential component in building industry. At first, by hand was the only way things were built. Eventually the “putting out” system, which was slow and inefficient, became popular. In the “putting out” system was a group of houses, each house had a specific task, and the product would start at one house, then go house by house until the product was finished. This became the grounds for innovation and machinery. New technology, such as sewing machines, caused all of the production to occur in one house to make mass production even more efficient. As seen in document 1 machines replace human labou because it is cheap and quick. As

21st century industrialization has a global impact by creating ecological and societal imbalances stemming from its nature to enervate resources and manual labor. The start of industrialization was a way to implement efficiency into mass production, ultimately creating opportunities for jobs and maximizing profit gains for companies. In today’s world, its toll on the environment and the way it shapes society becomes increasingly apparent and irreversible. Therefore, as society acknowledges these effects, changes have been made to address these issues.

Levitt and Sons needed to find building solutions that would suit the taste of their buyers, would be cost efficient thus resulting in an inexpensive price, and could be produced rapidly and in high yield. To solve this challenge Levitt and Sons designed a single level, four-room home based on the traditional American Cape Cod style.7 This simple design was modified to form four basic designs that were to be replicated. To produce the homes as quickly as possible Levitt and Sons based their construction strategy on the automobile assembly line of Henry Ford. Instead of moving the parts down an assembly line, Levitt and Sons move the labor along the product line.8 This method, along with the incorporation of off-the-shelf products, allowed for the rapid production of homes. The money and time saved on production and design allowed homes to sell at a lower price. These small homes

The consumer society of the 1950s was presented with machines such as fruit juicers, coffee makers, vacuum cleaners and toasters that eliminated the burden of manual tasks and increased leisure options. Designers and manufacturers continued to appeal to the consumer’s aspirations, by producing streamlined forward-looking products, targeting the “American dream”. In the USA the majority of people aspired for such things as a secure job in a large corporation, a house in a nice suburb, a large family, a large car, and an array of labour saving devices. Designers and Manufacturers targeted this new generation of “homemakers” and consumers.8 Hence, design became undoubtedly linked with mass production and mass consumption. The affluence of the decade famously summed up by British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan as having “never had it so good.” 9

The late 1800s sparked the beginning of a new age of overture in industrialization. Which somehow made a turn of fortunate events of prosper, edge towards weakening the youth’s maturity. Leaving the question to stand, was it a good idea? Was it a good idea for the amount of steel we produce or coal we mine. All these factors play a role in the habitat we live in now. Good nor evil has come about of the blunders associated with urban expansion.

The main aim of factor 4 is to decrease the level of materials utilization and usage of human resources to one fourth level. The Factor 4 follows a set of guidelines for comparing design options and for evaluating the performance of buildings and their component systems. Factor 4 suggests that for humanity to live sustainably today, we must rapidly reduce resource consumption to one-quarter of its current levels. Fortunately, the technology to accomplish Factor 4 reductions in resource consumption already exists and requires only public policy prioritization and implementation.

Popular for their distinctively simple and well crafted goods, architecture and apparel, the Shakers and the utopian villages they created continue to be a strong draw with visitors. With such a clear connection evident between their philosophy and the tangible mementoes of that philosophy, they are an important case study for anyone interested in modern, functional, high-quality design.

‘When intelligent designers of the late 19th or early 20th century looked at the anonymous artifacts of 18th- and 19th-century industrialization, they saw great beauty in the simple, engineered structures, and set

Paul Hawken addresses the effects of industrialization in the world today. He depicts that the environment is degraded by the economic systems who aimlessly utilizes resources for unintended purposes while at the same time releasing toxic chemicals into the environment. The economic system does not adopt the natural cycle of activities whereby wastes turn out to be food to some microorganisms in the environment. According to Paul Hawken, the economic system has played a negative role in disrupting the natural cycle. In a natural cycle ecosystems, there are no wastes since everything is fully recycled (Bunker and Hawken, 1995). However, a closer look at the other side of the economic ecosystem, things are totally different since everything seems to take an artificial path. If the economic ecosystem mimicked the natural ecosystem, pollution would not be a huge problem as it is currently. Floods and landslides would not be rampant in the world. Just like the ozone layer would have been intact.

Earthship design is a movement initiated by Michael Reynolds. Earthship Biotecture is a method of architecture and design that incorporates recycled materials, earthen materials, and renewable energy sources into a sustainable and self-sufficient home. The purpose of this according to Michael Reynolds it to achieve energy independence, sustainable housing, and relieve the burdens of stress on the environment from conventional building methods while keeping cost minimal. Utilizing waste and earthen materials, Michael was able to construct comfortable living, beautiful architectural design, and self-sufficiency

We are all part of an interlinking system, a system that needs balance with humanity and nature at the forefront. As Designers it is important that we take self interest out of design and instead collaborate within our physical environment and make sure that from the get go, our designs should work around a collaborative system that has a wide breadth of professional fields and influence from existing infrastructures found within our world. Victor Papernak writes “eighty percent of the environmental impact of the products,services, infastructures around us is determined at the design stage.” I have chosen to explore collaborations within the natural world, our industrial ecology and social design as examples of how important working together with other professionals and the environment we live in are for the bigger picture. In Victor Papernak’s book Design for the real world, Papernak uses an anecdote to stress the importance of collaboration for successful design.

For the first input component, environment, we have seen how Ingvar Kamprad, IKEA’s founder, used his environment situation to start his furniture business. His business maneuvers were influenced by the needs of the residents in his small village. He moved from selling belt buckles to self-assembled tables and remains competitive through simplicity and price bargains for its customers. Essentially, Kamprad’s environment provided new market opportunities.