SUSTAiNABLE BUiLDiNG...
what's that?
well....it's just an easy way of creating all sorts of
buildings in a more environmental friendly way. By using
rustic materials such as Earth and Straw etc., building
WiTH nature instead of insulting it and creating a
comfortable indoor climate. Just to name a few facts that
you have to consider when building "green".
Load-bearing
Straw bale building at the University of Kassel, Germany
But you know what - I got tired of defining Sustainability.
I actually can't hear the word anymore. The last year I
spent so much time trying to explain what it is, after I
tried to understand it
myself.... but I have to admit... that's not what it is
about. What we need is homes that care for us without
destroying the planet. Homes that are warm in winter, and
quite cool in summer. Homes we
feel comfortable and welcome in. As Hundertwasser used to
say - our home is our third skin. Think about it ! It's
true !
With all the other Architecture in the world - schools,
offices, warehouses, etc. etc.... Art has won that one.
It's not about the buildings purpose anymore, and if it
fits in the tradition of the area it's
being placed in. It's about being bigger, better, funkier.
OUTSTANDING is the big word. I am frustrated with that. But
who am I ? A little Hippie, that loves getting its hands
dirty, building homes out
of garbage and mud and straw.... No place for me in the big
world of Modern Architecture. No place for any of us.
Unfortunately. But there will always be another
Hundertwasser. These days he is
called Michael Reynolds and I hope his Architecture will
not die with the day he has to leave Earth. I will
certainly do all I can to keep it going and growing. And
I'm sure I'm not the only one.
So people, stop talking about sustainability ! If you are
really interested, stop the greenwash and build something
really outstanding, something creative, something REAL
GREEN !
In 2007 I was teaching a course at the Office of Lifelong
Learning at the University of Edinburgh. The course was
about all sorts of ways to build a "green" house, looking
at materials such as Earth, Straw, Timber, Tyres, Waste
Material etc. but also about Green Roofs, Living Walls or
compact Building systems such as Earthships. In this 10
week classes I gave as much information as theoretically
possible on the materials, their history, their properties
and techniques of building with those materials. The
handouts for the classes can be downloaded in the
course materials
section...
You can also find
Books
and
weblinks
recommendations regarding all those topics.
I experienced the course as great fun and a big challenge
at the same time. I hope that the people who attended had
some fun too and also took something with them. I would
like to teach it over and over again but working full time
and teaching part time is hard work and can sometimes
destroy your social and private life. I really need to let
something go and this shouldn't be my social life again.
I'd like to use the website as an opportunity though to
keep myself and interested people informed and up to date
in the field of Building green and beautiful...