A coalition of eight architecture, landscape-architecture, and design organizations is pushing to create a new National Academy of Environmental Design. As a new part of the National Academies, the National Academy of Environmental Design would focus on the built environment, and how buildings and cities could produce less waste, consume less energy, and contribute to healthier living and work spaces.
The creation of a National Academy of Environmental Design is supported by the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture, the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning, the American Institute of Architects, the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture, the Environmental Design Research Association, and other organizations.
So what do we (archinecters) think good idea or bad idea?
Would this allow us to move beyond LEED type sustainability?
Judging from this rendering from the NAED website I think this initiative should immediately be aborted. Who ever decided to post this completely lifeless, post-urban dystopia?
the images did seem rather haphazard. i don't get either their mission, nor their method, either. it i all too vague to be excited about yet.
what is it they wanna do? what is it they intend to do? i expect it is all going to be decided at some point but right now it seems like just a decision to take a decision. i think it could be good, but so far it is underwhelming...
i don't think it's been fleshed out yet. i know some of the people on the steering committee and think they really need to branch out that group, at least on the architectural side. too many policy wonks. be very cautious about wayne drummond's participation in particular. if you have any gripes about NAAB or what's it has done to education, well, he's basically the godfather and architect of everything NAAB is.
the intent, as i have heard it explained, was to try and expand the links between the more 'objective' benefits of architecture - health especially, but planning, ergonomics, etc. it's intended to be more research oriented than focused on subjective, aesthetic concerns alone(hence the involvement of the research universities). and, absolutely, they are angling to get more federal funding for architects/universities/etc. they are trying to model it, as they say, on the other national academies (science, medicine, etc.).
personally, it seems to me that there is certainly a huge void in the kinds of hard research they're intending to focus on. the really interesting thing is, if they can get something like this really going, will the profession take and incorporate their findings (as the medical community does), or will they just continue with business as usual? we're not really trained to look at or respond to hard science. we're much more interested in pretty pictures...
thanks Nam for posting this, had never heard of it.
It sounds good in theory, in a field that feels completely fragmented it is nice to have all these people in the same table trying to move environmental issues forward. I will be interested to see what their tangible goals and organization will look like.
I do think that this would be important simply for the funding and research side of things. However, you do raise an interesting point, namely that even if such studies were done (post occupancy research etc) would Architects as a profession react and incorporate these findings..
As the current trends go i think that there is definetly a focus on images. Hopefully hard science could not be ignored.
Jan 31, 08 11:10 am ·
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A New National Academy?
A coalition of eight architecture, landscape-architecture, and design organizations is pushing to create a new National Academy of Environmental Design. As a new part of the National Academies, the National Academy of Environmental Design would focus on the built environment, and how buildings and cities could produce less waste, consume less energy, and contribute to healthier living and work spaces.
The creation of a National Academy of Environmental Design is supported by the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture, the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning, the American Institute of Architects, the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture, the Environmental Design Research Association, and other organizations.
So what do we (archinecters) think good idea or bad idea?
Would this allow us to move beyond LEED type sustainability?
Also, perhaps more funding for studies, experimentation etc...
its either this or a cabinet level climate change federal agency.
I want to join!!!
Judging from this rendering from the NAED website I think this initiative should immediately be aborted. Who ever decided to post this completely lifeless, post-urban dystopia?
(Note: the image file is called "help2.jpg")
the images did seem rather haphazard. i don't get either their mission, nor their method, either. it i all too vague to be excited about yet.
what is it they wanna do? what is it they intend to do? i expect it is all going to be decided at some point but right now it seems like just a decision to take a decision. i think it could be good, but so far it is underwhelming...
i don't think it's been fleshed out yet. i know some of the people on the steering committee and think they really need to branch out that group, at least on the architectural side. too many policy wonks. be very cautious about wayne drummond's participation in particular. if you have any gripes about NAAB or what's it has done to education, well, he's basically the godfather and architect of everything NAAB is.
the intent, as i have heard it explained, was to try and expand the links between the more 'objective' benefits of architecture - health especially, but planning, ergonomics, etc. it's intended to be more research oriented than focused on subjective, aesthetic concerns alone(hence the involvement of the research universities). and, absolutely, they are angling to get more federal funding for architects/universities/etc. they are trying to model it, as they say, on the other national academies (science, medicine, etc.).
personally, it seems to me that there is certainly a huge void in the kinds of hard research they're intending to focus on. the really interesting thing is, if they can get something like this really going, will the profession take and incorporate their findings (as the medical community does), or will they just continue with business as usual? we're not really trained to look at or respond to hard science. we're much more interested in pretty pictures...
thanks Nam for posting this, had never heard of it.
It sounds good in theory, in a field that feels completely fragmented it is nice to have all these people in the same table trying to move environmental issues forward. I will be interested to see what their tangible goals and organization will look like.
The picture is gone now.
Laru,
I do think that this would be important simply for the funding and research side of things. However, you do raise an interesting point, namely that even if such studies were done (post occupancy research etc) would Architects as a profession react and incorporate these findings..
As the current trends go i think that there is definetly a focus on images. Hopefully hard science could not be ignored.
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