I'm a student from an international school in the south of France, and I'm looking to connect with an architect who has experience in or is currently engaged in sustainable construction projects. For my final year of high school, I've chosen to study the impact of Frank Lloyd Wright’s concept of "organic architecture" on modern sustainable design principles in the United States.
While I know there's a lot of information available online, an important aspect of my project involves engaging with individuals who have hands-on experience. I'm not necessarily seeking an expert on Frank Lloyd Wright's life, but rather someone with real-world insights into sustainability within the field of architecture.
Unfortunately, I can't share my school email address publicly. If you're interested, please post your email in the responses, and I'll reach out to you. I have a brief list of questions that I'd love to discuss.
Looking forward to connecting with you,
Sam
Jovan Millet
Jan 25, 24 8:30 am
Sustainability in practice is often very regional, due to the market availability of various materials, labor and skills associated with various kinds of work, code requirements and restrictions, etc. If the market in an area is abundant with local concrete production, and with tradespeople who are skilled at casting, you're going to see a lot more of it. Conversely, if you live in an area where that's not common, it's going to be a far more expensive and non-sustainable solution (factoring in those trades and materials having to travel further to the job site). This also applies very much to finishes and certain specialty work (like say... lime plasterwork as opposed to interior paint on gypsum board).
Re: code, for example, in my area, houses have to be elevated above designated FEMA flood elevations (and sometimes higher than that), which means that the design of a single story house is often actually 2 stories, with the ground level restricted (in code, but not often in practice) to egress, storage, and parking.
Your best bet is to reach out to local firms in your area and see what they do sustainably. Far more educational than trying to reach out on the internet to stranger architects who may be 1000s of miles away.
Chad Miller
Jan 25, 24 10:27 am
I agree with Jovan on this. I'll add one more thing. A practice that focuses on sustainable design is going to require clients that willing to pay for the service. Sustainable architecture typically will coast more than the base code compliant architecture.
ivanmillya
Jan 25, 24 10:51 am
Another note: We learned this one during Hurricane Ian, which devastated our built environment and local economy... the building that continues standing and functioning after an event is always more sustainable than the one that has to be torn down and re-built.
Sustainability isn't always (nor should it be) measured in how many high-tech products you use, or how many boxes you've ticked for LEED.
Chad Miller
Jan 25, 24 11:14 am
/\ This.
mission_critical
Jan 26, 24 11:56 pm
See:
Kiel Moe
Sustainability ultimately comes to longevity and durability. Building with higher inputs rather than lower, leads to better sustainability. E.i. Shit the romans did is far more sustainable than your average passive house even in terms of day to day energy performance measured in energy/year.
Hello everyone,
I'm a student from an international school in the south of France, and I'm looking to connect with an architect who has experience in or is currently engaged in sustainable construction projects. For my final year of high school, I've chosen to study the impact of Frank Lloyd Wright’s concept of "organic architecture" on modern sustainable design principles in the United States.
While I know there's a lot of information available online, an important aspect of my project involves engaging with individuals who have hands-on experience. I'm not necessarily seeking an expert on Frank Lloyd Wright's life, but rather someone with real-world insights into sustainability within the field of architecture.
Unfortunately, I can't share my school email address publicly. If you're interested, please post your email in the responses, and I'll reach out to you. I have a brief list of questions that I'd love to discuss.
Looking forward to connecting with you,
Sam
Sustainability in practice is often very regional, due to the market availability of various materials, labor and skills associated with various kinds of work, code requirements and restrictions, etc. If the market in an area is abundant with local concrete production, and with tradespeople who are skilled at casting, you're going to see a lot more of it. Conversely, if you live in an area where that's not common, it's going to be a far more expensive and non-sustainable solution (factoring in those trades and materials having to travel further to the job site). This also applies very much to finishes and certain specialty work (like say... lime plasterwork as opposed to interior paint on gypsum board).
Re: code, for example, in my area, houses have to be elevated above designated FEMA flood elevations (and sometimes higher than that), which means that the design of a single story house is often actually 2 stories, with the ground level restricted (in code, but not often in practice) to egress, storage, and parking.
Your best bet is to reach out to local firms in your area and see what they do sustainably. Far more educational than trying to reach out on the internet to stranger architects who may be 1000s of miles away.
I agree with Jovan on this. I'll add one more thing. A practice that focuses on sustainable design is going to require clients that willing to pay for the service. Sustainable architecture typically will coast more than the base code compliant architecture.
Another note: We learned this one during Hurricane Ian, which devastated our built environment and local economy... the building that continues standing and functioning after an event is always more sustainable than the one that has to be torn down and re-built.
Sustainability isn't always (nor should it be) measured in how many high-tech products you use, or how many boxes you've ticked for LEED.
/\ This.
See:
Kiel Moe
Sustainability ultimately comes to longevity and durability. Building with higher inputs rather than lower, leads to better sustainability. E.i. Shit the romans did is far more sustainable than your average passive house even in terms of day to day energy performance measured in energy/year.