THE ARCHITECTS ROLE IN SOCIETY WITH REGARD TO SUSTAINABILITY

(For 1st International Tro i!al Ar!"ite!t#ral Con$eren!e% Ar!"ite!t#re an& Ur'an Desi(n in t"e Tro i!al re(ions) S#staina'ilit* an& So!iet*% or(anise& '* NUS+ , C Tin( -o"n .resi&ent% Sin(a ore Instit#te o$ Ar!"ite!ts

It is my privilege to be invited to participate in this 1st International Tropical Architecture Conference organised by the Department of Architecture, National University of Singapore, to share some thoughts on the architect s role in society !ith regard to sustainability" I !ill discuss this role from t!o perspectives # the macro $i"e" SIA% and micro $i"e" individual architect%" De$inition o$ S#staina'le De/elo 0ent &efore loo'ing at this role, let me define !hat is sustainable development" (or the purpose of my tal', I !ould li'e to borro! the definition from the Sustainable &uilding Technical )anual, produced by *ublic Technology Inc and US +reen &uilding Council" Sustainable development is ,the challenge of meeting growing human needs for natural resources, industrial products, energy, food, transportation, shelter and effective waste management while conserving and protecting environmental quality and the natural resource base essential for future life and development. This concept recognises that meeting long-term human needs will be impossible unless we also conserve the earths natural, physical, chemical and biological systems

Go/ern0ents 1ision o$ S#staina'ilit* The Singapore +overnment is committed to ensure its sustainability" This commitment is reinforced in the vision statement, !hich is stated in the Singapore +reen *lan -.1- and I /uote0 Clean and green ingapore has beaten the odds to come this far. !or the ne"t lap of our development, we strive to forge a country that will give our people and all who come after them, their best home possible, e"ercising wise and #udicious stewardship of our resources and optimising the balance between $an and %ature. &ith intelligent innovation and strategic partnership, we will prevail over our limitations, to build a generations to come. In the +reen *lan, there !as also a statement, !hich I feel is important for the discussion of my topic today and that is, !or us, sustainability can be no mere fad' (ur very survival depends on it. This statement, together !ith the vision statement testifies to the +overnment s commitment to ensuring Singapore sustainability" 2a!ro .ers e!ti/e 3 SIAs Role I believe that sustainability is the responsibility of every constituent of society and each must play its part to achieve ma1imum results" A critical element of sustainability is ecology and architecture and ecology cannot be separated in the creation of a conducive habitat for man'ind" 2n the one hand, the basic physiological and psychological needs of man must be fulfilled and architecturally e1pressed" 2n the other hand, there is a need to balance, harmonise and integrate man s habitat !ith the surrounding in all aspects" This need to integrate architecture !ith ecology is no! being brought to sharper focus arising from various environmental ingapore that will endure for

movements to!ards sustainable development over the years" 3et me cite t!o e1amples of the Institute s effort in promoting sustainability through green architecture" The first e1ample concerns the promotion of eco architecture" Singapore as a land scarce island city#state, the achievement of eco#architecture is not only a greater challenge in terms of design innovation and technical 'no!#ho! as compared to many developed nations, but also it must have its o!n flavour in order to be identified as Singapore s response to 4co#Architecture" The development of capability in this direction meets !ith our national and professional aspiration to become a ,)odel +reen City5" It is this belief that has been the driving force behind the Institute s effort in promoting sustainable or green architecture over the years" In 1667, the Institute organised a ,4co#&uilding Architectural Design Competition5" The ob8ective !as to promote broad based a!areness for the environment both indoor and outdoor, design innovation and technological applications" In con8unction !ith this competition, there !as also a design competition for students and a seminar on the same sub8ect" This !as then part of the effort of the Institute to complement the 1st Singapore +reen *lan" The second e1ample is the promotion of ecological design in the tropics" This is done through an 4DITT programme in 1669" 4DITT stands for ,4cological Design in The Tropics5" This initiative !as predicated on the fact that the built environment is a ma8or factor in the energy consumption, pollution production and resource usage of any society" The air#conditioned, electrically lighted, mechanical services modern building : from offices to factories, from schools to hospitals, from homes to hotels : are all ma8or elements in the environmental e/uation of energy flo! and pollution control that

constitute the ecological and environmental agenda of Singapore" ;e live, !or' and play in buildings, in an urban and artificially maintained environment" )uch, if not all, of !hat !e do is supported by services and facilities that are housed in buildings and in the built environment" 2ur physical acts of eating, sleeping, !or'ing and playing do not create an ecological crisis" The physical environment !ithin !hich such activities occur do" Indeed, the energy consumption and environmental impact of a society is directly proportional to the urban /uality of its built environment" If the built environment is a primary factor, then architecture must and can provide a ma8or contribution to the solution of the environmental crisis" ;e believe, both these initiatives had generated substantial a!areness in the architectural fraternity as !ell as in the industry" 2i!ro .ers e!ti/e 3 In&i/i&#al Ar!"ite!ts .ers e!ti/e 3et me ta'e you no! to the micro perspective, that is the individual architect s role" The primary role is to contribute through designing buildings, !hich achieve the ob8ectives of sustainability" I believe, in order to achieve sustainable development, buildings must be designed inclusive of the concepts of sustainable development, e1pounded in my introductory remar's" Such buildings !ill have a positive impact on the environmental, social and economic systems, !hich !ill lead to enhancing both the economic !ell being and environmental health of communities and the /uality of life" Sustainable buildings should meet certain ob8ectives, li'e0

protecting the health of building occupants< improving employee productivity< using energy, !ater and materials more efficiently< incorporating recycled building materials< minimising !aste< and reducing the environmental impacts associated !ith the production of ra! materials, building construction and building maintenance and operations"

The concept of sustainability challenges architects and urban planners to thin' and act in terms of long#term conse/uences of their decisions on the diminishing resources of the !orld" Increasingly, there is a realisation that current architectural practices have ecological conse/uences that degrade the environment" Therefore, architects must address the /uality and sustainability of the use of natural resources and ecosystem, /uality of life, impact of the production and use of energy" Unfortunately, the reality is that !hen doing building design, architects are confronted !ith available technology, cost factors, client s e1pectation and regulatory limitations, current public policy that promotes economic competitiveness as an end in itself, at the e1pense of the public good" =o! can architect achieve sustainability in buildings> I believe the architect can contribute to!ard sustainability if !e consider the interrelationship among building site, design elements, energy and resource constraints, building systems and building function and follo! an environmentally responsive design process in the building design and construction of a pro8ect" 3et me briefly e1plain !hat is this environmentally responsive design process"

4ssentially, this process follo!s the conventional process, but !ith additional consideration given to sustainable design, materials and systems" I !ill touch on the three more important additional considerations in sustainable design # namely developing a green vision, establishing pro8ect goals and establishing green design criteria" +reen ?ision In order to achieve a sustainable building, it is critical that a green vision should be developed to guide the modus operandi of the pro8ect team" Such a vision should embrace sustainable principles and an integrated design approach" The architect together !ith his team and the client !ill articulate and define this vision statement, !hich !ill be enforced as the sustainable goals throughout the pro8ect" +reen &uilding +oals The -nd important tas' in the design process is to establish the pro8ect s green building goals" These are developed from the vision statement" +reen building goals must come from the client and reflect his needs and values he attaches to the building" goals need not be specific, but broad Such of statements

environmentally#based ideas that can be further developed and integrated by the pro8ect team" Such a statement should include such issues li'e energy efficiency, indoor and outdoor environmental /uality, !aste minimi@ation and general principles of sustainability"

+reen Design Criteria The green design criteria are usually more specific and should start by clarifying the most important and relevant aspects of the pro8ect" (or e1ample, the criteria should include a certain level of improvement in energy efficiency over conventional usage, indicate a A of rene!able energy strategies and e/uipment to be used, stipulate re/uirements for site design, provide guidelines for indoor environmental /uality and indicate levels of resource conservation and recycling" T"e C"allen(e to Ar!"ite!t Adopting the sustainable design process is a challenge to the architect" This is because the current paradigm of thought treats building as an economic process, rather than an ecological, social and cultural phenomenon, responding to people s needs and aspirations" Such deeply entrenched economic thought dominates social and cultural concerns as !ell as the environment and this poses an obstacle to achieving the ob8ective of sustainable design" There is a need for a change in mindset" I believe the vision of the Singapore +reen *lan should be propagated continually throughout all the government ministries and the developers, !ith the ob8ective to effect a paradigm shift to place priority to ecological concerns in their decision#ma'ing process" 2nly in this !ay, !ill buildings and the built environment achieve a /uantum leap in sustainability" In addition, !e believe sustainability ob8ectives must be embodied in building policies and regulations as !ell as in design briefs" ;hile the architect can follo! a sustainble design process, the final decision rests !ith the promoter, !ho must !ant sustainability in their building"
-BC.-C.7Cocc