Hey, Good Lookin’ | Nov 8th at 9:46am
It’s almost a given that everything we build from now on is going to need to be energy efficient. As the problems of climate change and limited energy resources become more evident, building with energy in mind is increasingly accepted by the design community. There’s ideological buy-in, and the costs of designing and building for energy efficiency are starting to slide. But even the greenest building can’t be completely green when the lights stay on all night.
What is the role of interior design in achieving energy efficiency? That’s a question that’s surfaced a number of times during the symposium. The answer isn’t exactly clear, but what is clear is that aesthetic concerns can have a negative effect on energy efficiency.
In one of the opening addresses, climatologist Robert Socolow briefly wondered about how interior design—with its emphasis on lighting and creating atmosphere—counteracts energy initiatives in green buildings. Extensive lighting, in particular, is one of the most evident conflicts in these so-called “green buildings”.
The real question for the future of green buildings and cities is, as architect Lance Hosey asks, “Can we be as smart about how things look as we are about how they work?”
Nate Berg is the assistant editor of the urban planning news website Planetizen, where he reports, blogs and podcasts about urban planning issues. The topic areas he's most interested in right now are the environment, public space and event-based urbanism.
Majorvariety on Sat, Dec 05, 2009 at 6:27pm
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