Rachel Ravitch
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Sustainable Design: What is it?

Sustainable Design: What is it?

by Rachel Ravitch

Every new building it seems claims to be “Built Green” or “Sustainable”. Even the LEED certification has come under scrutiny for not addressing the building industry’s largest contributions to climate change. How do we know what true sustainability means for the building industry in relation to climate change caused by greenhouse gases and destruction of biodiversity? None of the current sustainable design metrics really tackle these big topics. It’s important for designers to do some of their own research and make judgements based on the latest science which is rapidly changing as more funding becomes available for research on biodiversity and its relationship to climate change and high levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

The role of the designer for any construction project goes beyond the desired look and feel of a space. The designer is also responsible for applying Energy and Building codes to a particular set of project specific constraints. Designers also have the opportunity through their knowledge and understanding of building and energy codes to work with local governments to update the codes to address the impacts caused by the building industry on climate change.

Through some research, which I also reference in this short article, I have found that there are really just (5) major ways the building industry contributes to climate change:

  1. Waste production mostly from demolition of existing structures

  2. Carbon generation mostly caused by concrete production and energy consumption

  3. Soil disruption for large building footprints & basements and soil compaction for site preparation.

  4. Old growth destruction both for timber sales and clearing land for real estate development

  5. Landscaping with non native species


When we break it down into these (5) areas, it’s pretty simple to see how we can follow more sustainable practices in the building industry:

  1. Create less waste by retrofitting existing structures. Find creative ways to salvage existing structures and incorporate them into new or renovated structures. Create a tax on demolition of useable structures at the municipal level.

  2. Use less concrete in building design & construction and require that concrete production use a carbon reduction device such as Carbon Cure. An ideal solution would be to transition away from concrete toward a material such as mycelium. Push for renewable carbon neutral energy sources and reduce the amount of energy required to heat and cool structures.

  3. Reduce the building footprint size and raise buildings onto pier foundation systems to limit soil disruption and compaction. Large structures for single family residences are not sustainable. Wealthy individuals must rethink their choices and consider building a smaller home for themselves & funding a home for someone else with that extra cash!

  4. Fight back to save old growth forests locally and around the world. Old growth forests are our biggest (pun intended) ally in the fight against climate change. Old growth trees and forests are amazing at both storing carbon and continuing to remove carbon from the environment! They also provide massive habitats for most of the Earth’s biodiversity. Make sure that products you are purchasing are not contributing to deforestation. To be honest, the only way to do this is to commit to purchasing salvaged furnishings and small batch production items where you can trace the source of the wood. The good news is, there is no shortage of talented entrepreneurs who are breaking the mold to bring sustainable furnishings to the market or quality gently worn furniture and talented restaurateurs.

  5. Believe it or not, the choices we make in our gardens makes a huge difference to help other native species thrive. It’s all connected, from the birds and the bees to the flowers and the trees!

The Pacific Northwest is one of 200 priority eco regions worldwide where we can make a huge difference to combat climate change if we protect our bio diversity! Every industry must do their part and the building industry is no different.