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The projects ranged in scale from an urban planning scheme for Seattle to a "mother-in-law apartment" addition to a residence. One project particularly noteworthy for its many green characteristics was the Animal Health Care Facility at the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium, designed by the firm Boxwood.

The veterinarian facility features a "green" roof, solar heating, sustainably harvested and manufactured materials, and heavy reliance on natural light and ventilation. This and the other 25 projects can be viewed on the AIA Seattle Web site.

The discussion focused on the three topics of urban sustainability, social sustainability, and natural technologies. Reed reminded us that buildings are not objects but systems. Thus a green building must integrate with green systems. This goes beyond making the building more efficient to understanding how it fits into the greater environment. He made this point in chiding the authors of those projects that did not show a site plan.

Many of the 26 projects will apply for a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating after completion. It was noted that LEED is helping to create a market transformation, but it is only a starting point for true sustainable design. Architects cannot simply check off the points on the LEED checklist; they must understand why these ideas are important and pursue them throughout their design process.

Beyond Sustainability

Architect William McDonough and chemist Michael Braungart returned to the conference this year, continuing to carry forth their visions for "beyond sustainability," which they introduced last year.

Their company, McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry, has brought their ideas out of the realm of the traditional environmentalists and into corporate boardrooms through the film The Next Industrial Revolution (1998) and the book, Cradle-to-Cradle (2002).

Central to their discussion was the idea of "eco-effectiveness," that is, moving beyond efficiency. Nature is not efficient, and efficiency is not necessarily good. (Braungart offered the example of an efficient Nazi.) Nor is sustainability good enough if it simply means slowing down the destruction. We need to turn around if we are going the wrong way.

McDonough and Braungart call for "cradle-to-cradle" lifecycle design, modeled after the biological cycle instead of the technical cycle. Biological nutrients are consumed, while technical nutrients are used. Biological nutrients are ultimately returned as nutrients. Technical nutrients end up as various forms of toxic waste or landfill. We need to bring the technical nutrients back into the lifecycle design of buildings.

Marriage of Nature and Technology

Sim Van der Ryn spoke to the conference about "The Art of Breakthrough Thinking: Nature as the Lens." He describes "eco-logic" as the relationships and interactions between design and nature as seen through the four lenses of scale, ecostructure/ infrastructure, pattern, and ecological footprint.

Van der Ryn describes 44 levels of scale — from quark to galaxy — in the known universe, each representing a unique ecological system. The connection between these scales is direct, through patterns and function. Our designed systems, or infrastructure, has affected most levels of the eco-structure. Understanding the misfit between these two realms will enable us to design within the intersection.

He further suggests that ten patterns define the 44 levels of scale: sphere, mosaic, lattice, polyhedra, spiral, meander, branch, wave, symmetry, and fractal. These patterns have typical functions in the natural world and could prove useful in the design world.

The golden mean exemplifies the spiral of growth. Van der Ryn talked about a three-dimensional logarithmic spiral in the work of Jay Harman at PAX Scientific. This spiral represents the analysis of the smoothest distance between two points in fluids. PAX Scientific uses this understanding to design new propellers and impellers that increase power use efficiency by 50 percent and reduce sound output by 70 percent.

The ecological footprint seeks to measure the fit between a designed system and the natural systems. Understanding the connection and effect of an infrastructure design, through the various scales in nature, will enable us to push toward designs that harmonize with natural systems. This, says Van der Ryn, is the mission of ecological design.

Design as Communication

J. Mays, vice president of design for Ford Motor Company gave a presentation titled, "What Product Design Should Be." He had just walked through the conference's product learning center and observed all the product names. He decided to put them together into a new product he would describe as "ecobioenvirocompostable."

His point was that the way these ideas are currently being delivered to the market are without mass appeal. His message to this conference would be a lesson in why people buy things.

He saw an example of a market failure when he was a designer at Audi. The best engineers got together and designed the Audi A2. It was lightweight, with very high gas mileage, and designed for complete disassembly and recycling. But people didn't buy it because it wasn't attractive. This vehicle played into people's environmental ethic, but not their emotions, which are essential for selling ideas.

There needs to be a consistent emotional message in the design, he said, to appeal to the market. Designers of the New Beetle asked people why they liked the classic Volkswagen Beetle so much. Answers often included the words "simple," "honest," and "reliable." The car designers also looked at the elements of shape, color, material, and textures. The new Beetle has been such a great success, Mays says, because it brought together these ideas into an easily identifiable form. [Though subsequent hybrid automobiles like the also successful Toyota Prius and the Honda Insight provide greatly superior actual environmental performance. — Editor]

He then showed some of his current design work. The "021C" is a little vehicle with a trunk that pulls open like a drawer. It is only a concept car, but its imagery has already sold well in Japan in a hit music video.

He also showed the "24.7" concept car, which addresses the image of mobility and its relationship to connectivity. He commented on how car interiors are typically like old typewriters, with every function having its own button. This vehicle looks futuristic, with a series of video displays, voice-activated computer, and a customizable dash. Ask for directions as you are driving, or send e-mail to a friend.

The point is not to enhance technical ability, but to inspire love. Those trying to promote sustainability should understand how ideas appeal to the current culture. This visionary car designer may have given the conference's most empowering lesson: to bring the sustainability message back to their markets.

It's possible that one important reason energy conservation did not inspire love in previous decades is that it was exemplified by air-tight, fluorescent-lit buildings. If architects can instead offer attractive alternatives, like Boxwood’s Animal Health Care Facility, sustainability will have a better chance to win the hearts and minds of the general public.

Ross A. Leventhal is a designer at NBBJ in Seattle, Washington.

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The realm of ecological design is the intersection between eco-structures and infrastructures. Image: Van der Ryn Architects The logarithmic spiral is a naturally occurring form that has inspired many designers. Image: Van der Ryn Architects This impeller design was generated in the form of the most efficient flow path through fluids. It is being tested for use in medical mixers and water aeration. Image: Scansite LLC, Courtesy of PAX Scientific A prototype mixing impeller based on natural forms. Image: Courtesy of PAX Scientific Consumers are drawn to the New Beetle because of its image of simplicity, honesty, and reliability, not because of its energy efficiency. Photo: Volkswagen of America This concept car. the "021C," has not been mass produced but has proved a hit in a Japanese music video. Image: Ford Motor Company This hypothetical car dashboard is a series of computer displays, which can be personalized for individual members of the family. Image: Ford Motor Company   Click on thumbnail images to view full-size pictures.