Critical Debates in Design: Task 8 - Sustainable Design

The growing needs of a population exceeding 7 billion people is an issue, that in recent years has become global. The growing number of people living on the Earth requires more sources, produces more garbage and occupies more territory. The last 100 years have developed many fields in different spheres. The economical revolution in the western society have done many things to help mankind and to destroy the Nature. That is why now - the current generations have to work on balancing and fixing all the damage, that has been done.



Eco-design or sustainable design is a term, that is current. Somehow it has even become fashionable. But the most important is it's purpose - to help us as designers promote the ecological friendly living and create objects, technologies and way of thinking.
Eco design is applicable in many ways. Using non-toxic durable materials, using less energy for production,  creating design products, that can be reused and easily recycled. Another important thing is using materials, that can be found locally and reducing the cost for transportation. Help revive local farming, so people can consume  fruits, vegetables and etc. coming from local farmers and producers (which is also good for local economical development). Sustainable design is applicable in architecture, urban planning, landscape and garden design. In recent years more and more people around the world use solar panels, wind generators, water generators - that way they help reduce the usage of coal, petrol and other hazardous materials. Building energy efficient buildings to prevent energy loss. Promoting transportation via bicycles, Eco-cars powered by sun energy, planning walkable communities which reduce the need for automotive travel. Megalopolises such as Tokyo, Shanghai, New York and others are designing a new way of welcoming the nature into the city by creating rooftop gardens on high skyscrapers - they help reduce the harmful CO2 emissions and are creating a pleasant place for the employees working in a stressful environment sich as a big city. Graphic designers can contribute as creating packaging using less materials, recyclable materials and printing with low-VOC inks.
The main point is to help people and nature co-exist in a healthy, supportive, diverse, and sustainable condition.

A typical example of green design is the High Line Park in New York. It is created on an old rail, that hasn't been used for years, and has turned into a beautiful park.









The NYC High Line from two seconds away on Vimeo.

 

Design Thinking as a therm is something needed on only in the design sphere. It is something crucial for planning and creating anything. For example Charles Burnette in his IDeSiGN calls Design Thinking:

“…a process of creative and critical thinking that allows information and ideas to be organized, decisions to be made, situations to be improved, and knowledge to be gained.”
It is a form of solution-based, or solution-focused thinking that starts with the goal or what is meant to be achieved instead of starting with a certain problem. Actually design thinking can help a person deal with many problems, not mandatory related to design. Companies that have embraced the idea of design thinking and have implemented it in their company business plans have achieved great success. Companies such as Apple, Nike, Procter & Gamble, Philips etc.


According to Professor Richard Buchanan
the first and second orders of design are inventing and judging, 
the third is deciding or strategic planning, 
the fourth order is evaluating. 
The fourth order asks the question "What is our business?" Designers and design thinking are integrated, with designers’ roles often being extended beyond physical design activities to intellectual and emotional design thinking. In the fourth order, alternative ways are sought to develop product ideas, leading to new ways of 
communicating ideas and producing mock-ups.Fourth-order thinkers would continue to rework ideas, moving into various related and unrelated solutions. 

Reference:
www.wikipedia.org
www.dmi.org
http://www.beautifullife.info/industrial-design/eco-friendly-steakers-by-hu2-design/
http://richworks.in/2010/07/the-art-of-design-creative-thinking-ways-to-foster-innovation/