FUTURARC INTERVIEW
HR: Yes, that is the way you chose to do it. How many times did you have to redefine your client’s brief? How many times have you had to convince them at every stage? If we fail, then we should learn from it and not be afraid of trying it. You should not be afraid of putting your name, reputation or competence on the line.
NK: If you end up questioning what you do, the Declaration is working. But how do you know when you are ‘there’? What are the outcomes against which we measure success, other than just the number of signatories? HR: That is a great question. Currently, we do not have a ‘there’. The hope is that we continue to push higher. We have been damaging the environment for about 300 years and so it is not going to be resolved fast and we should not be disappointed if we are unable to heal the damage within 10−15 years. Maybe the text of the Declaration will change as Serina and others get engaged with it. We will become more robust, more defined and tighter.
SH: I’d like to see the Declaration signed up on the stock exchange just like the ESG. I am surprised to hear the conversation coming from top developers. When it starts to trickle down like that, it means the industry is getting started in this direction.
NK: Chin Wei, where is your ‘there’? LCW: It is a very difficult question to answer but I remain hopeful. In my firm, we have started to question ourselves in the way we design. This is not about Green buildings as such. At this point, we are dealing with climate and so we are trying to push our boundaries to see if we can incorporate simulations in our design process, how we can use big data as a tool for optimising our proposal. This is very hard to quantify now because it is global. It is not just about Taiwan. In five to 10 years, we will see the great change or impact. I agree with what Hossein said and there are some things that we should start to quantify. Maybe we should set goals and not rules. Maybe we should apply the declaration to 10 out of the 20 projects that we are working on. Maybe all projects should get Green building certifications, even if clients do not ask for it.
NK: I am impressed by the language of the Declaration. It is explicitly tied to science; bold and ambitious. It changes the conversation in a way that is needed right now. We have something on paper that speaks to the real problem and which is, importantly, not overly reductive. This has been my problem with Green labels. HR: You wrote a beautiful book on the topic...
SH: Nirmal’s book Ecopuncture.
HR: That book is really one of the best contributions to this dialogue. You said that simply citing the number of certified Green buildings can be misleading. That we need to be smart and have the right vocabulary and measurable goals.
With Construction Declares, we are at a conceptual stage. Like a building in the early design stage, I do not know exactly the size of the rainwater downpipe that is needed but I know I will in time.
Somebody was discussing with me about the difference between hope and wish. We were saying that hope is something to hold on to even if you may not achieve the desired outcome. And so maybe with this declaration, we are hoping rather than just wishing.
SH: What you are saying, Hossein, is that it is important to start the conversation and create awareness. Then it starts to evolve, it builds up as it goes forward. We were talking about sustainability for 10 years before it came to the forefront.
In Malay, we have a word: niat. Niat is more than what we wish for, it is our intent. If we do not meet all of that, it is okay. And so maybe it is better to start with the right awareness and niat because words have a big impact. They begin to resonate and have their own momentum. Alright, you have converted me.
NK: My final question is to you, Serina: When will the Malaysia chapter be launched? SH: I am on it.
Commitments and signatories of the Singapore chapter can be viewed at several sites: Singapore Architects Declare:
sg.architectsdeclare.com Singapore Environmental Consultants Declare:
sg.environmentalconsultantsdeclare.com Singapore Landscape Architects Declare:
sg.landscapearchitectsdeclare.com Singapore Structural Engineers Declare:
sg.structuralengineersdeclare.com
Commitments and signatories of the Taiwan chapter can be viewed at
tw.architectsdeclare.com.
Images courtesy of
Shutterstock.com Page 8 & 9 - hlopex/Andriano/Ljupco Smokovski/ DisobeyArt/viewgene
Page 11 - Evgenii Ufa/vchal/Volodymyr Burdiak/ BlueSkyImage/Ares Jonekson/uzhursky/Ebtikar Page 12 & 13 - Rich Carey/Jamen Percy/Parmna/ Susan Schmitz/atiger/niruti Puttharaksa/ Enrique Ramos
Page 14 & 15 - Vladimirkarp/Kinga Walczak/ Perfect Lazybones/Norman Ong/Chansom Pantip/ Piotr Wytrazek/Sri J/Atstock Productions/ Vaclav Sebek
FUTURARC 15
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