CDinD: Sustainable design

Sustainable design 

At present time we increasingly hear the concept of sustainable design. This term can be used for all areas. From construction to design advertising. Gradually from something new and unusual, it become in our daylifestyle. Moreover now it is a  new direction in design itself.

What is it?

Sustainable design seeks to reduce negative impacts on the environment, and the health and comfort of people. The basic objectives of sustainability are to reduce consumption of non-renewable resources, minimize waste, and create healthy environments. Sustainable design principles include the ability to:

• Minimize non-renewable energy consumption.
• Use environmentally preferable products.
• Protect and conserve water.
• Enhance indoor environmental quality.
• Optimize operational and maintenance practices.

Utilizing a sustainable design philosophy encourages decisions at each phase of the design process that will reduce negative impacts on the environment and the health of people. It is an integrated, holistic approach that encourages compromise and tradeoffs.

Sustainable design principles

While the practical application varies among disciplines, some common principles are as follows:

• Low-impact materials: choose non-toxic, sustainably produced or recycled materials which require little energy to process
• Energy efficiency: use manufacturing processes and produce products which require less energy
• Emotionally durable design: reducing consumption and waste of resources by increasing the durability of relationships between people and products, through design
• Design for reuse and recycling: "Products, processes, and systems should be designed for performance in a commercial 'afterlife'.
• Design impact measures for total carbon footprint and life-cycle assessment for any resource used are increasingly required and available. Many are complex, but some give quick and accurate whole-earth estimates of impacts. One measure estimates any spending as consuming an average economic share of global energy use of 8,000 BTU (8,400 kJ) per dollar and producing CO2 at the average rate of 0.57 kg of CO2 per dollar (1995 dollars US) from DOE figures.
• Sustainable design standards and project design guides are also increasingly available and are vigorously being developed by a wide array of private organizations and individuals. There is also a large body of new methods emerging from the rapid development of what has become known as 'sustainability science' promoted by a wide variety of educational and governmental institutions.
• Biomimicry: "redesigning industrial systems on biological lines ... enabling the constant reuse of materials in continuous closed cycles..."
• Service substitution: shifting the mode of consumption from personal ownership of products to provision of services which provide similar functions, e.g., from a private automobile to a carsharing service. Such a system promotes minimal resource use per unit of consumption (e.g., per trip driven).
• Renewability: materials should come from nearby (local or bioregional), sustainably managed renewable sources that can be composted when their usefulness has been exhausted.
• Robust eco-design: robust design principles are applied to the design of a pollution sources.

Unfortunately, currently this design direction actively develops only in those countries, where, there is already sufficient base in design and in economic. Typically projects executed in this principle are more expensive than ordinary. Very often such projects need government support or have a strong background from politic of each company (like CSR). 

From my point of view, there is a huge potential in this direction in the future. Everybody have understanding of environmental issues now. On the other hand, we have to understand, that developing of this part of design simultaneously in all countries isn't possible.

For all my time I have been able to work only with one company which was willing to approach the design, taking into account the basic principles of this kind of thinking. Typically, these principles are followed in developing technology production. I hope that the future, people will pay much attention to the design in advertising. And at least make an attempt to develop themselves in this direction. 

Design thinking

The program was developed at the famous Stanford University City (USA).

The classic version of the course provided an opportunity to understand the secret of innovative thinking with the help of several interconnected links : understanding, focus, ideas, prototype and test.

The first stage involves the search for so-called "insights" ("the essence of the problem situations.") There are many ideas, but innovators are able to filter what is happening, look at the world through different eyes, not forgetting about the focus on a specific target audience . Outcome at this stage is achieved both through simple observation and through reflection, experience other people's experience .

Next, the potential Design Thinkers must be clear - this understanding of focus problems , the need for a clear vision difficulties. It derived from the first stage of "insight" we add a study of the needs of our target customers and in these areas we find a clear target for a shot of our selected concept of "bull's-eye ." Finally, after determining the subject of attention you can begin to generate the most ideas in a brainstorming session with the nomination of all conceivable solutions selected problem.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of this stage - it is an opportunity to give my head to rest, relax and enjoy the different technologies generating innovative concepts .

However, the next step will be the mental effort : prototyping processes , is the selection of solutions in terms of their clarity , accuracy, merchantability or technological feasibility .

Grand finale of the activity in testing can be considered favorite ideas. Of course, the ideal option would be a test of strength in the real world , but we can try to create an environment similar to reality ( for example, through role-playing games). At this stage it is important to get feedback (feedback) and appropriate adjustments (if , of course, you need them).

Indeed, everywhere to solve manager's problems increasingly as a basis for the development of innovative concepts used methods that were used exclusively by designers. Today actively similar techniques used by the largest "sharks" of business P & G and Microsoft, 3M , and SAP, as well as international consulting agencies Boston Consulting Group, McKinsley and Bain. And this is not to mention the numerous types of small businesses and "home" start-ups, all activities which stands on the foundation called "design - thinking".

Fourth Order of Design

The idea in the Four Orders of design, lie not only in their clear articulation of design disciplines but also in their malleable nature. The Four Orders are places of innovation and not merely categories. Categories are used to describe what is, but places are used to create new concepts through the repositioning of problems.

In the current form of the four orders of design, there are four subject matters that designers focus on: signs, objects, interactions, and systems. These are the places where designers do their work.

The first order of design is communication with symbols and images. The second order of design is design of artefacts as in engineering, architecture, and mass production. In the middle of the 20th century we realised that we can also design activities and processes. We work progressively more with these activities and services. That’s the third order of design. In the beginning we called it Human Computer Interaction. Now we work with any kind of interaction – it’s about how people relate to other people. The fourth order of design is the design of the environments and systems within which all the other orders of design exist. Understanding how these systems work, what core ideas hold them together, what ideas and values – that’s a fourth order problem. Both the third and the fourth order are emerging now very strongly.