IN-PERSON: Applying Education

Abstract

While we do not see buildings as agents of violence, they are woven into systems of inequality and injustice at the global scale. This work scaffolds nonviolent principles onto the discipline of architecture and outlines a pedagogy for “how not to build” — the refusal of disciplinary norms. Operating like phantoms beneath our consciousness, buildings consume more energy than any other artificial system on the planet. (01) The modernization of architecture is highlighted by its mechanization: consider how conditioned air provides comfort in varied environments, how electric light extends the day into night, or how computer systems automate everyday functions like opening doors or signaling the elevator. Further, it is well-documented how the building trades are wedded to the petrochemical industry, whether to power the operation of infrastructures, or in the building materials around us. Ceaseless energy expenditure in the name of capital is a violent act against our planet, and emissions from these toxic industries perpetuate environmental racism near major US cities. Why then, do we continue to teach students of architecture to build this way? I propose that we must educate future architects not to center old narratives of progress and growth (i.e. build more, build taller, and instrumentalize for capital gain) but instead through regenerative methods (i.e. modify existing structures) to untangle the discipline from inequality, injustice, and violence. The root of this approach is in matter; that is, concerning the physical “stuff” that channels energy in space. However, the hurdle of this approach is conceptual — are architects ready to revise their identity from one that champions the individual to one that is devoted to the collective? 01. “Common carbon metric for measuring energy use & reporting greenhouse gas emissions from building operations.” United Nations Environment Programme, Sustainable Buildings and Climate Initiative.