Local Cultures – Global Spaces
Abstract
The climate crisis is an existential issue that defines our age, our profession and the future of our civilization. The foremost responsibility of designers today is to address this issue. While design education in the United States typically focuses on “green” technologies, systems and materials, I argue that our approach to design for the climate crisis must begin with a fundamental understanding of empathy and interconnection. Ecofeminist scholar Maria Puig de la Bellacasa in her book Matters of Care describes this entanglement as “a web of systems and influences” (Puig de la Bellacasa 2012:198) where interventions “cannot be seen as external, isolated or independent” (ibid). With this understanding, interconnection becomes a “necessary precondition” (ibid) to design, one that challenges the western cultural bias toward technological determinism. How might such a viewpoint make space for the quieter but equally impactful approaches undervalued in our society, reframing design as a radical act of care? Designers who approach an environment with care and empathy often develop a more holistic understanding of its problems and are less likely to default to off-the-shelf technical solutions that may not address the root cause of an issue. This reinforces a resilient design process based on deep understanding and a true sense of responsibility for the design outcome.
Aanya Chugh is an Assistant Professor of Interiors at the University of Kentucky College of Design and Principal of AÄ MÄ Studio, an Architecture and Interiors practice founded in 2020. She has worked across a wide range of design practices including the industry-defining Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, the experience design firm Parc Office and the coworking company Industrious. Aanya received her Master of Architecture from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design and Bachelor of Arts from Barnard College.