"Any form of design that minimizes environmentally destructive impacts by integrating itself with living processes."

So our first week back after Christmas and we’re split into groups to research Ecological, Sustainable, Natural, Green and Environmental Design. Esther, Emma, Lynsey, Sonia and I were given the topic of Ecological Design. Collectively we came to the conclusion that Ecological Design is a response to the inevitable destruction of our planet and that we as humans were responsible. In recent years the media has made many natural disasters, such as the earthquake in Haiti or the most recent flooding in Brisbane, Australia, worldwide knowledge.

Above: Flooding in Australia.

Climate change is a problem which faces us all and something we ought to be concerning ourselves with, especially as designers. Bad design is partly responsible for the problems our world is facing, therefore, it is our responsibility to take our environment in to consideration and practice this in our design process. To many products are designed to be thrown away after a short period of time or use more packaging than necessary etc. For example,thinking back to a lecture from Jonathan, he mentioned a company which made jeans and did not dispose of dye waste effectively. As a result nearby fields were flooded with the waste and the ground was no longer of use to farmers for growing crops.

Above: An Example of Poor Waste Disposal.

On a more positive note, there are some designs which need commending. Westborough Primary School is home to the worlds first cardboard classroom. Cottrell and Vermeulen Architecture’s working relationship with Westborough Primary School has provided the opportunity to explore and test new ideas and ways of working. The agreed aim of the project was to build a structure comprising of a clubroom, kitchenette, store room and toilet block using 90% recycled materials, and for the building to be 90% recyclable at the end of it’s projected 20 year lifespan. Most schools student population is likely to change after 20 years and the classroom could well be rendered inadequate or in fact unnecessary so the use of a semi-permanent structure, which will not harm the environment once torn down, is definitely the better alternative. The use of such a material has proved to be successful as the building survived a flood of several inches! Cottrell and Vermeulen have also worked with the school to renovate it's existing buildings to ensure they are CO2 neutral using local materials and adopting new technology including wind power.

The very environment in which the children are working in will teach them about looking after our planet. After all, they are our future so this can only be a good thing!

 Above: The Cardboard Structure.

 Above: Some Details of The Renovated Original Building.