Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
development is
the risk factor
. That risk we are often willing to take. Seven
million people have been killed in car accidents and a hundred million have
become invalids since the introduction of the car, and everyone feels that the
car is well worth it. What is so striking about the history of modern technol-
ogy is that the new and innovative ideas become part of everyday life so
quickly, totally accepted by everybody. At the same time, there will often be
another available technology which can reduce risk, or at least the risk of a
catastrophe. These technologies are becoming more and more important. At
the moment a whole new industry is growing - environmental technology. It
seems that these technologies can only offer solutions to problems they have
created themselves. This pattern of production is moving in the direction of
pure technophilia.
As early as the 1960s, Lewis Mumford stated:
'From late Neolithic times in the Near East, right down to our own day,
two technologies have recurrently existed side by side: one authoritarian,
the other democratic, the first system-centred, immensely powerful, but
inherently unstable, the other man-centred, relatively weak, but
resourceful and durable.' (Mumford, 1964)
Economy and efficiency
Principles for an ecological building industry include the following:
• The technological realm is moved closer to the worker and user, and manu-
facturing takes place in smaller units near to the area where the products will
be used.
Paul Goodman gives the following definition: 'Decentralizing is increasing
the number of centres of decision-making and the number of initiators of pol-
icy, increasing the awareness of the whole function in which they are involved,
and establishing as much face-to-face association with decision-makers as
possible.' (Goodman, 1968)
• The use of raw materials is based on renewable resources or rich reserves,
products are easily recycled and are economic in terms of materials during
construction.
• Priority is given to production methods that use less energy and more sus-
tainable materials, and transport distances are reduced to a minimum.
• Polluting industrial processes and materials are avoided, and energy based on
fossil fuels reduced to a minimum.
