Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
HOW DO INNOVATIONS IN ARCHITECTURE AFFECT THE
ENVIRONMENT?
Rediscovering an old technology can be as innovative as creating some-
thing new, according to the sociologist Kathryn Henderson. She has been
documenting, from historical and environmental perspectives, the revival of
building with straw bales. In her essay, Henderson writes about the inven-
tions for baling straw that made this type of construction viable in the late
nineteenth century, especially in areas with limited timber supplies. She
continues with a description of the cost and energy savings, as well as the
community-building effects, of today's straw-bale building movement.
Henderson's insights into this type of construction come from research and
from hands-on experience.
The architect Marley Porter has also been active in the renaissance of
straw-bale building. He asserts that a building must unite sound architec-
tural practice and personal beliefs, which include respect for the environ-
ment. Condemning “tract houses with thyroid problems,” Porter describes
one of his buildings—the Wimberley House of Healing—as an example of
the sort of “living architecture” he supports.
David Hertz's work as an artist, an architect, and an inventor combines
the reinvention of old technologies and a visionary use of new materials.
Hertz is the creator of Syndecrete, a concrete-like substance that incorpo-
rates materials from society's waste stream and is used in buildings, in fur-
niture, and in other applications. To the three R's of Reduce, Reuse, and
Recycle, Hertz has added Restore, Reinterpret, and Reincarnate.
The range of architectural innovation is remarkable, especially in the
design of materials and construction methods. Behind the technology,
however, is also an underlying philosophy of leaving the environment bet-
ter than the architect found it.
