Detaching Environmentalism from Politics

In understanding the term Green as it is used in the current environmental movement, we find out that it is based on the “Four Pillars” of the German, Gründ (Green) Party. The Four Pillars, written in 1984, represent the founding principals of the political party as ecological wisdom, social justice, grass roots democracy, and non-violence. I believe this is central to any discussion on current trends in making a more environmentally responsible world come to fruition.
Although I understand the logic of these core values and believe they hold true as goals societies should aim for, the political ties these pillars have are too strong and therefore have an inherent opposition simply because they are placed as political objectives. I believe that in order to have a clean environment, the motivation to change needs to be understood by all regardless of political leanings. The least politically tied goal of these pillars is ecological wisdom, it seems there can be common interests, profits, and benefits regardless of right or left wing politics. It is hard to say the same thing for social justice, grass roots democracy and non-violence.
The “best” solution, in terms of a broad reaching and effective one, in my view is a politically neutral solution and for this we turn to research, facts, numbers and charts. The benefits of a Life Cycle Analysis are key to helping companies recognize their ecological impact. A parallel can be drawn to the Nutrition Label Act of 1990 that created heightened awareness about the food eat and more importantly, the choice to make an informed decision as a consumer. If the government is to take a stance it has to be on behalf of the consumer because, especially in a country like the USA, it is the only way to encourage companies to change their methods of production.
In the natural world, a close look at an ecosystem shows the roles of producers, consumers, and decomposers where each is dependent on the other for survival and a return to earth means eventually becoming earth and feeding the system again. The EPA’s definition of LCA as a Cradle to Grave concept is “raw materials from the earth to create the product and ends at the point when all materials are returned to the earth”. There are two basic concepts that we can extract from this phrase that directly feed the more thoughtfully developed Cradle to Cradle approach. First, the phrase “returned to earth” implies that it is simply put back in the earth but not necessarily benefiting anyone or becoming anything else. This is reinforced by the second concept in the phrase, “ends at” these two words have a detrimental affect on our current approach and understanding of product life. If the term “ends at” needs to be used, then it should consider the point at which the raw material is formed again making the complete cycle the end point. McDonaugh and Branghart have explained this concept most successfully in their collaboration with Rhoner Textiles in Switzerland where they were able to produce cleaner water leaving the factory than coming in and the waste material was used as insulation for local agriculture.
Although the moral implications of social justice and environmental action are equally important, the politics involved in the resolution of the social aspects of our society are much deeper today than those implied by a more ecologically conscious world today.

Interior Architecture

The first thing you see as you walk out of the elevator and into in the Interior Architecture Department is a small materials library/collection. Each sample has a printout explaining what the material can be used for and it’s applications in interior spaces. This one seemed to focus on options for flooring. It looks like it is set up as a rotating exhibit. As a daily encounter, I wonder if it influences how students are thinking about materials in their work. It would also be interesting to find out if they feel that seeing these materials in such a way prevents them from using them in ways other than what is already suggested or if creates a rut for the designer. How can a materials library be set up to inspire instead of direct?



These two sculptural studies caught my attention because I suddenly realized the process designers go through when choosing materials and shapes. We are trying to interpret an image, feeling, sensation or other intangible moments and make it into an object, no matter what its size or purpose. Each designer goes through their own set of considerations in deciding how light is reflecting/refracting off the angles in the form and the material and if/how/why that will correctly translate their initial objective. I think both of these are successful interpretations considering I immediately saw and understood a connection between the objects and the images that were behind them.

It is now easy to understand the importance of the study shown above once I found these models of loft spaces. As these are models, the materials used must try to create the same emotion, feel, style the imagined full-scale space will have. If all of these were done in chipboard like the one in the lower right corner, they may not stand out as much. The addition of specific materials and shapes, helps sell the design. The choice of materials, color, textures and the amounts of each all affect the overall spaces and all were individual choices/decisions done by each designer to interpret their point of view into the design.

When I first saw this from across the room I wasn’t sure what I was approaching, initially I thought it was scrap from a furniture project and as I came closer I realized it was a city map in progress and each of these blocks represented a building. This misreading opened up a whole set of possibilities of explorations that could be done working with this kind of material and I was suddenly caught myself zooming in and out of this space at different sizes, from furniture to urban environment. The gradations of color on the sides adds an aesthetic to it as well as create a shadow and add contrast therefore elevating these objects from the map board. It would be interesting to see if students in this department are now so accustomed to using this type of material in recreating city spaces they are now bound by that association?

The Illustration Building

In the illustration building, I found the materials of the actual building to be more interesting and applicable to material classification than what I found in the student studios.

The back of this chair shows a great application of bent plywood. Since it has gone through a secondary process of layering and adhesion it classifies as a composite material. Plywood takes advantage of structural and flexible benefits of wood when it has been cut into thin layers in the direction of the grain. It keeps the long grain direction of the fibers making it strong but breaks the lateral bonds and increases it’s flexibility.

These plastic chairs have a different level of flexibility and the material has been engineered for that purpose. The additional holes along the back of the chair have also been added to give structural flexibility. Although the material is very thin it is still comfortable and sturdy. This is an example of a material that has both covalent and Van der Waals bonds at a molecular level. This construction results in a flexible and sturdy structure but only under certain conditions; if temperature or excessive stress is placed on the material, it will change phase.

The image in the stairwell shows a variety of materials including some kind of polymer stair covering, vinyl(?) tiles, a painted tack board that has been folded around the corner and cut into an abstract shape. The most interesting juxtaposition of materials I saw in this view was the choice of handrails¬— painted metal vs. varnished wood. The sensations are quite different and it’s interesting to compare them while walking up and down the stairs. The metal has been bent in several points and retains its strength where as the solid wood rail is straight and it becomes obvious that it cannot be manipulated in the same way.

Thick, ridged, glass cubes lined the back wall of one of the staircases distorting the reflective behavior of the glass and creating new patterns. I believe that glass in this phase is created by an ionic bond at the molecular level giving it strength, transparency and a non-conductive state. I think it is interesting that someone was able to write on this class with marker and change the reflexivity of the surface. Although it does not look like a porous or textured surface the marker ink stayed on the glass.

As I was about to leave the building I noticed this magnet holding the heavy metal door open. It is interesting that there are only metals in this door system. It is obvious that materials strengths had to be considered for the base on the door and the wall, the metal to use for the chain, and the strength of the magnet in order for it to work. I also see this as a great macro example of the tension that can occur in materials at the molecular level and it is easy to envision what happens when the magnetic bond is broken.

I find this last image inspiring and an excellent example of the reflective properties of various materials.