BEING A LECTURE DELIVER

BY

Asst. Prof. DR. Paul AGBOOLA

Department of Architecture
Faculty of Architecture and Engineering,

Istanbul Gelisim University, Istanbul, 34310, TURKEY

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 WEEK THREE

Environmental Challenges in
Architecture
• Overview of The Philosophy of
Sustainable Design
• Global environmental challenges
(climate change, resource depletion,
pollution).
• The environmental impact of the
construction industry.
• The concept of ecological footprint.
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 THE PHILOSOPHY OF SUSTAINABLE
DESIGN
Overview:
The Philosophy of Sustainable Design is a foundational text that introduces the core
concepts, goals, and strategies behind sustainable architectural design. Written by
Jason F. McLennan, the book is considered one of the leading resources for
understanding how buildings can be designed to coexist harmoniously with the
natural environment.
Key Themes:
• Ecological Responsibility: McLennan emphasizes the need for buildings that
are in tune with the natural world, urging architects to consider the full
environmental impact of their designs.
• Holistic Design: The book advocates for a comprehensive approach to design
that integrates environmental, social, and economic factors.
• The Living Building Challenge: One of the central concepts introduced in the
book is the Living Building Challenge, which sets ambitious goals for buildings to be
truly regenerative, meaning they have a net positive impact on the environment.
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 THE PHILOSOPHY OF SUSTAINABLE
DESIGN
The Principles of Sustainable Design Principles:
1. Ecological Responsiveness
• The idea is that design must be ecologically responsive, meaning
that buildings and infrastructure should work in harmony with
natural systems rather than against them.
• It advocates for designers to understand the ecosystems in which
their projects are embedded, making choices that conserve
resources, reduce waste, and minimize environmental impacts.
• This includes using renewable energy, and sustainable materials,
and creating energy-efficient structures that have minimal
footprints on the environment.

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DESIGN

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 THE PHILOSOPHY OF SUSTAINABLE
DESIGN
The Principles of Sustainable Design Principles:
2. Biophilia and Human-Nature Connection
The concept of biophilia—the innate human connection to
nature argues that sustainable design must reflect this
relationship. He believes that architecture and design should
foster a deep connection between humans and the natural
world by incorporating natural light, air, and green spaces
into built environments. This not only improves human health
and well-being but also creates a greater sense of
responsibility toward environmental preservation.
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 THE PHILOSOPHY OF SUSTAINABLE
DESIGN
The Principles of Sustainable Design Principles:
3. Whole Systems Thinking
• The whole systems thinking, where buildings are viewed as
part of a larger ecological, social, and economic system.
• It argues that sustainable design requires a systemic
understanding of how materials, energy, and water flow
through buildings and how buildings interact with their
surroundings. This approach shifts the focus from isolated,
compartmentalized thinking to a more integrated, holistic
view, ensuring that design decisions contribute positively to
the wider environmental and social context.
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THE PHILOSOPHY OF SUSTAINABLE
DESIGN

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DESIGN

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 THE PHILOSOPHY OF SUSTAINABLE
DESIGN
The Principles of Sustainable Design Principles:
4. The Triple Bottom Line
The Triple Bottom Line—a core concept in sustainability that
advocates for balancing environmental, social, and economic
concerns. He argues that sustainable design must account for all
three aspects to ensure long-term viability. Economically, this
involves reducing operational costs through energy efficiency and
sustainable materials. Socially, it requires creating equitable,
inclusive spaces that improve the quality of life for all.
Environmentally, it means reducing the impact on ecosystems
and promoting biodiversity.
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 THE PHILOSOPHY OF SUSTAINABLE
DESIGN
The Principles of Sustainable Design Principles:
5. Life-Cycle Thinking
Another key element in McLennan’s philosophy is life-cycle
thinking, which calls for assessing the environmental and social
impacts of a building throughout its entire lifespan—from the
extraction of materials and construction to operation and
eventual demolition or reuse. This concept encourages architects
and designers to think beyond the immediate use of a building
and to consider its long-term implications, such as energy
consumption, resource depletion, and end-of-life disposal.

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 THE PHILOSOPHY OF SUSTAINABLE
DESIGN
The Principles of Sustainable Design Principles:
6. Respect for the Wisdom of Natural Systems-The
Biomimicry Principle:
Respect for the wisdom of natural systems is centred on the idea that
we should use nature as a mentor and model for our designs. The
source of our innovations can be traced back to nature itself. Where
Technologies have been applied, they are usually examples of
forgetting the lessons inherent all around us. To return to a path of
true sustainability our communities and built environment need to
emulate natural systems.

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 THE PHILOSOPHY OF SUSTAINABLE
DESIGN

7: Respect for People-The Human Vitality Principle

Sustainable design endeavours to create the healthiest, most
nourishing places possible for people without diminishing the
ability of nature to provide nourishing places for the rest of
creation and our own species in the future. Respect for people
reminds us that sustainable design is about creating healthy
habitats for us and the rest of creation.

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DESIGN

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DESIGN
8: Respect for Place-The Ecosystem/Bioregion Principle
Sustainable design is built on the idea of regionalism. It honours the
differences that exist between places, both on the macro level, with
climate regions, and on the micro level, with topographical and
biological differences.
The philosophy of sustainable design rejects the notion that our
buildings should look the same and be built the same in any region
regardless of whether we have the technological know-how and
resources to do so. Indeed, it demands that our buildings respond to
place in fundamental ways- from the level of the site to that of
climate and bioregion.

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 THE PHILOSOPHY OF SUSTAINABLE
DESIGN
9: Respect for the Cycle of Life-The "Seven Generations"
Principle
In nature, all waste products are useful to other organisms as
food. Respecting the Cycle of Life involves eliminating things
wherever possible that are toxic to people and the
environment so that the environment is safe "to all people,
for all time«. Following this principle also means that there
should be an appropriate fit between the life expectancy of
an object and its use, be it an appliance or a whole building.

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 THE PHILOSOPHY OF SUSTAINABLE
DESIGN
10: Respect for Energy and Natural Resources-The Conservation and
Renewable
Resources Principle Simply put, we live in a finite world but treat our
resources like they are infinite. This principle starts out by
recognizing that all of our natural resources have intrinsic and
foundational value in their natural state. It is a principle that
recognizes that our whole industrial economy is but a mere subset of
the natural economy and that we have a responsibility to use as little
of any resource as is necessary for a given job.

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 THE PHILOSOPHY OF SUSTAINABLE
DESIGN

11: Respect for Process-The Holistic Thinking Principal

It is not possible to build a sustainable future using the same
design and construction processes that have created the
environmental burdens in the first place. Its major message
can be summed up by a single sentence; if we want to
change a result, we must first change the process that led to
the result.

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 Sustainability in Architecture

Design Strategies and Practices

Several practical strategies for implementing sustainable design. These strategies include:
• Energy Efficiency: Reducing energy consumption by employing passive design
techniques (e.g., natural ventilation, insulation) and renewable energy technologies (e.g.,
solar panels, wind turbines).
• Water Conservation: Incorporating systems that reduce water usage, such as
rainwater harvesting, greywater recycling, and low-flow plumbing fixtures.
• Sustainable Materials: Using materials that are renewable, non-toxic, and locally
sourced to minimize the environmental impact of construction.
• Waste Reduction: Designing for waste minimization during construction and
ensuring buildings are adaptable or easily deconstructed for reuse at the end of their life
cycle.
• Resiliency and Durability: Creating buildings that are durable, adaptable, and
resilient to environmental changes, such as extreme weather events caused by climate
change.

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 Global Environmental Challenges

Global environmental challenges (climate change, resource depletion,

pollution).
Global environmental challenges such as climate change, resource depletion,
and pollution represent some of the most pressing issues facing humanity
today.
 Climate change results from rising levels of greenhouse gases, leading to
global warming, extreme weather events, and ecosystem disruptions.
 Resource depletion refers to the unsustainable extraction and
consumption of natural resources like fossil fuels, minerals, and
freshwater, which strains Earth's capacity to support future generations.
 Pollution, including air, water, and soil contamination, poses significant
risks to human health, wildlife, and environmental integrity, further
exacerbating ecological crises. Addressing these challenges requires global
cooperation, innovation in sustainable technologies, and a commitment to
transitioning towards a more circular and eco-friendly economy. 20
 Global Environmental Challenges

[Link] 21
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 Global Environmental Challenges

[Link]
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 Global Environmental Challenges

[Link] 23
image21992460
 The environmental impact of the construction
industry
The environmental impact of the construction industry.
 The construction industry has a significant environmental impact due to
its large-scale use of natural resources and energy.
 The extraction of raw materials like sand, gravel, and limestone leads to
resource depletion, while the manufacturing of building materials such as
cement generates high levels of greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to
climate change.
 Additionally, construction activities are responsible for pollution, including
air pollution from machinery and dust, water contamination from runoff,
and waste generation. The industry also contributes to habitat
destruction, deforestation, and increased energy consumption during
building operations. Sustainable practices like green building technologies,
energy-efficient designs, and the use of eco-friendly materials are essential
for mitigating these environmental impacts.
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 The environmental impact of the construction
industry

How to Reduce the Environmental

Impact of Your Construction Project
 Use Sustainable Building Materials
 Design for Energy Efficiency
 Conduct Wetland Delineation
 Implement Water Management
Practices
 Minimize Construction Waste
 Consider Sustainable Transportation and
Site Practices
 Monitoring and Reporting.

[Link]
construction-project/ 25
 The concept of ecological footprint

The ecological footprint is a metric that measures the amount of natural

resources an individual, organization, or population consumes compared to
the Earth's capacity to regenerate those resources.
 It quantifies how much land and water area is required to produce the
resources consumed and absorb the waste generated, including carbon
emissions.
 The concept highlights the environmental impact of human activities by
comparing consumption patterns to the planet's biological capacity. When
the ecological footprint exceeds Earth's regenerative ability, it leads to
ecological overshoot, where resources are depleted faster than they can
be renewed.
 This tool is crucial for promoting sustainable development and
encouraging actions that minimize environmental degradation.
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 The concept of ecological footprint

 Ecological footprint (EF) is a measure of the demands that an

individual or a group of persons make on global natural
resources. In 1996, Wackernagel and Rees came up with the
concept in a book called Our Ecological Footprint.
 Humans need food, shelter and heating (in some locations) to
survive. Our planet’s ecological resources help fulfil these
needs. But how many resources do we consume? This
question can be answered using the Ecological Footprint.
 The ecological footprint can be calculated for a single
individual, city, region, country and the entire planet. It is also
relevant for companies.
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The concept of ecological footprint

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 The concept of ecological footprint

Highlights of the ecological footprint

 Basically, ecological footprint measures what we demand from the Earth compared
to what it can produce. The unit we use is gha – global hectares (1 ha = 2.47 acres).
 We can use the EF to measure individual, national, regional and global footprints.
We can then compare these values to the average bio-capacity of the Earth to know
if current practices are sustainable or not.
 Measuring productive areas: Additionally, the ecological footprint also measures the
amount of productive land we require to produce renewable resources and to
absorb the wastes we produce.
 We evaluate productive areas in terms of:
 Croplands – grazing land for animal products,
 Forested area – for the production of wooden products,
 Marine areas – fisheries,
 Built-up land – for housing and infrastructure and
 Forested land – to absorb carbon dioxide
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 The concept of ecological footprint

Where does the data come from?

 Your country has offices that collect data about the country’s economic
activities, agricultural productivity, imports and exports, energy consumption,
etc. These data allow us to calculate how much food (apples, pasta, orange
juice) has been eaten, how much wood is used to make furniture, how much
energy households use and so on.
 These offices report the data to international agencies, including the United
Nations, that distribute this information in consistent formats for most
countries in the world.
 Those accounts use this UN data published by these international offices and
applies them to its comprehensive accounting database to calculate how many
resources each country consumes.

[Link] 30
 References

• Brundtland, G. H. (1987). Our Common Future. World Commission on Environment and

Development (WCED). United Nations.
• Mohamed, Wesam. (2015). The Philosophy Of Sustainable Design.
• McLennan, J. F. (2004). The Philosophy of Sustainable Design. Ecotone Publishing.
• Steele, J. (2005). Ecological Architecture: A Critical History. Thames & Hudson.
• Vale, B., & Vale, R. (1991). Green Architecture: Design for an Energy-Conscious Future. Thames
and Hudson.
• Hosey, L. (2012). The Shape of Green: Aesthetics, Ecology, and Design. Island Press.
• American Institute of Architects (AIA) (2021). Architect’s Guide to Sustainable Design.
• Yeang, K. (1995). Designing with Nature: The Ecological Basis for Architectural Design. McGraw-
Hill.
• McLennan, J. F. (2004). The Philosophy of Sustainable Design: The Future of Architecture.
Ecotone Publishing.
• [Link]
sustainable-building/
• [Link]
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