Module 3:
Sustainable
Design and
Communicatio
n
Sustainable Design
Sustainable design seeks to reduce negative
impacts on the environment.
Sustainable design acts as a philosophy that
is applied by different companies,
governmental entities, and non-
governmental organizations to achieve a
better future for the human race through the
wise and low-volume consumption of Earth’s
resources.
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Resource Consumption and Environmental
Pollution
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Sustainability in Architecture
meeting the needs of the present without compromising the
ability of future generations to meet their own needs
Architectural professionals have to accept the fact that
as a society’s economic status improves, its demand
for architectural resources — land, buildings or building
products, energy, and other resources — will increase.
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Principles of Sustainable Design
Form: Renewable Energy:
• Visual shape of the product • Not carbon energy, maybe
• The design should save energy solar or wind energy
consumption, packaging and Durable Design Solutions:
transporting cost • Should reach zero waste
Function & Usability: • Decrease the dependence on
• It helps consumers use the Earth’s resource
product in less time with less Design for Reuse and
energy Recycling:
• Less waste and throwaways • Afterlife of the product
Cost-Effective Solution: Bio mimicry:
• Reducing the cost of current • redesigning industrial systems
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Life cycle design
⪢ “Cradle to grave” ⪢ 3. Post building
⪢ Waste management
⪢ 1. Prebuilding ⪢ Recycle
⪢ Extraction ⪢ reuse
⪢ Processing
⪢ Manufacturing
⪢ Transportation
⪢ 2. Building
⪢ [Link]
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The input and output streams of resource
flow
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Human design
⪢ Urban site planning
⪢ Human comfort
⪢ Preservation of
natural conditions
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Life Cycle Assessment
(LCA)
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Raw material
⪢ Properties
⪢ 1. Strength
⪢ Stress
⪢ Ductility
⪢ Brittleness
⪢ Malleability
⪢ Fatigue
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LCA
Life-cycle assessment (LCA) is a technique to assess
environmental impacts associated with all the stages of a
product's life from raw material extraction through materials
processing, manufacture, distribution, use, repair and
maintenance, and disposal or recycling.
The 4 steps of LCA
methodology 3. Impact assessment:
• environmental
impacts, impact on
1. Goal and scope: human health
• ensures the LCA is
performed consistently. 4. Interpretation:
• check that
2. Inventory analysis: your conclusions
13 • look at all the environmental are well-
Methods for Achieving Sustainable Design
⪢ The three principles ⪢ Economy of
of sustainable Resources
design — economy ⪢ Life Cycle Design
of resources, life ⪢ Human Design
cycle design, and
humane design —
provide a broad
awareness of the
environment issues
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Energy
conservation
Economy of resources
⪢ Conservation of ⪢ Input reduction
energy, water and ⪢ Output
material management
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Economy of resources
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Life cycle design
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Human design
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Bio mimicry
Bio mimicry is an approach to innovation that seeks sustainable
solutions to human challenges by emulating nature’s time-
tested patterns and strategies.
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Salt peter
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Schematic overview of making a sustainable design
Ref: Engineering for sustainabilitya practical guide for sustainable
23 design gerald jonker and jan harmsen, university of groningen
RECYCLING
⪢ Recycling is the recovery of materials or
components from products for
processing.
⪢ The recycling of metals has been an
established process for many years.
⪢ It is generally done through one of two
methods: shredding and separation to
recover both ferrous and non ferrous
metals, and disassembly and recycling
to recover metals and some other
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RECYCLING
Plastics can be recovered using a variety of
technologies.
• The mechanical recycling of plastics involves
melting, shredding and granulation of waste
plastics. Plastics must be sorted prior to
mechanical recycling into polymer types and/or
color. The plastic is then melted down directly and
moulded into a new shape or melted down after
being shredded into flakes and then processed into
granules called regranulate.
• Some components such as PCBs, batteries, CRT
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Generally, only those found in IT and
telecommunications equipment have any intrinsic
value. These can be processed to recover materials
such as: silver, lead, copper, and gold using a
process called Pyrolytic treatment (smelting) which
extracts the precious metals from the boards.
Design for Recyclability
In the wake of concept of sustainable development,
there has always been a thrust on environment
preservation in the manufacturing sector. Various
government regulations and circulars have been
issued to employ the concept of design-for-recycling.
The design guidelines for“green” products and
processes can be summarized as:
• Increase efficiency of energy use, while
considering environmental impact.
• Minimize the amount of materials used.
26 • Use recyclable and biodegradable materials
ECODESIGN AND DESIGN FOR SUSTAINABILITY
Over the years environmental philosophies have evolved
from green design to eco-design through to design for
sustainability.
27 Table: Differentiation of environmental design
• Good design will ensure a product
contains a rationalized number of
materials and components; that
consumer health and safety issues are
considered; that it functions
appropriately and effectively and
communicates this function clearly; that
it is ‘styled’ appropriately; is
ergonomically correct and complies
with legislation requirements.
• Eco-design goes further by aiming to
reduce the environmental impact of
each stage of the product life cycle.
• As illustrated in Figure, in product
development terms, the product life
cycle covers the whole life of the
product from ‘cradle to grave’,
including: the extraction of the raw
materials to make the product, the
manufacturing process; its distribution,
28 Figure: The different elements affecting the product
its use and what happens to it at the
Tutorial
Find the difference between Eco design and green design. Also evolution
from green design to eco design
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Design for sustainability goes further still to
“
include the consideration of social issues such as
usability, socially responsible use, sourcing and
designing to address human needs.
However many of these issues are often
considered under a range of other banners such
as ergonomics, inclusive design, design for the
aged, and design against crime rather than under
the overall remit of design for sustainability.
Furthermore,
Some social issues such as sustainable
procurement, ethical finance, and ethical labour
sourcing fall outside the remit of the designer as
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they need dealing with at a strategic level.
Social Innovation
“Social innovation is the process of
developing and deploying effective
solutions to challenging and often
systemic social and environmental issues
in support of social progress”.
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Charter Schools
Recent Examples of Social
Innovation Publicly funded primary or secondary schools that operate free
from some of the regulations that typically apply to public
schools. Administrators, teachers, and parents thus have the
opportunity to develop innovative teaching methods.
Emissions Trading
A pollution control program that uses economic incentives to
reduce emissions. A cap is set on the total amount of a certain
pollutant that can be emitted, and permits to pollute are
issued to all participating businesses. Those with higher
emissions can buy credits from businesses that have reduced
their emissions. Over time, the cap is reduced.
Fair Trade
An organized movement that establishes high trade standards
for coffee, chocolate, sugar, and other products. By certifying
traders that pay producers a living wage and meet other
33 social and environmental standards, the fair trade movement
Social Innovation Drivers
The three key mechanisms that are driving
contemporary social innovation:
⪢ Exchange of ideas and values
⪢ Shifts in roles and relationships
⪢ Integration of private capital with public and
philanthropic support
Ultimately, the most difficult and important
problems cannot be understood, let alone solved,
without involving the nonprofit, public, and private
sectors.
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Social Innovation for a Just
Sustainable Development
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Questions
⪢ What are the various factors for
sustainable design?
⪢ Write down the steps involved
in LCA with related examples.
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Thanks! 38