Last Thursday we got the opportunity to visit the UN Headquarters in Manhattan. We attended a session on sustainability at the Trusteeship Council Chamber. This is the chamber which was renovated by the 2 Danish designers, Kasper Salto and Thomas Sigsgaard; originally by Finn Juhl. The two talks were really informative and broadened my horizon in terms of design and environment. Although I knew they need to go hand in hand, but they also range from macroscale issues like dependency on a nation for natural resource to microscale like cycling. I think one of the most meaningful elements in Anne’s speech was Denmark’s dependency of oil on Saudi Arabia. I believe that being dependent on a host country makes that nation very vulnerable and that could inhibit growth in many ways. Hence Denmark’s efforts to be independent and produce such important natural resources themselves inhibits a. overexploiting and exhaustion of resources and b. economic instability. She also expressed the importance of sustainability in addition to the ability of a society to create architectural structures and improve methods which not only suffice the needs of the present generation but also be useful future generations. One meaningful example she gave was of a bridge that was deteriorating and being damaged easily. Hence that bridge went through reconstruction only to realize after the re-opening that it was impossible to cycle on it because it rains a lot in Denmark. It was important to keep that factor in mind because bikes are environment friendly and can be used by anyone. Such things really bring about a big change. Future citizens of the country can then cycle their way instead of creating pollution and follow this pattern, only then will the global community be supportable. A place can look beautiful and captivating, but it is not alive unless the designs are pragmatic and functional.
Joel Towers spoke about the importance of redesigning our designed world and it is important for artists and creators like us to think of this statement at every step of art-making. As a student of Interior Design, I was extremely inspired by the idea of Floating student housing. These were revolutionary low-cost modular dorms built using shipping containers that can float in urban harbors. I think this was a genius idea because they were using resources that were underutilized and underdeveloped to create shelter for students. I would really want to create a change like that and move towards more sustainable spaces. Designing houses on moving trucks and caravans has always been fascinating to me because you’re making a space more useful that it is now mobile and dual purposed. However, with spaces that are ordinary, I would always want to reach out to renewable energy sources and also Insulate walls, ceiling and under floor to aid heating and save on energy costs. I also feel like I would like to include a lot of DIYs that are made out of products that the owners want to throw away, instead of buying new items. These changes would be small and only happen over time, but they would make the world a better place.
Michelle DePass and Maya Wiley made a really good argument to address existing inequality that will be further intensified negatively by climate change. They accentuated a lot on the fact that climate change is a justice issue and not simply an environmental one. Racial discrimination is one of the many issues that is hampered with due to climate change. Humans are the principle force of transforming planet and if the rate of change or advancement for each individual is not the same, the concerns just increase. Countries need to adopt a set of goals to end poverty, discrimination, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. A few of the quotes that they said were “one needs to know who is being empowered and who is power?” and “equity over equality”.
I think I left the UN with mixed emotions. There was this dark feeling of concern as to till when is all this going to last, what if nobody after us sees the Earth like we do and is it ever going to improve. But there was also inspiration in what we heard and saw. Seeing the dance performance made me realize we can help in different ways, not everything has to be the same. It is time that we stop talking about ideas and start executing them because if we don’t take action now, nothing will improve. We need to find new ways to get a new look on this world. I want to be not just an interior designer but a sustainable interior designer.
SDG picture as the featured image: http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/
