21st Century Design

The 15% of the world's population living in high-income countries (i.e., minority countries) consume 56% of the world's total consumption, while the 40% who have the lowest-income (i.e., majority counties) consume only 11%. But it is more than the equitable use of resources. It would take 2.6 additional planets for everyone in the world to live like the average person in high-income countries. Current consumption and production patterns are projected to be25% greater than the earth's ecological capacity (United Nations, 2002). Humanity is eroding the planet's natural capital at an unsustainable rate. Buildings have a major influence on many of the environmental problems facing the global society.

Conventional design/construction methods have been linked to environmental damage, including depletion of natural resources, air and water pollution, toxic wastes, and global warming. In the USA, buildings consume 65% of the annual electricity production, 25% of the timber harvest, and 42% of the potable water. Buildings produce 30% of the annual greenhouse gas emissions and building materials account for 40% of landfill waste (Guidry, 2004; Petrakis, 2003). According to the World Watch Institute, about 10% of the global economy involves the construction, furnishing, and operation of buildings, thereby using as much as 50% of the world's natural resources and causing extensive environmental damage (US Department of Energy, 2003).

Indoor air quality (IAQ) is a major concern because it can impact people's health, comfort, well being, and productivity. Research indicates that people spend approximately 90% of their time indoors (EPA, 1997). A growing body of scientific evidence indicates that the air within homes and other buildings can be more seriously polluted than the outdoor air (EPA, 1995). People who may be exposed to indoor air pollutants for the longest periods of time are often those most susceptible to the effects of indoor air pollution. Such groups include, but are not limited to, children, elders, and people who are chronically ill, especially those suffering from cardiovascular disease, respiratory diseases (including allergies and asthma), or multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS).

The United Nation's World Commission on Environment and Development (The Brundtland Commission, 1987) defined sustainability as "meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." Often the terms "sustainable design" and "green design" are used interchangeably. However, there is an important difference. Green design focuses on people's issues, their health, safety, and welfare, whereas sustainable design encompasses a more global approach, the health, safety, and welfare of the planet (Green Design Education Initiative, 2003). The term, environmentally responsible design, is often used to encompass both concepts. It is the responsibility of those who are charged with creating the interiors of the built environment to implement environmentally responsible design in both new and existing buildings.

Environmentally responsible design addresses the interrelationships of design, human behavior, and environmental responsibility. Many building interiors subject people to poor indoor air quality that negatively affects their health, safety, welfare, and performance. Universal design considers the needs of all people, regardless of their age, ability, or physical stature. Environmentally responsible design is, therefore, an integral part of universal design. Designers, who practice environmentally responsible design, plan, specify, and execute interior environments that reflect their concern for the users' quality of life and the world's ecology.

A life cycle approach requires the analysis of furnishings and finishes for interiors from the specification of raw materials to the end of useful life. Designers must identify and analyze the raw materials, manufacturing methods, transportation, installation, use, maintenance, and disposal of all the furnishings and finishes specified for an interior space. Reduce, reuse, and recycle are the guiding principles. When disposal at end of useful life becomes reuse, manufacturing has become a closed loop process, the ultimate goal for products and materials

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