by Daniel E. Walsh Author of Our Sunday "History & Reflections" Series
To music, therefore never built at all,
And therefore built forever.
~ Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Labor Day, an American holiday birthed in the aftermath of the labor wars of the late 19th century, has become a day to reflect on our labors and the pride we take in them. Some who labor in disciplines that incorporate green and sustainability values may take an extra measure of pride. Increasingly, there has been much to be proud of—and this figures to help shape a better future. Architecture can be seen as a combination of style and function. Within the architectural style is the music of the culture. The spirit of the architect is expressed in the design for the assigned purpose. An overall shape takes place and thus is created the identity of a city or culture.
The pride of a civilization is seen in its cities and in the building of these great centers. The style of a city identifies the best qualities that the builders see inside themselves and in what they are charged to do. The élan of Paris, the steadfastness of London, the hustle and bustle of the great Eastern cities in the U.S., with Boston among them, and the spiritual ascension of the capitals of the Mayan people all can be seen in the city’s architecture.
Today an impressive skyline attests to the financial might of a culture. Cities are the population centers and they reflect the spirit of the citizens. Sustainability, conservation, and green are the buzzwords that shape much new architecture. Many disciplines are incorporated and no part of the construction is too insignificant to be considered. Like the care we are now giving to the appearance, as well as the cost and effectiveness of lighting in these structures, our cities will shine through to the people of the future. We are now starting to see a green style throughout this land.
Each year since 1997, the American Institute of Architect’s Committee on the Environment bestows an award called the Top Ten Green Project Award to the ten best architectural projects that meet a set of standards based on the building’s currency in the areas of social fairness, sustainability and harmony with physical/natural surroundings. In successive years the greater Boston area has been represented on the top ten lists. This year the World Headquarters for the International Fund for Animal Welfare located on Cape Cod at Yarmouthport made the list; the project creatively used the site’s brownfield status to its advantage by having a restored natural grass meadow be a part. Another interesting tidbit about this project is that the designers incorporated design elements of a popular sailboat frequently seen around the Cape.
In 2008 the Macellen Building Condominiums of South Boston and the Garthwaite Center for Science & Art at the Cambridge School of Weston won Top Ten Honors. The Macellen earned consideration for the green roof, water condensate retention and the non-use of potable water for irrigation; the project focused on creating a green, sustainable living space in a largely industrial area. The Garthwaite faced the challenges of creating a popular space for students within the existing tree patch. Many of this building’s green processes such as toilet composter and wood pellet boiler have been left open to view for the student’s educational benefit.
As seen on the Boston AIA site, the green issues have assumed great prominence and certainly will mark these times. Many architects strive to achieve the LEED certificate and banner it prominently in their correspondence and advertising. This gives these values their currency and the striving for those goals becomes the designer’s muse.
On this Labor Day, some of us may reflect on our work effort or, more likely, we’ll be gearing up for school year and the new football season. We may take a moment to consider our work in a greater light; we may see our effort as a contribution to a composite of our times; each a small part of the whole. We may not be the architects and builders, but they have to shape their art to what we want to see and hear. Americans take pride in being worldwide leaders. That pride is now reflected in many ways in the greening of our cities. The music heard in the spirit of the labor and seen in the resulting design may resonate through an American future.
Focus on your blessings, not your troubles.
Posted by: supra shoes | Thursday, January 06, 2011 at 10:03 PM