Learning Agreement - Experimentation and Feasibility

AIMS

This module will look in depth at ways in which the construction industry could reduce its carbon footprint. I will propose way in which architects and designers could transform our towns and cities into environmentally friendly pleasant areas with low impact on the overall environment. I intend to focus on urban areas, design processes (from concept to completion) and inner city residential spaces. By extracting relevant information from the Creative Interaction module to use as a base to develop my research further. I strongly believe that the outcome and extended knowledge in the subject will be surprising.
I have always had a passion for sustainability; I feel this topic; being widespread as it is, will not only keep my busy, but will maintain my excitement throughout the project. We are the generation of designers who need to change the way humans act. I want to emphasise and relay this to people with little understanding of the construction industry.

QUESTIONS.

In what ways can we change our day to day routines/activities to shape out planet's future?
How can working as part of a team to design sustainably develop my creative output and future opportunities?
How can sustainability (and environmentally friendly production methods) be applied to today's construction industry noticeably?

METHOD OF APPROACH

My intention is to expand my current knowledge of sustainability with the use of books, journals, newspaper articles and as many other sources of information as possible. I plan to attend as many relevant meetings, seminars and tutorials possible in order to offer relevant improvement proposals.
After attending the Sustees seminar in January, Myself and three colleagues decided that the Co-design theory was the way forward. Our group discussion with Alastair Fuad-Luke prompted us to collaborate and work as an ensemble.

Deciding to take this advice, we have since discussed out team proposal with Alison and Stephen (who each had a positive reaction) and set up a group blog, e-mail addresses, and a website for our company. The groups intention is to produce individual portfolios which are influenced by each of our learning agreements, whilst at he same time sharing, discussing and developing our findings to possibly compose a final group outcome to clearly represent our findings.

I hope that by extending my knowledge and understanding in sustainability, those future employment opportunities in the sustainable architecture field will arise making me an ideal candidate.
The focus of our group effort will be to explore current methods available used to sustain buildings and limit damage to the environment .e.g Facadism. We will consider how designs can be sustainable without necessarily looking sustainable, as demonstrated by J.C Atkinson & Sons funeral services. Our company name is Eco-Solutions, Forward Thinking which focuses around our ethos 'Green does not have to look green'. As yet I/We are undecided of the format for which the final portfolio will be.

OUTCOME

I hope this project will prepare me for the workplace and make me more confident in my own personal abilities as I endeavour to improve my interactive group skill as well as producing my personal outcomes for this project which are to:

1. Apply a variety of sustainable techniques to existing residential areas to uncover which are suitable/non suitable and why?
2. Demonstrate simple Eco friendly methods which can be applied to existing residential estates to improve aesthetics, function and general habits
3. Uncover the benefits and disadvantages of redevelopment and offset them against those of demolition in order to prove regeneration and rethinking is the way to progress fro the construction industry.

I will deliver my findings for this module in the form of a digital research package including site surveys and feasibility studies of a chosen housing estate. I intended to develop my findings from the Creative Interaction module and put some techniques to the test. The Experimentation and Feasibility module will lead into the Realisation module where my findings will be demonstrated in practice as a proposal to the local council of the chosen area.