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The Week in Germany: Business, Technology and the Environment March 14, 2008 Green Design Takes Center Stage at the National Building Museum in
Washington with Top German Architect
The National Building Museum, as part of a sustainability program series examining the global impact of green design and planning, has invited top German architect Rainer Hascher of Berlin-based Hascher Jehle Architektur to participate in a public panel discussion on March 18 in Washington. Scott Kratz, vice president for education at the museum, in a recent conversation with TWIG editor Karen Carstens cited Germany's trailblazing role in supporting booming green industries such as solar power and fostering architecture that is socially, environmentally and aesthetically pleasing.
What are the goals of the National Building Museum's "For the Greener Good: Conversations that Will Change the World" discussion series? Our attempt is to examine sustainability from a different angle in an eight-part series that looks at options for going green. We do this by bringing together different types of professions to discuss a single topic, including politicians, economists, academics - or architects like Rainer Hascher. We have invited him to discuss what architecture is doing in Europe and especially Germany to mitigate carbon output. Hascher Jehle Architektur has really been a leader on sustainability. And it's just considered good design. In this sense European architects are really ahead of Americans by about five or 10 years. We're hoping that Professor Hascher can give us insights into these developments on his designs for residential, cultural and official buildings. They don't rely on energy intensive HVAC (heating, ventilating and air conditioning) systems, for instance. He thinks very carefully about the position of the building, to maximize the use of natural light, to use solar power, to incorporate the natural elements in a harmonious design. This leads to a healthier and happier place to live and work. US hospitals are currently working on this as well, on building more green facilities. There are two trillion-dollar industries in the US: healthcare and construction. And with the baby boomer generation beginning to retire, there will be many more health and long-term care facilities needed in the future. So the questions they are looking at right now is how do they utilize the latest technologies to build green? This helps take better care too of the patients and the workers, because they are all in a healthy and safe environment, which is believed to promote well-being and even the healing process itself.
How can we learn from Europe in looking into this type of sustainable architecture in the United States? The real question is: "What lessons are to be learned from Europe and Germany in particular?" Germany has really been on the cutting edge of sustainable development, with a goal of 20% of its energy coming from renewables by 2020. By locking in prices for solar and wind power, the German government has helped produce enormous gains in these types of renewable energies. There has been enormous growth in Germany in the solar industry, in particular, both in technology and production. Germany has also really proven over the last decade to be a real leader in sustainability in the built environment. At the same time, because they are ahead of us, we can also learn from their mistakes. Our ultimate goal, however, is to be inspired by their continued commitment to build a safe and healthier built environment. What about how these new sustainable buildings actually look? Many people think sustainable means cardboard furniture and burlap drapes. But it doesn't - it can be stunning! And Professor Hascher's work is stunning, the way he weaves glass, wood and even stone together in his facades, as in the art museum he designed for the city of Stuttgart.
How do we reduce the production of greenhouse gases through buildings? People often tend to think of large vehicles and certain industries as particularly responsible for global warming. Yet the construction and maintenance of buildings creates over 40 percent of the carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere each year. It's an area that we really need to work on and work on fast. A key question should be: "Is there a model for international collaboration to work on this together?" Our program series is solution-oriented. It's very easy to get depressed about global warming. But solutions are there - if there is enough public and political will to put them in place. Many European policymakers have said that they have gone so green because that is what the public has demanded in their countries. European citizens expect their policymakers to protect the environment, and US citizens are increasingly expecting the same thing. Germany is a perfect example of how this can work, and we can learn a lot here in the US from Germany in this regard. The National Building Museum series, "For the Greener Good: Conversations
that Will Change the World", is open to the public, with walk-in
registration based on availability. The March 18 panel discussion, entitled
"Whose Carbon is it Anyway?", will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m.
A complete live broadcast of the event will also be available on the museum's
website after the event. Links: National Building
Museum - For the Greener Good Architecture
in Germany (from Germany.info) In
First Outing, German Team Wins Solar Decathlon (TWIG, Oct. 19, 2007) "Sustainable
Building Could be a New German Trademark" Government
Invests in Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Buildings (TWIG, Sept.
8, 2006) |
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