Poster Aurelia Daugelaite

The relationship of ethics and aesthetics in sustainable architecture of the Baltic region

At the bottom of this page, please find the article vesrion of this poster.

Introduction

Architecture as the physical shaping factor of our environments, being both embodied energy and materials and the expression of our values, undoubtedly serves as a mirror of the state of sustainability of societies.

However, some architecture critics and researchers (Heymann, 2012) notice, that sustainability certification systems do not encourage the development off some sustainability aspects, and architectural aesthetics often remains ignored.

Musacchio (2009) study reveals that sustainability is not limited with resource consumption or energy savings. As much as there exist the “green imperative for sustainability in architecture” (Fox, 2000; Lee, 2011) as much there should exist the aesthetic imperative in sustainable architecture. This encourages analyzing the links between ethics and aesthetics in sustainable architecture.

Moreover, the field of environmental ethics of which the sustainability concept is an integral part, has a wide spectrum of approaches from anthropocentric to eco-centric ones (Brennan and Lo, 2015) and the concept of sustainability is constantly evolving including restorative and regenerative movements in sustainability (Brown et al., 2018).

The advances in the environmental conscious architecture encourage looking at the contemporary examples of sustainable architecture expression and the ethical trends that they reflect. Considering region-specific aspects of architectural solutions, architecture of the Baltic region has been analyzed.

Research question

How sustainability aesthetics and ethics reflects in sustainable architecture of the Baltic region?

Methods

Literature review, selection and analysis of the projects from the point of view of environmental ethics and sustainability aesthetics.

Results

Examples of sustainable architecture in the Baltic region were analyzed. Case study analysis of the projects was carried out distinguishing aesthetic trends, attributing keywords to these trends according to sustainability aesthetics concept.

Conclusion

1. The built and natural environment, people as well as other living organisms, region specific aspects such as surrounding topography, indigenous vegetation, cultural history, and territorial idiosyncrasy and even natural processes is considered as integrated whole in the newest considerations of sustainable architecture.
2. Even though the initial attention is firstly paid to aesthetical qualities of architecture, the reduction of energy and raw materials, building maintenance and integration of the latest environmentally friendly technologies is still at focus of evaluating and designing sustainable buildings.
3. Recent architecture in the Baltic region do not have many examples of sustainable buildings. Analyzed examples do not always reflect sustainability ideas as ethical paradigm  in their aesthetical expression. Their expression is quite similar, lack of typology has been noticed.

Author

Aurelija Daugelaite, phd student in humanities of Kaunas University of Technology

Indre Grazuleviciute-Vileniske, associate professor of Kaunas University of Technology

References

1. Berardi, U. Clarifying the new interpretations of the concept of sustainable building. Sustainable Cities and Society, 2013, Vol. 8, p. 72-78.
2. Brown, M., Haselsteiner, E., Apró, D., Kopeva, D., Luca, E., Pulkkinen, K., Vula Rizvanolli, B., (Eds.), (2018). Sustainability, Restorative to Regenerative. COST Action CA16114 RESTORE, Working Group One Report: Restorative Sustainability.
3. CIB, Conseil International du Bâtiment. Towards sustainable and smart-eco buildings. Summary report on the EU-funded project smart-ECO buildings in the EU, 2010, Rotterdam, CIB.
4. Heymann, D. (2012). An un-flushable urinal, Places Journal, June.  https://doi.org/10.22269/120607 https://Musacchio, L. R. (2009). The scientific basis for the design of landscape sustainability: A conceptual framework for translational landscape research and practice of designed landscapes and the six Es of landscape sustainability. Landscape Ecology, 24(8), 993-1013. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-009-9396-y
5. Fox W. Ethics and the built environment. Introduction. In: Fox, W. Ethics and the Built environment. London: Routledge, 2000.
6. Kamicaityte-Virbasiene, J., Grazuleviciute-Vileniske, I. Premises for development of sustainable architecture in urban environment. Town Planning and Architecture, 2009, 33(4), 363-363.
7. Lee S. Aesthetics of sustainable architecture. 010 Publishers. Rotterdam, 2011.

Pictures

1. https://www.archdaily.com/228668/power-stations-bjornstokk-and-ovre-forsland-stein-hamre-arkitektkontor-as
2. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/in-norway-ambitious-new-standard-green-building-is-catching-on-180968828
3. /https://www.archdaily.com/933332/community-center-nord-architects?ad_source=search&ad_medium=search_result_projects
4. https://www.dgnb-system.de/en/projects/?we_lv_start_2=24&filter_Freitextsuche=&filter_Land=Deutschland&filter_Bundesland=&filter_Standort=&filter_Jahr=2020&filter_Zertifizierungsart=2&filter_Nutzungsprofil=&filter_Zertifiziert_von_1=&filter_Verliehenes_Guetesiegel=&filter_Architekt=
5. https://inhabitat.com/green-roofed-houses-in-poland-respect-the-views/
6. https://sa.lt/tvarieji-fasadai-ju-galimybes-ir-ateities-perspektyvos/
7. https://sa.lt/tvarieji-fasadai-ju-galimybes-ir-ateities-perspektyvos/
8. https://www.15min.lt/en/article/economy/building-permit-received-for-the-start-of-construction-of-the-first-phase-of-preses-nams-quarter-in-riga-527-1315676
9. https://www.crahayjamaigne.com/0122/fr/143/habitation-costa-2016
10. https://www.nordtreat.com/en/references/jarvevana-7b
11. https://www.archdaily.com/580604/gosta-serlachius-museum-mx_si
12. https://miesarch.com/work/1587