Sustaining architecture: towards sustainability in recent European philosophy, process and practice

Abstract

Environmentalism is now arguably one of the "most important movements in the latter half of the twentieth century," Brian Edwards. "Sustenance for the Sustainable," in Architectural Design: Millennium Architecture. November/December 1999. vol 69, no 11/12. and the search for sustainability is increasingly important in the architecture of today. Indeed they are movements and concepts that many of today's best and brightest claim as primary motivations. Nonetheless the level of commitment to these concepts varies astonishingly and these variations reflect the philosophy, process and practice of these architects. A number of distinguishable definitions and themes do however exist and this report seeks to examine these in relation to a number of recent buildings by European architects who are representative of the various levels of commitment in the move towards sustainability in modern architecture.