Today, many architects and engineers will throw around words like “sustainability”, “green”, and “environmentally friendly” but what do they actually mean? How can we compare the validity of each claim? Surely there must be a more efficient solution, right? History shows us countless ways to conserve energy but our recent past has chosen to ignore it for the new, technologically advanced option that isn’t always better. Somewhere along the line, humanity switched from an efficient to a wasteful construction model. Classical and traditional architecture presents a solution to the world’s environmental problems. Classical architecture has embodied sustainable practices for thousands of years and has evolved to be possibly the most sustainable form of architecture. Comparing two buildings of similar purpose, but one that is classical architecture and the other contemporary, the West and East Wings of the National Gallery of Art show that one embodies efficient sustainable practices and saves money while the other has wasted over $150,000,000 and more in about half the building lifespan. Besides simple cost, other sustainable essentials may be reduced to prolonging building life, limiting carbon emissions, utilizing thermal mass, and ensuring recyclability. These sustainable strategies have all been demonstrated in classical architecture throughout history to create beautiful spaces for humanity to thrive. Our throw away culture today relies on ugly simplicity and fake sustainability to create a mediocre built environment. This proves that humanity must return to a more efficient, rational, and responsible model of construction to limit waste and ensure true sustainable architecture and beauty for the future.
This research project is a critical part of my thesis research. Something that many architects, engineers, and designers today say is too difficult or impossible is actually easier than you think. Difficult environmental design is a misconception in the design field today. Architects have been designing environmentally friendly buildings for thousands of years and humanity forgot how to do that during the rise of modernism. Simply put, sustainability is inherently rooted in classical architecture.