As designers and builders deeply concerned with our collective future, weâre overdue to renew our basic premises regarding âsustainableâ and âgreenâ practices.  Having thought long and hard about the need to do more to ensure a high quality of life for future generations, Build LLC offers the following principles of honest, sustainable design.
Durability make sure stuff works and is built for future generations. Outsmart and outlast both designed and perceived obsolescence.
Sensibility continually assert discipline in size, scale and program. Know when to subtract and streamline. Beauty and comfort result from intelligent solutions, not the reflexive addition of features.
Density incorporate the most people and activities that can sensibly be sustained in a given volume. There is a healthy balance between lawn covered neighborhoods and asphalt encased towers.
Regionalism use local resources: architects, contractors and materials.
Timelessness understand what forms and innovations will last; reject fashion, pretention, and conscious efforts to attract attention.
The best âgreenâ features disappear into a building: the structure works better and enhances the inhabitantâs health and enjoyment. We start from these basic, common-sense sustainability practices. These are core to our practice, like our desks and pencils. We donât brag about them- we build them in, naturally. And when we donât, weâre honest that we didnât – and, this just means we canât go waving the banner of sustainability around.
Technology will improve and our mindsets will continue to evolve. While weâre developing usable âcradle to cradleâ products and processes, our best alternative is to use these five principles to guide our actions to achieve the most sustainable outcomes possible.
If these principles seem basic, thatâs the point. They are fundamental and instinctual. Letâs get them right wherever we can while we sort out the emerging technologies.