Feeding Consumption

Building fast food joints, restaurants, bars, building places for people to socialise is not a bad thing, but it is worth considering how all that food gets there. We are in an era of globalised food production, no more do we have to wait for fruits and vegetables to be in season, it is shipped in refrigerated containers from anywhere in the world where particular produce grows. The problem being that as consumers we are accustomed to being able to order whatever we fancy at the restaurant with no conception of the processes involved to be able to have that particular food on the menu, as though there are neat rows of trees, crops growing somewhere in the world without having an impact on the existing ecosystem when in reality to meet growing demand, deforestation is happening on a global scale, online magazine Livescience cites that since 1600 we have cut down one half of the world’s forests.

Historically this would have been about ship building or house building but now it is about food production, and with the global population expected to peak at eleven billion, this situation is only going to get worse. From clear cutting in the amazon to slash and burn practices in Sumatra, local people are destroying the rainforest to make a living, unaware of the global consequences, or if they are aware, they feel that they have no choice because they need to make a living.

Clear cutting is when large swaths of land are cut down all at once. A forestry expert quoted by the Natural Resources Defense Council describes clear cutting as "an ecological trauma that has no precedent in nature except for a major volcanic eruption." Burning can be done quickly, in vast swaths of land, or more slowly with the slash-and-burn technique. Slash and burn agriculture entails cutting down a patch of trees, burning them and growing crops on the land. The ash from the burned trees provides some nourishment for the plants and the land is weed-free from the burning. When the soil becomes less nourishing and weeds begin to reappear over years of use, the farmers move on to a new patch of land and begin the process again.

Not only is deforestation a means of growing cash crops for a short period of time, it is also used to raising livestock so that we can buy our burgers in McDonald’s which presents a double whammy for the environment, not only are we reducing the planet’s ability to produce oxygen we are increasing water consumption, increasing greenhouse gas emissions, along with filling the soil with pesticides and chemical fertilisers that leech into the ground water.

Most educated people know that trees absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen through photosynthesis, we all need clean air to breathe but it is as though everyone thinks that what they are doing will not matter because there are still trees elsewhere. As we are at the moment, climate scientists are saying that the surviving forests cannot absorb the carbon dioxide that we are pumping into the atmosphere.

It is not only the world’s forests, but the oceans that play a major role in oxygen production, through microscopic organisms, such as plankton, the problem is that we are filling up the oceans with so much plastic waste that plankton is dying off, affecting marine life and impacting on the food chain that contributes to the seafoods and fish that people seem to enjoy in restaurants in every new development. Couple this with overfishing in many areas, illegal fishing in others where controls are trying to be implemented locally, our global food store is running down, and what is left we are harming.

The combination of deforestation, industrial farming, environmental pollution, is leading to the destruction of the ecosystem so that we can eat convenience foods. Add to this illegal poaching of wild animals, either for their ivory, bushmeat or simply hunting for sport, whether we like it or not we are all contributing to a global catastrophe though our choices of where and what we eat.


Work in progress on Is Architecture Enough? The Journey Beneath the Surface of Architecture Continues...the follow up to Do We Need ARCHITECTS? A Journey Beneath the Surface of Architecture, available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble published by Xlibris.

Buy More Stuff!

With the emphasis on ‘Buy More Stuff!’ Commercial development feeds Consumption, generates waste, and causes traffic congestion and increases greenhouse gas emissions. Malls are usually populated with stores selling stuff that we do not need. For some shopping is a leisure activity, retail therapy, to the rest of us it is a necessary evil. We only go shopping when we need something, and endure the mall experience only when there is no alternative.

Historically malls and hypermarkets bring together all the products and produce under one roof and are situated out of town and away from public infrastructure with the effect of killing off trade in the town centre, effectively rendering them ghost towns with high streets populated with abandoned retail units and charity shops. All the while perpetuating the need to drive where previously everything was local and within easy reach. The result being increased traffic congestion on the roads, increased greenhouse gas emissions and the global problem of climate change linked to pollution.

Historically centres of production have shifted from established industrial towns and cities to where the labour is cheapest, meaning that industrial exploitation is undertaken on a global scale, it is cheaper to ship in our everyday products from south east Asia than it is to manufacture it locally, and the waste? That is somebody else’s problem. What do we care if there are toxic lakes in China because they have no way of dealing with the waste products from our electronic gadgets?

All of this also means that energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions take place in somebody else’s country, but the earth does not discriminate, the emissions go into the atmosphere and are distributed globally in acid rain, floods and extreme climatic events.

The greatest consequence of globalised retail is the packaging, we buy products that have been transported from half way around the world, meaning that is packed in plastic because at the moment it is that cheapest way of producing it, to prevent it being damaged in transit, when we make a purchase it is usually presented to us in a plastic bag that invariably has only one use then it is discarded along with the packaging, when we throw something away, there is not really an away, it has to go somewhere.

In some nations, the waste is recycled, or incinerated to recover energy through the combustion process, although there are greenhouse gases that have to be managed. In most cases it is sent to land fill site or simply dumped where it is though that nobody will see it, at the side of the road, on a patch or undeveloped land wherever they see fit, meaning that when it rains it gets washed into the streams, rivers and ends up in the sea, to create great garbage patches in the oceans, that kill off marine life, pollute our beaches the problem being that it gets broken down into small fragments, but does not biodegrade, so it is very difficult to clean up, gets consumed by marine life, and finds its way into the food chain.

All of this from being asked to plan a new shopping mall? Well, yes, each time we follow the same brief to meet perceived demand, we are adding to the same problem but what is the answer?

Work in progress on Is Architecture Enough? The Journey Beneath the Surface of Architecture Continues...the follow up to  Do We Need ARCHITECTS? A Journey Beneath the Surface of Architecture, available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble published by Xlibris.

Somebody Else's Problem

There a saying that there is nothing new under the sun, and this is a phrase that I have borrowed from comedy writer Douglas Adams, although best known for the ‘Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’, this comes from the third book in the trilogy of five, ‘Life the Universe and Everything:

“The Somebody Else's Problem field is much simpler and more effective, and what's more can be run for over a hundred years on a single torch battery. This is because it relies on people's natural disposition not to see anything they don't want to, weren't expecting, or can't explain.” Douglas Adams

The term Somebody Else’s Problem it is a one has stayed with me since the 1980s and sums up my take on the prevalent view in society, from individuals, organisations to governments. Our impact on the environment is always somebody else’s problem, we all contribute to it by eating food, drinking water, producing waste, consuming energy. 

Meanwhile the oceans are filling up with plastic, fish stocks are dwindling, ground water is contaminated and the atmosphere is filling up with greenhouse gases, but we all continue living following the continue business as usual scenario. The problem? Is the commonly held perception that it is always somebody else’s responsibility to tackle the global situation that we are all contributing to, it is always ‘Somebody Else’s Problem.

Society is addicted to fossil fuels and the consumer lifestyle. Nobody wants to give up their car and let’s face it, in a city like Beirut as with many cities that do not have the adequate infrastructure, even if we give up our car how would we get to work when there is no alternative? Then there is the air conditioning, the electronic gadgets, the convenience foods and products with all the disposable packaging, not an easy habit to break, the consumer lifestyle is making us sick, and with the perception that human impact on the environment is somebody else’s problem.

The back story is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble published by Xlibris — Do We Need ARCHITECTS? A Journey Beneath the Surface of Architecture

Do We Need Architects? by Alun Dolton

Where do we go from here?

Over the past few years with the developed world in financial crisis, projects stopped indefinitely and Architects being put out of work or continuing to work forever diminishing fees it feels as though the profession is doomed to extinction. In conversations with friends and colleagues the subject of the purpose of Architecture inevitably comes up, or more to the point where do I see it going in the future. The truth is none of us know how the future is going to pan out and it is becoming increasingly evident that it is unlikely that things will be the way they were before 2008.

For me it is about how we as Architects adapt to become ‘valued’ by society in the future. Cities continue to change and new places and experiences continue to create new stories. Those experiences of the built environment and in some cases the natural environment through student’s eyes then later dealing with some of the issues and viewing through professional’s eyes begin to set up a context for viewing the world and that context is Architecture! The journey has revealed just how much of an influence some of the players have had on the environment that many take for granted.

In this context everything built and man made in terms of environment is Architecture. It has been built by humanity for the use, enjoyment and in many cases non-enjoyment and eventually abandonment by humanity. Not that everything was designed and its construction supervised by Architects, much of what we live with is built outside the control of Architects, but each element of the built environment sets up the context that Architects have to comprehend, integrate with and transform into new places to for people to live, work, play.

As a profession we were not responsible for the for the factories built during the industrial revolution for example, or the pollution caused to the air, rivers and soil or the countless products that are discarded to litter the environment, but we are the only construction professionals with the knowledge, understanding and above all imagination and vision to deal with the legacy in a positive way. In developing countries, where industry has not created wastelands it is possible to share experiences from the lessons of those nations and cities that are dealing with the legacy. In areas of extreme climate such as desert regions, we have the knowledge gained from experiments that enable us to be able to design entire cities that are in tune with their environment without resorting to the business as usual scenario and burning more oil and gas.

In any context we are capable of steering hugely complex projects through the minefield of bureaucracy and address the social, cultural, economic and environmental issues to make a project a success. Architecture as a process is an immensely collaborative one, gone are the days when we could concentrate on one masterpiece and follow it through from initial sketch to final built product. Projects are far too complex to be driven by one person today it is a team of specialist consultants whose specialist knowledge contributes to the overall vision under the leadership of the project leader. The reality is that in many cases the project leader is not an Architect but could be from any construction related field and assumes the role of Project Manager. That itself is not necessarily a bad thing where the management of stakeholders and balancing conflicting requirements is a full time occupation. In many cases though, projects are led by cost consultants, Architects can be relegated to positions where they have less influence.

That is until considering the world view and the changing emphasis of economy and the perception of the notion of cost, it is no longer enough to consider a project solely in terms of financial cost, often referred to as the capital cost to build a project. There a growing understanding of whole life cost, that involves considering energy consumption as a real driver, there is the environmental cost of extracting the raw materials, there is disposal of waste material and what happens at the end of a building’s life that needs careful consideration. There is a growing understanding of the social cost of building cities and neighbourhoods where nobody wants to live. There is a growing understanding of the need for sustainable infrastructure, so that we do not all need to get into our car to go to the shops. Where we do not have to use power generated from coal, oil, gas or nuclear power stations. Where waste is not sent to landfill to add to the growing environmental problem of pollution. 

The full story is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble published by Xlibris — Do We Need ARCHITECTS? A Journey Beneath the Surface of Architecture

Cattle Crossing - Lahore 2014

As the boulevard heads towards a gated area, a right turn off the road reveals another boulevard except this one has no street scene and the central median is replaced with a channel that is a combination of open sewer and storm-water drain rendering the view out of the window of the trees and flowers slightly less pretty the air is rank with the odours from the open channel. Motorcycles pass by on both sides families and in many cases three men who seem to be stuck together like ‘Gummy Bears’.

Heavy corrugated iron shelters form bus stops along the roadside with a few waiting passengers and no sign of approaching buses. At a busy junction crammed with vehicles so close not that you could not get out of the car even if you wanted to and there is a bus with curious faces peering out of the windows. Through the honking and pushing across another unruly stream of a traffic donkey protests against being forced into what must seem like a moving wall as the driver skilfully finds a gap in the traffic to turn right, as if finally accepting that they had no choice but slow down, cars give way to the long suffering donkey.

The journey is held up once again as a herd of cows are crossing the road seemingly streaming out of the low rise urban sprawl that lines the side of the road driven by a girl to must be no more than seven years old, confidently in control. Turning right to follow the herd and eventually passing alongside them. A narrow side road with mature trees running along the centre and the ubiquitous blank high walls, gates an security guards along the side, at the end of the median a barber has set up shop beneath a tree with no more than a wooden chair and is busily shaving a customer. 

Driving along the wrong side of roads to avoid a puddle and taking a left alongside a patch of waste ground with sheep grazing on scrubby vegetation. A screen is being erected in green fabric. On the opposite side of the street a group of girls appear from a gap in a sea of parked cars alongside a row of trees that appears to be a school entrance across the road and into screens enclosure looking every part like a cricket team. I am told that the screens at there to prevent boys from watching. Further along the road on a patch ground that appears to have been cleared to become a construction site, a young family take their morning bath, children play in the water while their mother washes clothes in a muddy puddle.

The back story is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble published by Xlibris — Do We Need ARCHITECTS? A Journey Beneath the Surface of Architecture

25 years later

Having viewed Canary Wharf from a distance, a far cry from the solitary tower and the perceived white elephant of 1989, from the high places of the city, the Shard, Dome and Emirates Airline, to standing on bridges over the Thames, and Royal Docks and viewing the impressive skyline, what does this mean on the ground?

Wandering around the glass and steel landscape in the rain, contemplating the journey that has taken 25 years. The streets are almost deserted, office workers are all inside following the morning rush, shoppers are under ground in the mall which is an environment that works very well in the rain, a few delivery vehicles circulate on the surface on the loop road known as the Colonnade, with red brake lights reflecting off glass and off the shiny road surface as drivers wait for the traffic lights to change. The setting between the vertical shear planes of the offices framing views to the docks feels a bit like scaled down midtown Manhattan albeit without the constant stream of yellow taxi cabs, as though it is five in the morning as opposed to eleven.

In the past 25 years, Taking an abandoned industrial zone and transforming it into what is now a very lively environment, a thriving employment hub for East London and a catalyst for its broader regeneration. Although it has not always been so, Richard Rogers referred to the uneven development in the London Docklands leading to left over spaces and ghettos In ‘Cities for a Small Planet’ in 1997. Whether that comment alone made a difference or whether it is just coincidence, some of the left over spaces have been developed like the apartment towers at East India DLR Station for example. There is still a way to go to integrate Canary wharf with the surrounding fabric. 

The greatest challenge being the arterial route into central London the A13, dominated by its own flyovers and intersection in addition to the elevated DLR above the traffic and getting into the right lane. Traces of high street still talk of decline and the painted sign on the brick gable reading ‘Sorry, The lifestyle you ordered is out of stock.’

The full story is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble published by Xlibris — Do We Need ARCHITECTS? A Journey Beneath the Surface of Architecture