In the
article “This Detroit House is being turned into a living model of cost-saving
sustainable design”, Peters (2016) illustrates how a group of three
architecture graduates purchased a house with the intention of sharing their
knowledge in sustainability with the community of Detroit through their project
‘“Motown Movement”’. The students conducted a brief research of Detroit and
noticed the locals have already implemented some form of eco-friendly
practices, however they are still lacking in knowledge of modifying their
existing house in a more cost-efficient way. Hence, the students’ constructed a
two-storey model house to use the ground level as a “training facility” while
the upper level accommodates family who are homeless. Some sustainable examples
incorporated in their model are usage of solar panels, “graywater system” for
rainwater harvesting and converting of “sewage into biogas and fertiliser”
using “septic tank”. The students are adopting the “do-it-yourself” method, as
such the construction materials used should be easily available at any local
supply stores. Owing to ‘“Motown Movement”’ being versatile, it can also be
applicable to other climate conditions globally and the students aim to
increase the awareness of sustainable design with more communities to educate
them on the simplicity and benefits of it. While Peters is able to display some
benefits of sustainable initiatives through the students’ project, I feel that
her article is lacking in explaining the importance of sustainability in
today’s society.
The first
reason why Peters’s article is lacking in explaining the importance of sustainability is because it seems to focus largely on the cost-saving aspect.
The examples of reusing of “materials from abandoned houses” and “how to install
insulation to reduce energy use as much as 70%” are savings on construction
materials costing and savings on energy consumption costing. These examples
seem to surround the idea of finding “affordable” ways to improve an existing
house to be cost-efficient. The savings in monetary terms should be an added
advantage of sustainability rather than a focal point.
Furthermore,
the importance of sustainability should not be mainly revolving around the
cost-saving benefits as shown through ‘“Motown Movement”’ in Peters’s article.
In contrast, the publication "Singapore Sustainable Blueprint 2015"
(2014) gives the reader a well-rounded explanation on the need for
sustainability as it includes components such as reducing carbon footprint
emissions, reducing of wastes and saving of water. As per the publication, the
competition for “finite supply of resources” (Singapore Sustainable Blueprint
2015, 2014, p. 10) will be increasing due to global development and population
growth. As Singapore is a city state with numerous resource limitations, a well
thought out and detailed planning is required to keep up with this competitive
economy and yet at the same time keeping the city-state clean and green. This
can only be achieved through optimising the use of “precious resources” (PM
Lee, 2014, para. 7) and investing in innovative green technologies.
In
conclusion, although Peters’ article discusses on some examples of simple
sustainable techniques and its benefits, it does not convey the importance of
sustainability. With the ever-increasing growth of population worldwide and a
rapid depletion of natural resources, the collective efforts in sustainable
development is crucial to remain competitive yet at the same time being
environmentally friendly.
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