Designing sustainably
From goal to path
The question of the necessity of sustainability has long since become the question of “how”. But as simple as the question may seem, the answers are complex and diverse. From our experience of almost 30 years of sustainable consulting and design, two generally applicable principles can be clearly derived: closeness and balance.
The global COVID pandemic taught us to make do with less and suddenly reduced consumption. In many places, air quality improved and displaced animal species returned – nature breathed a (brief) sigh of relief. Almost at the same time as these noticeably positive effects of otherwise dramatic and sad life situations, two values converged that say more about future sustainable development than their level of awareness would suggest:
“Humanity has become a dominant force in shaping planet Earth. [...] We realize that the Earth is right at the transition point; in 2020 (± 6), the anthropogenic mass, which has been doubling about every 20 years recently, will exceed the total global living biomass.”
Nature 588, 442–444 (2020)Elhacham, E., Ben-Uri, L., Grozovski, J. et al. Global human-made mass exceeds all living biomass.
If more and more dead mass (houses, roads, computers, machines, cars,…) meets less and less biomass, we as a species are heading in the wrong direction. We need the natural mechanisms of the planet to maintain the vital balance within the biomass. But how can we do more with less?
Together with our clients and partners, we are continuously developing new solutions on a project basis in order to better adapt strategies and business models, brands, products and services. The question of “how” always produces new answers, depending on the specific challenge. In every situation, we define desirable qualities from the start; how can we approach positive, human behavior patterns and design patterns from the perspective of sustainability? Doing business in a more environmentally conscious way does not require any lead time, but works from the very first step.
less products → more life
less waste → more use
less delegation → more doing
less “them” → more “us”
less alone → more togetherness
less possessions → more value
less pessimism → more optimism
less products → more life
less waste → more use
less delegation → more doing
less “them” → more “us”
less alone → more togetherness
less possessions → more value
less pessimism → more optimism
Getting further with balance
Only with the awareness that it is up to us to actively integrate the paradigm shift into our actions – our lives – can we change our behavior for the better. “Sustainability” is not a goal that we will achieve at some point, but the path from the first decision. Just like for running, we need a good balance for this path, between forward-looking curiosity and optimism and perfectionism and caution. Because we won’t get any further along the path if we are blocked by paralyzing perfectionism or if we make a wrong turn due to too much uncontrolled curiosity.
“Nachhaltigkeit ist keine Frage der Fehlervermeidung, sondern eine Frage der Entdeckung.”
Arne Schultchen
Closeness as a guide
If sustainability is the path, the human, positive ability of empathy is the guide. By engaging with ecosystems through a fascination with nature that continues to inspire us, we move closer to truly sustainable solutions. With this attitude, we inevitably position ourselves as advocates for the environment. And only in this way can we recognize again and again that its well-being means our well-being.
At dfhn, the term sustainability not only stands for “nature” or “the environment”, but also for human nature and the (impact) effects of things on us AND our planet.
There are two aspects of sustainability that we incorporate into our processes.
On the one hand, it is the object aspect – from materials, logistics and use to the design of life cycles – which we approach in all projects with the aim of thinking one step ahead. Where do the raw materials come from? Can they be easily and ecologically disposed of or reused? What happens to the product and the packaging after the first life cycle? Is there a second use after the first?
Secondly, the cultural and strategic. It is our intention to connect ourselves and our projects and partners with nature again and again in order to build and maintain a relationship. Closeness to nature is perhaps the most effective way to anchor mindfulness for our living space in our intuition and our value system. What behavioral changes are worth striving for? How can we positively steer behaviour? What new business models are emerging through reduction and focus?
Research for the bio-diverse green roof of tegut… teo.
The roof of tegut… teo.
The more we distance ourselves from other people, the less emphatic we are with them. It is exactly the same with nature, the vital biomass.
It’s not about the abstract project of saving the planet, but about the concrete project of shaping our living space with nature in such a way that we feel more comfortable in it in the long term. That’s why we bring nature to the table as a stakeholder in projects and work with it to develop desirable futures, from vision to realization.
