Shaping Austin Through Buildings--Andrea Acosta, Pernille Gravaas, and Dana Nguyen-Phan
“We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us,” Winston Churchill (1943) said this in 1943, but it’s just as relevant now as it was almost 80 years ago. The buildings we live and work in have an impact on us and we need to develop and manage them more responsibly using the earth’s natural resources. How can we make these buildings more sustainable to better fit our ecosystem in the Austin area? How do we make buildings that respond to the climate and natural environment? How do we break the separation of humans from the environment when buildings physically separate us?
Sustainability through an Architectural Lens
Nature surrounds Austin, with many opportunities to experience nature in an environmentally friendly and exciting way. “As human beings, we get refreshed by nature. We are sustained by nature. It’s calming, beautiful, and aesthetically pleasing. The more we respect and preserve nature, that periodic natural relief in our cities makes us healthier human beings,” explains architect Larry Speck. There’s always been a notion that humans should be separate from the environment, and how the environment must be protected from humans, rather than the idea that humans and the environment can coexist with each other.
There is, however, a way that humans can integrate the environment with humans. In this podcast, we discuss how buildings are increasingly being shaped by the environment with sustainability principles in mind. Questions like “Where can sustainable architecture be seen in Austin?” and “How do buildings impact the environment?” are asked and answered by industry professionals.
Austin’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Standards
In 1994, the U.S. Green Building Council devised a certification program to encourage sustainable practices design and development by means of tools and criteria for performance measurement, LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards. The city of Austin has since enforced these requirements for new buildings such as having energy efficiency standards and water control standards, which increasingly bring greater amounts of sustainability to the environment. With the UT campus in particular, Swearingen tours and describes the Robert L. Patton Building. Not only does the building fit into the natural environment, but you feel as if you’re in that natural environment. You can still see the flora and fauna, walking over the wooden boards as if you’re encapsulated by the environment. That’s because Austin has done an amazing job respecting the environment and incorporating it into their buildings.
The Separation of Humans and the Environment
Buildings tend to separate humans from the environment. It’s a tale as old as time: humans should be separated from the environment and the environment should be protected from humans. This idea comes from William Cronon and his work “The Trouble With Wilderness.” This work describes nature as something sacred that should be untouched by the human hand and that nature must be separated from society in order for humans to escape the confines of civilization. However, another argument is posed: that of Aldo Leopold. In his work “The Land Ethic,” Leopold proposes the idea that humans and the environment are one and to separate them only causes harm to both. This podcast discusses how older buildings play to Cronon’s argument, while new buildings that follow LEED standards contribute to Leopold’s ideals. This discussion is centered around the Austin, Texas environment.
Larry Speck
Larry Speck is a professor of Architecture at the University of Texas at Austin. His professional work includes Texas landmarks like the Austin Bergstrom International Airport, the Austin Convention Center, and the architecture for Discovery Green, a twelve-acre park in downtown Houston, Texas. Over the last 25 years, his design work has won 40 national design awards, 23 state and regional design awards, and 51 local design awards.
William Swearingen
William Swearingen is a professor of Sustainability and Policy at the University of Texas at Austin. He teaches several courses about Sustainability Studies and on how to create a sustainable society. His courses are centered around the 3 E’s of Sustainability: how the Environment, Economy and Equity all go hand in hand to shape policy in the United States and globally. In his book, Environmental City: People Place Politics and the Meaning of Modern Austin, he discusses the history of Austin, Texas through decades of growth and development and how it’s environmental movements made it the national model for sustainable cities.
Citations
Churchill, Winston. (2021). Retrieved from Parliament.uk website: https://www.parliament.uk/about/livingheritage/building/palace/architecture/palacestructure/churchill/
LEED® standards | architecture | Britannica. (2021). In Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/technology/LEED-standards
O’Donnell, Kathleen. (2019, October 7). How Austin’s Commitment to Sustainability is Driving
Prosperity. Retrieved from National League of Cities website:
https://www.nlc.org/article/2019/10/07/how-austins-commitment-to-sustainability-is-driv
ing-prosperity/
Outdoor Activities in Austin | Outdoor Things to Do in Austin | Visit Austin, TX. (2019). Retrieved from Austintexas.org website: https://www.austintexas.org/things-to-do/outdoors/
Profile - Larry Speck. (2019, March 24). Retrieved from Larry Speck website: https://larryspeck.com/profile/
Speck, Larry. Interview. By Andrea Acosta. 11 November 2021.
Swearingen, William. Interview. By Dana Nguyen-Phan. 6 November 2021.
Swearingen, William. (2010). Environmental City: People Place Politics and the Meaning of
Modern Austin. University of Texas Press; Illustrated edition
The City of Austin’s Green Buildings. (2021). Retrieved from Leedatx.com website:
https://www.leedatx.com/
Sustainability through an Architectural Lens
Nature surrounds Austin, with many opportunities to experience nature in an environmentally friendly and exciting way. “As human beings, we get refreshed by nature. We are sustained by nature. It’s calming, beautiful, and aesthetically pleasing. The more we respect and preserve nature, that periodic natural relief in our cities makes us healthier human beings,” explains architect Larry Speck. There’s always been a notion that humans should be separate from the environment, and how the environment must be protected from humans, rather than the idea that humans and the environment can coexist with each other.
There is, however, a way that humans can integrate the environment with humans. In this podcast, we discuss how buildings are increasingly being shaped by the environment with sustainability principles in mind. Questions like “Where can sustainable architecture be seen in Austin?” and “How do buildings impact the environment?” are asked and answered by industry professionals.
Austin’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Standards
In 1994, the U.S. Green Building Council devised a certification program to encourage sustainable practices design and development by means of tools and criteria for performance measurement, LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards. The city of Austin has since enforced these requirements for new buildings such as having energy efficiency standards and water control standards, which increasingly bring greater amounts of sustainability to the environment. With the UT campus in particular, Swearingen tours and describes the Robert L. Patton Building. Not only does the building fit into the natural environment, but you feel as if you’re in that natural environment. You can still see the flora and fauna, walking over the wooden boards as if you’re encapsulated by the environment. That’s because Austin has done an amazing job respecting the environment and incorporating it into their buildings.
The Separation of Humans and the Environment
Buildings tend to separate humans from the environment. It’s a tale as old as time: humans should be separated from the environment and the environment should be protected from humans. This idea comes from William Cronon and his work “The Trouble With Wilderness.” This work describes nature as something sacred that should be untouched by the human hand and that nature must be separated from society in order for humans to escape the confines of civilization. However, another argument is posed: that of Aldo Leopold. In his work “The Land Ethic,” Leopold proposes the idea that humans and the environment are one and to separate them only causes harm to both. This podcast discusses how older buildings play to Cronon’s argument, while new buildings that follow LEED standards contribute to Leopold’s ideals. This discussion is centered around the Austin, Texas environment.
Larry Speck
Larry Speck is a professor of Architecture at the University of Texas at Austin. His professional work includes Texas landmarks like the Austin Bergstrom International Airport, the Austin Convention Center, and the architecture for Discovery Green, a twelve-acre park in downtown Houston, Texas. Over the last 25 years, his design work has won 40 national design awards, 23 state and regional design awards, and 51 local design awards.
William Swearingen
William Swearingen is a professor of Sustainability and Policy at the University of Texas at Austin. He teaches several courses about Sustainability Studies and on how to create a sustainable society. His courses are centered around the 3 E’s of Sustainability: how the Environment, Economy and Equity all go hand in hand to shape policy in the United States and globally. In his book, Environmental City: People Place Politics and the Meaning of Modern Austin, he discusses the history of Austin, Texas through decades of growth and development and how it’s environmental movements made it the national model for sustainable cities.
Citations
Churchill, Winston. (2021). Retrieved from Parliament.uk website: https://www.parliament.uk/about/livingheritage/building/palace/architecture/palacestructure/churchill/
LEED® standards | architecture | Britannica. (2021). In Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/technology/LEED-standards
O’Donnell, Kathleen. (2019, October 7). How Austin’s Commitment to Sustainability is Driving
Prosperity. Retrieved from National League of Cities website:
https://www.nlc.org/article/2019/10/07/how-austins-commitment-to-sustainability-is-driv
ing-prosperity/
Outdoor Activities in Austin | Outdoor Things to Do in Austin | Visit Austin, TX. (2019). Retrieved from Austintexas.org website: https://www.austintexas.org/things-to-do/outdoors/
Profile - Larry Speck. (2019, March 24). Retrieved from Larry Speck website: https://larryspeck.com/profile/
Speck, Larry. Interview. By Andrea Acosta. 11 November 2021.
Swearingen, William. Interview. By Dana Nguyen-Phan. 6 November 2021.
Swearingen, William. (2010). Environmental City: People Place Politics and the Meaning of
Modern Austin. University of Texas Press; Illustrated edition
The City of Austin’s Green Buildings. (2021). Retrieved from Leedatx.com website:
https://www.leedatx.com/