Expert Interview - Bohn & Viljoen Architects

What does sustainable design mean to you?
Understanding that the earth is our limit and that there are others coming behind us (some of whom we might personally know). With that understanding, a design that is not sustainable can never be a good design. In order to work with 'limit earth' and not against it, design needs to take account of an action's total environmental impact. If it does not, it can result in spurious claims to 'sustainability', an example being electric cars, which are said to be more ecological, without referencing the source generating the electricity required to charge the car's batteries.

How does your work uniquely contribute to this effort?
By making open urban space more desirable, so as to improve quality of life and, at the same time, taking account of the negative environmental impact of remote food production. We have developed the CPUL (Continuous Productive Urban Landscape) concept to address this. CPUL proposes the coherent introduction of networks of productive landscape, including urban agriculture, into contemporary cities.

When you imagine a 'sustainable future' what do you see? How do you feel?
More experience with less consumption.

What is your first impression of the CLEAR project?
It is a good idea to think about the role of villages within the wider sustainability debate. We wonder if the definitions of village and city need re-evaluation though, especially if an electronically networked future is envisioned. The CLEAR project, as presented, appears to have corporate aspirations as well as celebrating some sort of exclusive elite 'by invitation only...' that's a bit worrisome. If sustainability is to provide an equitable future for all rather than gated enclaves, then this projection seems to lack its wider context.

Do any past case studies (successes or failures) come to mind that we might learn from?
In the UK, 'Bedzed' with respect to lessons learnt, good and bad, about concentrating almost exclusively on energy efficiency. In Germany, Bruno Taut's (urban) housing schemes in Berlin during the early 20th century, which created local identity with little means, but contemporary architectural form. For our subject, current productive landscapes in Cuba as educational and economic models, and AAA in France for emerging architectural practice (and business) models.

Does scale matter? Are there distinctions when designing sustainable solutions for a village vs. a city, for example?
Ultimately scale matters, as it will determine the quantifiable impact of actions. But within this, solutions need to be developed for all situations. At the minute, 50% of the world's population are in cities, 50% are not, so villages are really important.

If you were leading the design of a sustainable village, what would you prioritise, and why? Who would you want working with you?
We would start a sustainable village project from two ends: the infrastructural and the individual. We call this 'The Inventory of Urban Capacity'.
Our sustainable village would be built around and/or within a productive landscape. This landscape would include urban agricultural sites, as well as other productive areas, i.e. usable for sports, leisure, work, entertainment or circulation and as environmental green corridors. We would have to establish how our 'urban' relates to the sustainable village. From these findings, we would prioritise those needs that can efficiently be met locally (i.e. with minimum ecological footprint and in the available time frame) and those economic models that could equitably support these needs (i.e. paying farmers fairly for their work AND, at the same time, set up farmers' markets for them to sell their produce). Depending on where the village is, we would love to work with local people, both residents and professionals.
As an aside, we have had good experience working with Debra Solomon, Dutch food artist (www.culiblog.org); Mariella Dubbeling, international urban agriculture enabler (www.ruaf.org); Professor June Komisar and Dr. Joe Nasr, Canadian urban agriculture experts; and Professor Giseke's team at the TU Berlin, one of whose expertise is in new usability concepts for open space.

Is it possible to replicate the design of one village across different contexts? If so, which design elements would remain consistent no matter what? What would need to change on a case-by-case basis?
Context is the key for sustainable design. In relation to the village, different contexts will mean different issues at stake, be they climate, spatial capacity, socio-political conditions or local building materials. At the same time, these potentially different issues point to the design elements that need particular attention, and a case-by-case inventory could help pin these down. There are certain elements that could be replicable, and many of these are evident in vernacular models (i.e. market square, roof shape, food distribution system), but these may be spatially different in a 'connected future'…

Does culture play a part in the design of a sustainable village?
Absolutely! For our area of expertise, the food culture of the sustainable village, including its food growing and distribution systems, will be very important.

And finally, business models. Are there any you know of that could inform a more robust outcome for this initiative?
There are two scales to this: local infrastructure for all and, say, the view out of the kitchen window for an individual. Both are where our expertise could come in. However, more precise business models need to be developed for that. Organisations like the New Economics Foundation in the UK, or FEASTA in Ireland are trying to do this. Key concerns would be how to maintain public services, i.e. for health, education and the elderly.