Mazria has been influential in education for a long time. His phrase in reference to design studio projects “That the project be designed to engage the environment in a way that dramatically reduces or eliminates the need for fossil fuels” came up during my initial research that summer and I knew entering second year I would find said phrase in at least one of my projects. Sure enough, Michael Crosby’s Technology Systems class had the phrase imbedded in the design prompt of our first assignment, dealing with passive strategies of new building technology. Crosby wasn’t alone. John Klingman, Richard Koch Chair of Architecture, who has embraced Mazria’s work, chaired the 2nd Annual Continuing Education Conference: Issues and Case Studies in Sustainable Design. He brought together three tremendous architects in a thoughtful response to today’s rising energy consumption problems, one of which was Mazria. Klingman’s sensibility to these global issues make him well-positioned to educate future graduates of Tulane School of Architecture, who will learn from his extensive background focusing on environmental stewardess. But not all architects know of Mazria’s work. Some architects I have met since beginning architecture school three years ago are unaware of Architecture 2030 and, given the global climate effects which stand ready to happen if we don’t change the way we view buildings and their construction, there is no excuse not to know. 2 In design e , Metropolis Editor in Chief Susan Szenasy further commented on architecture in academia, noting that when designers stop 20
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labeling their work green and start calling it architecture or really good design, then a major leap forward will result. Architecture does not need a label– it should naturally respond to its environment. There is no difference between sustainable design and what most of us know of as architecture; they are one and the same. Bearing this in mind, Mazria believes there is “tremendous hope” for future building technology. By 2035, 75% of the world’s current building stock will either be new or renovated. Based on building patterns, Architecture 2030 estimates that of the 275-300 billion square feet of building stock in the future, the building sector will tear down 52 billion, renovate 150 billion and add to that stockpile another 150 billion of new building projects. This great magnitude presents an opening for designers to step in and formulate an architecture parallel with the tenets of the 2030 Challenge. This research is the big impact and focus for Mazria’s work through Architecture 2030, to educate and inform entire sectors of people involved. The Federal Government must act on energy consumption as a national priority by creating incentive systems, tax cuts and by working closely with researchers, scientists and designers who can leverage their great power. The focus of much of this work is directed at urbanization. Today across the world, more people than not live in urban environments where the city is their backyard, viability and dependence. Urban environments are particularly attractive living options. The opportunity to