notes from outside

Last night, a search for BBC2’s Earth: The Power Of The Planet yielded this little gem about green building in Bend, Oregon. Quite fascinating, even inspiring, I was disappointed that the segment was ‘blink and you miss it’ brief. So much detail not really covered by the cameraman. This is one time the HGTV production team might have come in handy, though they do tend to give things an unsettling gloss that makes everything feel so bloody packaged and even unreal. Definitely unreal for those of us who have to work for a living and aren’t blessed by a second income or trust fund. This is one thing that neither host or architect addresses in the segment below.

If we’re to have sustainable homes with more of an emphasis on natural light and an open air feeling throughout, it would seem they’d be more affordable to those of a more privileged economic bracket. That’s the crux of the problem. This type of dwelling needs to be available on a wider scale if it’s to be of any effect. One niggle: I disagree with the lack of garden as stated by the architect. In that particular case it makes sense, as the Pacific Northwest is one of the greenest places in the country. However, that’s not always the case, and often to ill effect.

We work in massive concrete slabs that bear little connection to nature. Then there is the time isolated in ones vehicle in transit to and from work. Finally, there is the conventional American crackerbox house/McMansion which has large expanses of wall with very few windows, and then ill situated at that. I believe all of this serves to further disconnect us from the natural world, which is necessary to peace of mind and soul, in my view. I’d like to see a scheme for sustainable green building that takes this into account.

What do you think?