Proposition-Feasibility-Research Written and illustrated by Alisa Tivey.
“It is not my intention to be original, and what I am saying is common knowledge. But I should like to mention
I want especially to remind all the young, the healthy and active, for whom this book is meant, of their vigilance once again.
responsibility for fate of man. Comrades and friends! Brothers and Sisters! Ladies and Gentlemen! Please pause in your pursuits and recreations for a moment.
Not all is well with the world ... comrades and friends, brothers and sisters, ladies, and gentlemen! CIVILIZATION IS IN DANGER!” spoken by Anatol Kuznetzov (Chermayeff, 1982.)
PREFACE This paper aims to investigate attitudes surrounding sustainability in interior design from practising interior design students. This document will analyse results from primary research to determine an overall attitude towards sustainability from the perspective of a studying interior designer. The following research will discover possible barriers that are encountered during sustainable practise using findings from the primary research. In response to this, secondary research will either challenge or support the primary research findings looking into materiality and the aesthetic of a sustainable interior, and greenwashing, aiming to encourage young designers to jump on the sustainability bandwagon.
humankind
‘We-all of - are guilty of intergenerational remote tyranny in that we are making decisions of enormous impact for future generations over which they are powerless. Considered in
it is not enough to be eco-efficient. We must become eco-effective, accepting nothing less than 100% sustainability’...- Bill McDonough and Michael Braungart. (Bonda and Sosnowchik, 2006) this context,
FINDINGS After reviewing the findings from this survey, it is apparent that there are several barriers that young interior designers feel as though they face when applying sustainability to their designs. This subsequently suggests unease around the topic as it is a challenge that is encountered. Early achievement theories have suggested a fear of failure as an avoidant technique that orients a strive for success, so that one will not experience shame or humiliation because of failure (McClelland et al,1953). This theory suggests that rather than being tackled, sustainability is avoided as a lack of knowledge is translated into a fear of failure. This directly corresponds with Abuthnott (2009) who explained that there is less of a chance of making sustainable choices when the required actions are perceived as beyond one’s control. From this it could be suggested that sustainability should be embedded into a designer’s curriculum from the earliest opportunity to prevent unease around the subject. Design education should recognise the potential in understanding sustainable development in its complexity and search for meaningful applications of sustainable design that cultivate a bond between human beings and their environment (Papanek, 1995). Furthermore, it could be useful for this education to go beyond the aspiring designer but taught to all children so that the fear of failure as a boundary is demolished and knowledge surrounding sustainability is a familiarity in all industries. The more knowledge there is around a problem, the more solutions there are to fixing it. Although this research was conducted as a fair and anonymous survey, it is important to keep in mind that the participants varied over three year groups suggesting that there are unequal amounts of experience and knowledge. As well as this, the survey was carried out among a small sample size from a particular university so it may not be an accurate representation of all student interior designers. To make the results more accurate, a larger sample group incorporating a variety of universities may have produced different results. Despite this, the participants that took part are more localised to the SALT project that is taking place, concluding the results as still appropriate and useful for the research.