That Which is Beautiful Tends to Be Preserved
I believe
that including aesthetics as part of the considerations for green design is
essential for several reasons. First of all, aesthetics are one of the
many important considerations for design in general. A well design space
is aesthetically pleasing because it follows the principles of design and
integrates them into a cohesive plan. Because of this, a well-designed
space is not only beautiful and functional, but it is also pleasant to be
in. It beckons others to come and relax and spend time within
its walls. This is an important selling feature for green design.
If green design is to become the standard and sought after method of design in
the future, it must create spaces that people want to be in and want to emulate
in the future. For instance, utilizing the principles of biomimicry is
one of the ways in which “green” spaces could be made more enticing.
Bringing those aspects of nature which we as humans generally tend to
gravitate towards, such as water, natural light, and vegetation, is one of
the ways in which we can create more beautiful and green spaces that we want to
spend time in.
As Mclennan states, it is only those spaces that are
deemed as beautiful which tend to be preserved. If a space is deemed as
only functional but too utilitarian, it is feasible that its occupants could
tire of it and want to change it or remodel to suit the new decorating trends
of the future. Beauty can make a space be timeless, and that which is
timeless is usually not destroyed. Thus providing a beautiful space
ensures in some way its duration and reduces the need for more construction and
de-construction waste in the future.
Thirdly, making a space or new technology integrated
into a space in a more aesthetically pleasing way, also would ensure that
people would be more open to utilizing it. For instance, changing the way
the plumbing in a building works (such as using grey water systems, waterless
urinals, low flow toilets, etc.) but doing it so in a beautiful and seamless
way, allows for the new technology to be more successfully integrated into the
space, and thus being used as intended with as little resistance as possible
from its users.
In : Green Design