ICIS Sustainability Days

Sustainability in the Borderland between Architecture, Engineering and Planning

Sustainable architecture as a combination of the Science of Architecture and the Art of Architecture is based on the prerequisite that engineers and planners are willing to be innovative and creative in the conceptual phases of the building project on a par with the architects, in order to create a constructive dialogue about the development of sustainable projects.
What are the barriers? And how are the barriers overcome? What is to be expected from the consultants – the engineers and the architects?

There is little tradition for this in Denmark. The partners in the development process are interdependent, need each other’s input and are equally responsible for the creative dialogue in the approach to sustainable project development in the building industry. But engineers often tend to focus on the technical aspects, their training and work methods not encouraging them to consider a holistic or a multidisciplinary approach to architecture. Architects, left with insufficient technical know how and support often feel stranded. Whilst often willing to engage in designing for sustainability, they are dependent upon a dialogue with partners to be able to develop projects within the parameters of sustainability.

In the UK we can find examples of sustainable architecture as the outcome of creative dialogue between engineers and architects in the development of building projects. What defines this way of working, and what lessons can Denmark learn from this, so that they can be integrated into the building design process in order to improve sustainable performance?

This is an important issue to deal with, with sharpened requirements on energy consumption coming up in future Danish building codes (from January 1, 2006)

The 3 Days 2005/2006 explored the above issues, through showcases, dialogues and debates, mixing highly renowned English and Danish architects and engineers, each with their specific and unique approach to the theme of sustainability in the building industry.