William McDonough on sustainability in Architecture…. What is sustainability? Sustainability is a descriptive term for a range of cultural responses to the environmental impacts of economic growth. It is often defined as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” Described in this way, sustainability is just a minimum precondition of survival-not very inspiring. More richly defined, it as an intelligent, creative, and hopeful stance towards the future. In Jeffersonian terms, we might say sustainability is an appreciation for the legacy of your designs, an interest in the long-term health of nature and human culture.

First honours goes to archiseek.com user gunter “have you noticed how often architects take credit for ‘Space and Light’? Were dealing with new houses . . . in the countryside! . . . I think the ‘Space and Light’ might have been there before they started! Maybe clients should bring their own ‘Articles of Agreement’ to the table at the first meeting: First item: I’m giving you a half acre site to work with, please don’t screw up my Space and Light.”

I’m gonna use this feed to collect all the interesting quotes and thoughts that I come across in my travels eventually it will have its own page on my website but for now its stuck in the sidebar!