Truth is God harm minimization through the practice of ecologically sustainable design and buddhism

The emergence of the global ecological crisis is presenting unique opportunities for the coordination of ethical thinking across cultural boundaries. Harm minimization as an ethical imperative operates as the ‘modus operandi’ behind both Ecologically Sustainable Design (ESD) and Buddhist practice. The architectural response to ESD is founded upon the ‘Declaration of Interdependence for a Sustainable Future’ adopted in 1993 by the International Union of Architects, of which the RAIA is a member.

Buddhism is a response to existential concerns universal to humanity. It developed as a set of principles for personal transformation known as the Four Noble Truths elucidated two and a half thousand years ago. Buddhist meditation practise ‘interrupts automatic patterns of conditioned behaviour’ recognised as the major obstacle to be overcome in any programme for change. Unsustainable egocentric behaviour is considered fundamental to our global ecological crisis and calls for radical behavioural change are increasingly being heard at the professional as well as the personal level. Emerging synergies between the Western cognitive sciences and Buddhist study of the mind increasingly validate the Tibetan Buddhist mind development phenomenon. Buddhists argue that their programme for enhancing ethical behaviour through mind development is a step-by step process of observation and analysis built upon empirical observation – a fundamental pre-requisite of any ‘scientific’ enquiry. Collaborative research programmes currently underway are an attempt to re-interpret Buddhist meditation techniques within a framework acceptable to Western scientific understanding. A truly holistic approach to harm minimization requires its consideration.

The square from inside out: Federation Square, Melbourne

This XXlst Annual Conference of SAHANZ offers a timely opportunity for celebrating and critically reflecting on Federation Square, Melbourne - a project that continually crosses the line between the purely experimental and the built form (A Benjamin, 2003) and offers an opportunity to identify and investigate the different, often competing, limits within the discipline of architecture. Here in this project, considered by the city of Melbourne to point to its future aspirations; and by the RAIA as demonstrating 'the strength of design and the leap into the unknown which is where good design always comes from' (I McDougall, 2003), different approaches to the possibilities of 'limit' as a contemporary concern can be fruitfully explored. Architectural masterpieces are daringly imaginative and each in their own way challenges architects, engineers, builders and technologists - those who are to realise the dream - and makes administrators, politicians and governments put their credibility on the line. So how does Federation Square contribute to contemporary architectural debate, specifically to Melbourne architecture? How has it dealt with thresholds? Where has It approached, crossed and/or exceeded boundaries? This paper will deal with design aesthetics in the realisation of the Lab architects 'vision' in the context of historical, urban and political realities. Analysis will provide insights into the limitations imposed upon this architectural project and the limitations it now, in turn, imposes on the city. Two aspects will be dealt with: understanding Lab's overall vision, and juxtaposing the vision with the reality of Federation Square. The author's interview with Don Bates, principal Lab architecture studio, forms the frame argument about Federation Square in this paper.

How architects incorporate ESD criteria into the design process

This paper will seek to answer; "How do architects in Victoria incorporate Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD) criteria into the design process?" For the purpose of this paper, "Ecologically Sustainable Development" is defined in line with the judging criteria used by the Royal Australian Institute of Architects for the 'Sustainable Architecture Award'. The RAIA states that (Maddison, 2003 p.7), "the goal of sustainable architecture is to achieve development that improves the total quality of life, in a way that maintains the processes on which life depends. The project assessment covers ecologically sustainable development and energy efficient design:' By researching exemplary building projects that have been awarded a Victorian Sustainable Architecture Award, this paper will enlighten a design methodology for the pursuit of excellence in ecologically sustainable development. Key elements in the design process will be determined by comparing and analysing the processes of different architectural practices. This will be achieved through the study of published literature on the award winning designs, qualitative analysis of interviews with the architects who designed the selected projects and quantitative analysis of questionnaires completed by the architects.