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Lecture

Design for Sustainability I: Back to Basics

In course

HUM-397: Design for sustainability I

This course explores and practices some of the fundamental tools of designing for sustainability with a focus on the sustainability, desirability, and economic viability of solutions. ...

Description

This lecture by the instructor covers the basics of design for sustainability, focusing on life-cycle thinking, green design, product ecodesign, and biomimicry. Students explore concepts such as cradle-to-cradle, biomimicry, and life cycle mapping, learning to identify intervention points and approaches for sustainable design.

Instructor

Marc Laperrouza

Marc is a scientist and lecturer at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL) and at the University of Lausanne (HEC). Marc obtained his PhD on China's telecommunication reforms from the London School of Economics. He holds a Master Degree in International Management (HEC, 1997) and an undergraduate degree in Business Management from the University of Lausanne (1993). He studied Chinese Language and Economics for two years at Fudan University, Shanghai (1993-1995) and one semester at the Richard Ivey School of Business, University of Western Ontario, Canada (1996). Marc was previously senior research associate at EPFL working on the coherence between institutional and technological governance in infrastructures (2007-2011). In a former life, he worked as a research analyst at Swiss Re and at McKinseys Business Technology Office. He served as deputy director and senior advisor to the Evian Group, a think tank based at IMD (Lausanne, Switzerland) and lectures regularly on China and emerging markets at undergraduate, graduate and executive levels. Marc contributes frequently to Swiss media. He is the Founder and President of the bonopro association and recipient of the Swiss Re Civilian Service Prize (2011).

Official source

Ontological neighbourhood

Environmental science

Environmental policy: Waste management

Related concepts (32)

Sustainable design

Environmentally sustainable design (also called environmentally conscious design, eco-design, etc.) is the philosophy of designing physical objects, the built environment, and services to comply with the principles of ecological sustainability and also aimed at improving the health and comfort of occupants in a building. Sustainable design seeks to reduce negative impacts on the environment, the health and well-being of building occupants, thereby improving building performance.

Sustainable development

Sustainable development is an organizing principle that aims to meet human development goals while also enabling natural systems to provide necessary natural resources and ecosystem services to humans. The desired result is a society where living conditions and resources meet human needs without undermining the planetary integrity and stability of the natural system. Sustainable development tries to find a balance between economic development, environmental protection, and social well-being.

Ecological design

Ecological design or ecodesign is an approach to designing products and services that gives special consideration to the environmental impacts of a product over its entire lifecycle. Sim Van der Ryn and Stuart Cowan define it as "any form of design that minimizes environmentally destructive impacts by integrating itself with living processes." Ecological design can also be defined as the process of integrating environmental considerations into design and development with the aim of reducing environmental impacts of products through their life cycle.

Sustainable gardening

Sustainable gardening includes the more specific sustainable landscapes, sustainable landscape design, sustainable landscaping, sustainable landscape architecture, resulting in sustainable sites. It comprises a disparate group of horticultural interests that can share the aims and objectives associated with the international post-1980s sustainable development and sustainability programs developed to address that humans are now using natural biophysical resources faster than they can be replenished by nature.

Waste management

Waste management or waste disposal includes the processes and actions required to manage waste from its inception to its final disposal. This includes the collection, transport, treatment, and disposal of waste, together with monitoring and regulation of the waste management process and waste-related laws, technologies, and economic mechanisms. Waste can be solid, liquid, or gases and each type has different methods of disposal and management.

Related lectures (34)

Recycling and Sustainable Development: Challenges and Solutions

Examines the role of recycling in sustainable development, addressing its limitations and the importance of a circular economy.

Sustainable Materials: Lifecycle, Properties, and Design

Explores material lifecycle, properties, sustainability, and design, emphasizing the importance of auditing products for sustainability and discussing the evaluation of consumer products like LEGO.

Design for Sustainability I: Take me to the moon

Delves into the challenges of material extraction, production, and recycling, emphasizing sustainability and quality.

Design for Sustainability I: Documentation and Assessment

Emphasizes the documentation and assessment of sustainability frameworks-in-action for project blueprints.

Circular Economy & Composite Technologies