ABSTRACT
This chapter explores sustainable design at the building and interior scale through time, space, and the four perspectives to understand the richness, depth, and possibility of sustainable architecture. Bioinspired architecture intentionally uses natural elements and exposure to nature that goes beyond visual or aesthetic experience to influence the psychological, physiological, and performative aspects of building occupants. Vernacular architecture has always been associated with sustainable design because the buildings are sited in the best locations and respond to the local climate through variations in building shape, roof slope, and location/size of windows. In the Age of Integration, sustainable design matures as a movement and an array of striking examples of design projects that directly relate to nature, not just visually or thematically, but literally connecting for a direct benefit. The chapter shows the potential for buildings to have high-performance, integrated systems, social equity and deep beauty – the ultimate expression of humanity’s highest and best purposes.
