Sustainable Design Thinking: Adaptability, Resilience, and Productivity at the Core of Regionally Responsive Architecture

摘要

This paper serves as an explorative overview of the state of architecture as it applies to mitigating social and global stress on the environment and natural systems. As well as a tool for students of architecture and design in Jordan. It will focus on emerging thinking within the field, on the light of regional case studies of interest. The growing social consciousness and understanding of the interconnected web of dependencies within the biogeochemical cycles (the carbon, water, nitrogen cycles to name a few) and our built environment; has created, the impetus to create social and architectural spaces that does not add more stress to these natural systems, but rather alleviates it. Recent academic focus has been driven by the immediate social needs of addressing the growing issues that have come about because of the global human migration into cities. This Article will focus on architecture both within and outside the city, considering the new sustainable development goals. The case studies presented in this paper will focus on productive and sustainable architecture design thought with the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region in mind. As well as regionally responsive case studies in relation to creating smart, resilient, adaptive and productive architecture within Jordan. Future conflicts in the MENA region will involve the issue of city growth, and specifically water. This carries broader implications regionally and globally, as demands on limited resources only continues to grow. The following questions form the core of this paper. What role can productive and sustainable architecture design play in shaping resilient and adaptive buildings? How does sustainability intersect all aspects of human and social life including economic, political, cultural and environmental? Can sustainable design thinking when applied to the field of architecture, help create the socio-economic conditions conducive to promoting sustainability at all levels of society? Concluding with a case study of Jordan and a call for self evaluation in terms of sustainability. This paper will present emerging ideas surrounding the future of architecture and the role it can play in shaping social and environmental spaces. An example of a completed circle of sustainability for the city of Amman, Jordan. This would be the first of its kind, and is intend to highlight the lack of accessible information for the public.