Intelligent Architecture

Posted by Andree Iffrig Aug 28, 2008

The latest issue of Dream Homes of Canada arrived with this morning’s newspaper. Flipping through the pages of estate homes, I am reminded about the difference between a design publication like elemente design magazine and this one. Dream Homes is a sales tool for real estate agents marketing expensive homes. Elemente is the real McCoy: architecture and design at the cutting edge.

We’re making changes to the Architecture section of Suite 101, adding categories like urban design and improving the quantity and quality of articles. My focus as feature writer responsible for initiating these enhancements is great design, past and present. If you weren’t jazzed about architecture and urban design before, you will be now.

It isn’t possible to talk about design these days without using the word “sustainable.” Those mansions in Dream Homes are becoming dinosaurs. Your children will come to regard them the same way most of us think of fur coats: expensive, cruel (to the environment as well as animals) and irresponsible.

Is great design that $150,000 renovation to your neighbour's kitchen, or Sustain.ca’s miniHome? At $119,000, the miniHome is more than a seasonal dwelling featuring wind and solar systems. It is intended for low cost, high-performance, year-round living in style. Even in a cold climate, you can heat and operate it for as little as $300 per year.

Not everyone is ready to embrace the Pleasure of Less, but the point is intelligent design today is synonymous with architecture that is kind to the environment, and that responds thoughtfully to social and economic constraints.

Send us your ideas for articles and tell us about your favourite books. If you’re a professional writer with an interest in architecture and urban design, consider joining the Suite 101 stable. The Architecture section will be richer for your contributions.