According to the Oxford Dictionary, Anthropocene is defined as the current geological age, viewed as the period during which human activity has been the dominant influence on climate and the environment. As the climate continues to be studied, scientists are finding more and more evidence that the changing climate is being impacted by human actions and objects created by humans. Not only do objects impact the environment, but how they are made/installed also impacts the surrounding environment. This is where design becomes an essential part of improving the effects humans have on the environment.
When discussing the impact of design for improving the effects on the climate, there are three primary categories that should be considered when designing in the future. These categories include technological, environmental, and proactive/timely design. Technological design is an important aspect to build in sustainable ways moving forward. This type of design includes new building types, styles, and techniques. These include design elements such as green and smart buildings. green roofs, smart shading devices, and prefabricated buildings. When designing technological advancements in the future, it is important to consider the impacts they will have on the environment. Things to be fully thought out in terms of sustainability include the materials being used, the day to day operations of the mechanical systems, as well as how the architectural design can be more energy efficient. Environmental design is considering how the building will impact its surrounding environment. Examples of how buildings can impact their surrounding environment include changes to shading patterns, the way light is reflected, what the building emits into the air around it, and the techniques used to build it. These things may not impact the occupants of the building, but they will definitely impact the area surrounding it. Finally, proactive and timely design is also crucial when designing a building. This ensures that the building is being constructed as efficiently as possible and during suitable times of the year. For example, building in freezing temperatures or at night will use more energy than doing the same job when it is warm and light out, as more equipment needs to be running in order to complete the job.
Ultimately, improving upon these categories have reconfigured from their traditional forms in order to have a positive effect on the changing climate. Potentially, the most difficult of these challenges stems from sustainable design being more of an attitude that architects need to have, rather than just a push for new green technology to be created and implemented. Many experts, such as Bruno Latour, Tim Morton, Daniel Christian Wahl, Clive Hamilton, and Tim Jackson, say this process needs to be regenerative and restorative. This means that design principles and philosophies need to be completely redesigned. To make the design that goes into buildings relevant in the Anthropocene, it needs to be able to reframe what is seen as valuable without hurting the surrounding ecosystem that the building is part of. This style of design is called speculative design and is conceived in both the geological and institutional spaces to architects. Given that they are speculative, many architects see it as given and untouchable, making them more difficult to implement across all architectural design. That being said, many conceptual projects have influenced a lot of the environmentally friendly design aspects we see today. This is seen time and time again in groups like Archigram, whose speculative works have been impacting countless improvements in architectural design since the early 1960s. Through showing an impressive future of the machine age and the potential effects to be had if social and environmental concerns are not addressed, groups like Archigram have greatly impacted sustainable design by exploring challenges and creating designs that continue to shape the future.
Cyberpunk has also taught us a lot about the Anthropocene. The future that is suggested in Cyberpunk themed films and images includes a dark and gloomy world, where human created objects dominate environments. These scenes are inspired by tech development, futurism, samizdat, punk DIY tech, cities, globalism, new materials, and military themed objects. A few slogans that the Cyberpunk style can be summed up by include “the future is already here, just not well-distributed,” “high tech and low life,” and “the honesty of complete desperation.”
The hyperloop would have substantial implications on the Anthropocene once in place. This mode of transportation would allow for passengers to travel at the speeds of a jet, with the grid distribution of a train, and very little air drag. Therefore, the Hyperloop would reduce air travel and car travel. Both of these modes of transportation burn high amounts of fossil fuels as they operate and release gases that harm the environment. Batteries placed at the propulsion sites will be able to provide electricity at night when the solar panels can’t collect energy from the sun. Although magnets, used to accelerate and decelerate the cars inside the tube, are more sustainable than alternative sources, they pose possible issues. These include that they are expensive, rare earth materials, and would require more mining to cover all of the track.
According to the company, Virgin Hyperloop One, they estimated that worldwide flights alone produced 859 million metric tons (946 million tons) of CO2 in 2017. If every passenger flight between 500 and 1,500 kilometers were replaced by the Hyperloop, it is estimated that it could reduce fossil fuel emissions from flying by 58%, according Virgin Hyperloop One spokesperson Marcia Christoff. These impressive numbers are thanks to solar panels that are placed along the Hyperloop tubes that provide the power for it to run. Dirk Ahlborn, CEO of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, said that they are also planning to power the track through regenerative braking and by adding wind turbines. Marcia also mentioned the idea of creating an electrical grid so that electricity can be allocated to nearby areas in need. Finally, to help ecosystems surrounding the track, there are plans to build it in existing highway medians and next to railroad tracks to help minimize the impact of construction.
Works Cited
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Packwood, Lewis. “Cyberpunk 2077's Warning for the World Is More Important than Ever.” PCGamesN, 12 July 2018, www.pcgamesn.com/cyberpunk-2077/cyberpunk-2077-warning.
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Pictures
Mike, and Erin. “71's 2019 Light+Sound Issue .” 71 Magazine, 1 July 2020, my71mag.com/2018/04/www-my71mag-com/.
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