Hume in the Star today (click here for full article):
So far, builders, especially suburban builders, have blithely ignored the consequence of what they do. But how much longer can we allow this to continue?
As the Archetype competition and exhibition at the Design Exchange, 234 Bay St., makes beautifully clear, now there’s no excuse. Both the knowledge and technology are available to allow us to build responsibly. The show, which comprises 13 proposals for green housing, offers a wide-ranging and imaginative survey of what’s possible. And, by extension, it exposes the gap between that and current practice, which generally adheres to the do-as-little-as-possible-within-the-limits-of-the-Building-Code approach. The DX competition asks architectural teams to propose new ways of dealing with the single-family house. An expert panel will review their submissions and their verdict will be rendered later this month. Though unlikely, their choice could herald a new beginning. Any one of these schemes, some conventional, others leading-edge, would radically change the face of suburbia and make it much more environmentally friendly in the process.
