[Sdpg] The Hannover Principles: Design for Sustainability

Wesley Roe and Marjorie Lakin Erickson lakinroe at silcom.com
Fri Jul 25 09:00:00 PDT 2003


Something for the mix...MBDC is celebrating the 10th anniversary of their
"Hannover principles" for designing for sustainability.

http://www.mbdc.com/features/feature_july2003.htm




                 William McDonough and Michael Braungart recently
                            celebrated the 10th anniversary of the 
publication of
                            their groundbreaking manifesto, The Hannover
                            Principles: Design for Sustainability with a new,
                            updated edition. This feature is excerpted from an
                            article in the May/June 2003 issue of Green at Work
                            magazine, which was adapted from the new edition,
                            which is available from William McDonough + 
Partners
                            and McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry.



                            Just over a decade ago, when the City of
                            Hannover, Germany, asked us to develop a set of
                            design principles for the 2000 World's Fair, design
                            for sustainability was in its infancy. By 1992, the
                            desire to move toward a solar-powered world had
                            gained significant momentum among the
                            environmentally conscious, and the ideas that
                            inform ecological design had begun to manifest
                            themselves in encouraging innovations in "green"
                            architecture and technology. But a coherent
                            framework for applying sustainable design to all
                            sectors of society had yet to emerge. Imagining
                            designs that celebrated nature and technology, 
aesthetics and commerce was
                            even further off the map.

                            The Hannover Principles were conceived to lay 
the foundation for this hopeful,
                            new paradigm (see inset of Principles, at 
bottom). We knew at the time that our
                            efforts were just a first step. Though we were 
striving to identify universal
                            principles based on the enduring laws of 
nature, we also understood that our
                            knowledge of the world was incomplete. So, too, 
was our ability to predict all the
                            many ways in which the creativity of the 
world's designers, architects, business
                            leaders, and NGOs would push design for 
sustainability beyond the limits we
                            could imagine in 1992. Thus, we saw the 
Principles as a living document—a set
                            of enduring ideals and an open system of 
thought that would evolve as it was
                            put into practice.

                            And evolve it has. Our firms, and many others, 
continue to use the Principles in
                            their original form. Yet, as the Principles are 
applied in the design process or
                            used to guide everyday decision-making, new 
ideas and practices emerge. The
                            language we use is a good example. Whereas some 
of the Principles were
                            originally expressed with "shoulds" and 
"musts," today we use a more
                            celebratory language that expresses our growing 
faith in humanity's ability to
                            create mutually beneficial relationships 
between people and the natural world.

                            Pursuing this positive vision over the past 
decade has driven the evolution of an
                            entirely new approach to design. When one takes 
seriously the idea that the
                            concept of waste can be eliminated in the 
worlds of architecture, commerce,
                            manufacturing, and transportation—indeed, in 
every sector of society—the
                            purview of design shifts radically. Not only 
are we obliged to include the entire
                            material world in our design considerations, we 
are asked to imagine materials
                            in a whole new way. We can begin to create and 
use materials within
                            cradle-to-cradle systems, in which there is no 
waste at all.

                            When the Principles become practices, when 
industrial and architectural systems
                            are modeled on the earth's flows of energy and 
nutrients, the notion that
                            humanity must limit its ecological footprint is 
turned on its head. Indeed, as
                            cradle-to-cradle thinking continues to be 
enriched by the inspired work of our
                            colleagues, we are increasingly able to design 
products and places that support
                            life, that create footprints to delight in 
rather than lament. This changes the
                            entire context of the design process. Instead 
of asking, "How do I meet today's
                            environmental standards?" designers are asking, 
"How might I create more
                            habitat, more health, more clean water, more 
prosperity, more delight?"

                            Questions such as these, emerging from the 
daily application of the Hannover
                            Principles, are stimulating the worldwide 
evolution of cradle-to-cradle design.
                            Examples of work inspired by the Hannover 
Principles are growing more
                            numerous all the time. The work of William 
McDonough + Partners, MBDC, and
                            EPEA testify to the lively relationship between 
principles and practices. And a
                            host of our client companies are also 
implementing these principles.

                            Ford Motor Company is executing a 
cradle-to-cradle renovation of its famous
                            Rouge River industrial site, and its 2003 Model 
U concept car embraces a
                            cradle-to-cradle vision. Shaw Industries, the 
largest producer of commercial
                            carpet in the world, has begun to apply the 
Hannover Principles and
                            cradle-to-cradle thinking to the company's 
product development process. The
                            Chicago Principles, which will be announced by 
the City of Chicago in 2003, will
                            provide a reference point as Chicago develops 
community plans and
                            cradle-to-cradle systems that will make it a 
national model of how industry and
                            ecology, nature and the city can flourish side 
by side.

                            There is really no end in sight—and that's the 
point. As we seek constant
                            improvement by the sharing of knowledge, as our 
understanding of the world
                            evolves, the Hannover Principles will continue 
to be our touchstone and
                            inspiration for new designs. This process, 
merely a decade old, has already
                            created hopeful changes in the world and is 
transforming the making of things
                            into a regenerative force. Ultimately, we 
believe the principled practice of design
                            will lead to ever more places and ever more 
products that honor not just human
                            ingenuity but harmony with the exquisite 
intelligence of nature. And when that
                            becomes the hallmark of good design, we will 
have entered a moment in human
                            history when we can truly celebrate our kinship 
with all life.



                            The Hannover Principles


                            1.
                               Insist on the right of humanity and nature 
to co-exist in a healthy,
                               supportive, diverse and sustainable condition.
                            2.
                               Recognize interdependence. The elements of 
human design interact with
                               and depend upon the natural world, with 
broad and diverse implications at
                               every scale. Expand design considerations to 
recognize even distant
                               effects.
                            3.
                               Respect relationships between spirit and 
matter. Consider all aspects of
                               human settlement, including community, 
dwelling, industry and trade, in
                               terms of existing and evolving connections 
between spiritual and material
                               consciousness.
                            4.
                               Accept responsibility for the consequences 
of design decisions upon
                               human well-being, the viability of natural 
systems and their right to
                               co-exist.
                            5.
                               Create safe objects of long-term value. Do 
not burden future generations
                               with requirements for maintenance or 
vigilant administration of potential
                               dangers due to the careless creation of 
products, processes or standards.
                            6.
                               Eliminate the concept of waste. Evaluate and 
optimize the full life cycle of
                               products and processes to approach the state 
of natural systems, in which
                               there is no waste.
                            7.
                               Rely on natural energy flows. Human designs 
should, like the living world,
                               derive their creative force from perpetual 
solar income. Incorporate this
                               energy efficiently and safely for 
responsible use.
                            8.
                               Understand the limitations of design. No 
human creation lasts forever, and
                               design does not solve all problems. Those 
who create and plan should
                               practice humility in the face of nature. 
Treat nature as a model and
                               mentor, not as an inconvenience to be evaded 
or controlled.
                            9.
                               Seek constant improvement by the sharing of 
knowledge. Encourage
                               direct and open communication between 
colleagues, patrons,
                               manufacturers and users to link long-term 
sustainable considerations with
                               ethical responsibility and to reestablish 
the integral relationship between
                               natural processes and human activity.

                            The Hannover Principles should be seen as a 
living document committed to
                            transformation and growth in the understanding 
of our interdependence with
                            nature so that they may be adapted as our 
knowledge of the world evolves.

I first became aware of William McDonough's work
                            in 1984, when he redesigned the national
                            headquarters of the Environmental Defense Fund.
                            The redesign of the EDF office was a watershed
                            event. Not only was it the first "green" office in
                            New York City, it also laid the foundation for 
a new
                            design philosophy: a commercially productive,
                            socially beneficial and ecologically intelligent
                            approach to the making of things that Bill and his
                            colleague Michael Braungart would come to call
                            eco-effectiveness.

                            When I hired Bill to design the Heinz family
                            offices and Heinz Foundation offices in Pittsburgh
                            in 1991, he and Michael had just been
                            commissioned by the City of Hannover to develop
                            a set of design principles for the 2000 World's
                            Fair. Having chosen "Humanity, Nature and
                            Technology" as the theme of the fair, the city
                            wanted to showcase hopeful visions for a
                            sustainable future. The Hannover Principles were
                            to put forth an inspiring standard, presenting to
                            the world the first coherent framework for
                            rethinking design through the lens of
                            sustainability.

                            Getting to know Bill and Michael as colleagues and
                            friends over the last ten years has given me 
the opportunity to see firsthand the
                            impact of the Hannover Principles. From their 
elegant insistence on "the rights of
                            humanity and nature to co-exist" to their call 
to "eliminate the concept of
                            waste," the Principles echo the deep human 
instinct—and wisdom—to care for
                            the world. Indeed, they have become a cultural 
touchstone, providing
                            information and grounding not just for the 
design community but also for all
                            those devoted to bringing forth a world of 
social equity, environmental health
                            and peaceful prosperity.

                                                    At their core is a 
simple truth: Human health,
                                                    the strength of our 
economy and the
                                                    well-being of our 
environment are all
                                                    connected. I learned 
this lesson early in life,
                                                    as a child growing up 
in Mozambique. In the
                                                    East Africa of my 
youth, the interplay of
                                                    nature, health and 
survival was a given,
                                                    something that people 
who lived close to the
                                                    natural world 
intuitively understood. For me,
                                                    that understanding was 
reinforced by having a
                                                    father who was a 
doctor. Observing him and
                            the questions he asked of his patients taught 
me how illness can be related to
                            environment and the practices of daily life.

                            We lived in a place where nature's laws of 
cause and effect were fairly clear. If
                            you went swimming at sunrise or sunset, feeding 
time for sharks and river
                            crocodiles (and indeed, for all the animals in 
the savannah), you might get a
                            nasty nibble. We learned to respect the rules 
of the natural world because they
                            had such obvious implications for people's 
personal well-being. Nature taught us
                            the virtues of prevention—of solving problems 
by not creating them in the first
                            place.

                            Industrialized societies tend to be less in 
touch with nature's rules. In the
                            nineteenth century, the paradigm was that we 
should tame nature; in the
                            twentieth, it became a sense that we are almost 
immune to its rules. Today, we
                            tend to think of the natural world as somehow 
separate, an entity "out there"
                            that can be controlled, held at bay or even 
ignored. Even our efforts to protect
                            the environment have been informed by this "us 
versus it" mentality, a sense
                            that we are in competition with the natural 
world and that the best we can hope
                            for is to mitigate the damage we cause.

                            The simple genius behind the nine Hannover 
Principles was that they reframed
                            the issue. Rather than take a certain amount of 
ecological harm as a given, with
                            people on various sides of the environmental 
debate reduced to arguing over
                            the permissible amount, Bill and Michael 
invited us to consider an alternative.
                            Why not just design products and institutions 
that support the environment, they
                            asked?

                            The Hannover Principles were the first 
expression of that transforming idea. In
                            nine lean declarations they set forth a value 
system and a design framework
                            that Bill and Michael continue to use as the 
foundation of their evolving design
                            paradigm. As they write in Cradle to Cradle: 
Remaking the Way We Make Things,
                            nature's cycles are not just lean and 
efficient; they are abundant, effective and
                            regenerative. By going beyond mere efficiency 
to celebrate the abundance of
                            nature, the practice of eco-effective, 
cradle-to-cradle design allows us to create
                            materials, dwellings, workplaces, and 
commercial enterprises that generate not
                            fewer negative impacts but more productivity, 
more pleasure and more
                            restorative effects.

                            The key insight of eco-effective or 
cradle-to-cradle thinking is recognizing the
                            materials of our daily lives—even highly 
technical, synthetic industrial
                            materials—as nutrients that can be designed to 
circulate in human systems very
                            much like nitrogen, water, and simple sugars 
circulate in nature's nutrient cycles.
                            Rather than using materials once and sending 
them to the landfill—our current
                            cradle-to-grave system—cradle-to-cradle 
materials are designed to be returned
                            safely to the soil or to flow back to industry 
to be used again and again.

                                                    Far more than a 
theoretical notion, this central
                                                    principle of 
sustainability can be readily seen
                                                    in the work of Bill's 
architectural firm, William
                                                    McDonough + Partners, 
and Bill and Michael's
                                                    industrial design 
consultancy, McDonough
                                                    Braungart Design 
Chemistry. Working with
                                                    clients ranging from 
small companies like the
                                                    Swiss textile mill 
Rohner to global
                                                    megacorporations like 
the Ford Motor
                                                    Company, both firms are 
showing that
                                                    designers attuned to 
this cradle-to-cradle
                                                    philosophy can 
replicate nature's closed-loop
                                                    systems in the worlds 
of commerce and
                                                    community. The result: 
safe, beneficial
                                                    materials that either 
naturally biodegrade or
                            provide high-quality resources for the next 
generation of products; buildings
                            designed to produce more energy than they 
consume; cities and towns tapped
                            into local energy flows; places in every human 
realm that renew a sense of
                            participation in the landscape.

                            My own hopes for the urban landscapes of 
Pittsburgh brought the Hannover
                            Principles home, literally. At the Earth Summit 
in Rio in 1992, where the
                            Principles were introduced to the international 
community, I invited Bill and
                            Michael to come to Pittsburgh to share their 
ideas. Both were invited to lecture at
                            Carnegie Mellon University and, as I had hoped, 
the Hannover Principles
                            became a part of the dialogue going on in 
Pittsburgh at the time about the
                            region's environmental future.

                            Today, Pittsburgh is gaining national 
recognition as a leader in green building
                            and sustainable design. In many ways, that 
began with the building of the Heinz
                            family offices, which represented the first, 
commercial-scale use of sustainably
                            harvested tropical wood. Our offices served as 
a laboratory and model for others
                            to learn from, and not just locally. The 
Discovery Channel covered it;
                            architectural magazines wrote about it; and 
builders, designers and architects
                            from across the country came to study its 
features. Since then, the ideas
                            articulated in the Hannover Principles have 
never been far from the minds of the
                            staff at The Heinz Endowments as they have 
advanced our green building
                            agenda in Pittsburgh over the past decade.

                            Those ideas are making communities from 
Pittsburgh to Chicago and from
                            Shanghai to Barcelona better places to live. 
They are helping people create
                            buildings and landscapes where natural 
processes unfold with renewed vitality.
                            They are transforming product design and 
shaping the work of such influential
                            companies and institutions as Ford, Nike, BASF, 
the University of California, the
                            Woods Hole Research Center and Oberlin College. 
As more and more
                            companies and institutions adopt these 
sustaining principles, there is also the
                            chance that the global economy as a whole will 
begin to find robust health and
                            long-term strength through the practice of 
intelligent design.

                            Ultimately, that is the enduring value of the 
Hannover Principles and the reason
                            why they are as fresh and necessary as ever. 
The Principles urge us to start
                            seeing ourselves as part of the natural world 
and to replicate the joyful,
                            productive and intelligent practice of life 
itself.



                            Teresa Heinz, chairman of the Heinz Family 
Philanthropies and of the Howard
                            Heinz Endowment, is the creator of the 
prestigious Heinz Awards and co-creator
                            of the H. John Heinz III Center for Science, 
Economics and the Environment,
                            which brings together representatives from 
business, government, the scientific
                            community and environmental groups to 
collaborate on the development of
                            scientifically sound environmental policies.





More information about the San-Diego-Permaculture mailing list