“Sustainability consists of fulfilling the needs of current generations without compromising the needs of future generations, while ensuring a balance between economic growth, environmental care and social well-being.

“Sustainability” is a phrase which is splashed around the construction industry and often exploited as a marketable point of difference.

Rather than exploiting “sustainability” as a commercially profitable characteristic achieved through basic add-ons, we as architects should be championing a solution which is successful in the long term.

Perhaps this should also be considered inherent in the work we as architects put out into the world. It’s time we examine what true sustainability looks like and recalibrate to achieve positive outcomes.

Often designers turn to “sustainable technologies” as a way of lessening the impact their structures have on the environment, however this avoids the simple fact, the biggest challenge facing sustainability is building.

So many current built works represent decorated sheds. Low quality buildings in both design and structure, decorated with solar panels, high efficiency appliances and technology-based solutions to achieve the next star rating.

Perhaps a more successful pathway towards achieving ongoing “sustainability” in the building industry, is to create timeless structures. Sophistication through simplicity and achieving basic principles well. What if structures were both timelessly beautiful and built to a quality where they will stand for as long as they remain beautiful?

If a structure is celebrated and allowed to extend it’s lifecycle, it will far exceed the reduction in energy achieved by the poorly designed, technology filled shed.

Achieving a successful ongoing approach to sustainability is complex and multifaceted however as a parting thought; perhaps the best outcome for this small facet of sustainability, is to create structures which are timelessly beautiful yet rigorously designed to incorporate passive design principles in conjunction with simple, proven technologies appropriate to the environment where the structure is built.