We/Me/You
Posted on December 16, 2010 | posted by:
When someone designs a building that is cheaper to build, easier and less expensive to maintain, enjoyed by all who inhabit it, and is better for the surrounding ecosystem, why don’t all other designers, engineers, and associated companies flock to this design possibility? Or to put it more simply: Why do so many people make bad decisions?
There seems to be two common answers. The first is that people are inherently immoral, and are only performing actions that fit with their economic self interest. The other is that people are somewhat neutral in their decision making, and if not properly incentivized, will just default to the easiest action, which in this case would be building the same energy inefficient wasteful buildings.
Both of these positions have some merit, and are being addressed through public information campaigns and policies aimed at guiding individuals and companies in a healthier direction. But perhaps there is another, more overlooked, reason why this phenomena of us acting against our own self interests exists? It may be due to disciplines. Within the construction of a building, there a huge array of different independent actors working on different goals. Designers, architects, engineers, electricians, plumbers, etc. Because each individual or group is working within its own discipline, it can only choose from the available options and courses of actions that are within the scope of that discipline. In this way, an electrician has a specific range of choices and reactions to choose from, and certainly doesn’t have the free reign to begin system wide changes and improvements that would be beneficial. This concept applies to all agents of action working on that building. It is not a moral or economic debate, it is a disciplinary one.
Designers are certainly working towards a change in this pattern, as more and more seek to expand beyond traditional disciplines and string together more tightly the lines of communication and understanding between various fields. It would be beneficial for us to remember just how important this is to do, and to not underestimate the challenge of doing so.