Design, Heidegger, and the Earth

Humanity is racing to find designed solutions to ourenvironmental crisis. But what if designing itselfwas the cause of the crisis? This book argues thatdesign, including 'sustainable' design, is atthe heart of our crisis of unsustainability. Onlywhen design's complicity in this crisis isunderstood, can sustainable human environments beconceived. Using the work of the controversialphilosopher Martin Heidegger, this book constructs aradically different understanding of the designprocess. With this understanding, design in modernityis shown to be the engine of consumption of theEarth. Ironically, the conviction that that we canfind designed solutions to our crisis ofunsustainability may be the real danger facing theEarth. For those interested in design and designtheory, this book offers a fundamentally differentaccount of the design process. For those interestedin Heideggerian thought, this book uses designto explore the 'positive role' of consciousnesshinted at, but rarely investigated, in Heidegger'swork. For those concerned about our crisis ofunsustainability, this book offers a new way toconceive the forces accelerating the crisis.

Autorentext

Glen Hill coordinates the sustainable architecture studios in the Master of Architecture program at the University of Sydney. Dr Glen Hill BScArch, BArch, MPM, PhD.

Klappentext
Humanity is racing to find designed solutions to our environmental crisis. But what if designing itself was the cause of the crisis? This book argues that design, including 'sustainable' design, is at the heart of our crisis of unsustainability. Only when design's complicity in this crisis is understood, can sustainable human environments be conceived. Using the work of the controversial philosopher Martin Heidegger, this book constructs a radically different understanding of the design process. With this understanding, design in modernity is shown to be the engine of consumption of the Earth. Ironically, the conviction that that we can find designed solutions to our crisis of unsustainability may be the real danger facing the Earth. For those interested in design and design theory, this book offers a fundamentally different account of the design process. For those interested in Heideggerian thought, this book uses design to explore the 'positive role' of consciousness hinted at, but rarely investigated, in Heidegger's work. For those concerned about our crisis of unsustainability, this book offers a new way to conceive the forces accelerating the crisis.