Environmental sensitivity in design

THE color “green” has many connotations. Apart from being associated to plants, trees and all forms of fauna for obvious reasons, it has also been used to suggest jokes with sexual innuendos or refer to a type of tea that is good for the health. In color psychology, green has been associated with tranquility, which leads us back to its connections with fauna and the refreshing calmness of nature.

In design, green is used to describe an approach, solution or strategy that is sensitive to the dynamics of the natural environment. Yet, there are various entities in society who style or think of themselves as promoters of green technology from hardware companies, material producers and even local government units, whose leaders think that putting potted plants inside their offices is already enough to brand themselves as green advocates. Green design characteristics is not only manifested through what is tangibly seen on the finished output, but also on the processes involved in coming up with it. This allows designers and planners to think about each strategy, especially in developing urban environments and assess their impact on the environment, from upstream to downstream.