Scarcity: Architecture in an Age of Depleting Resources Architectural Design

Scarcity, whether conceived of as an actual limit on resources, or as a socially constructed condition of uneven social or global distribution of resources, has been largely absent as a critical concept in mainstream architectural discourse. This issue of Architectural Design examines ways in which architects and designers may respond to these conditions. It argues that scarcity in all its guises presents designers with a new set of challenges; it asks them to do things differently rather than simply doing the same but with less. In this scarcity moves beyond the discussions around sustainability, placing architecture in a relationship with wider political, economic and ecological forces. Including work by world-leading thinkers and designers, this issue presents an important new way of approaching the design and production of the built environment - one that will be increasingly important in the coming years.

This Scarcity issue of AD offers a constructive critique of conventional architectural practice and calls for architects to widen their sphere of action. Implicit in this critique is the view that there is no point in designing green buildings if they do not address the underlying causes of scarcity created by political and economic inequality because they are only a superficial ‘technical fix’.

While I fully support the view that architects should engage with politics and community, I would argue that the profession can be effective when operating within its traditional sphere of influence. One such sphere of influence is the ecological imperative of low-carbon design.

Sustainability is more than just another ‘ism’. While Modernism (and Postmodernism) may have had their day, an architecture that addresses scarcity is surely here to stay. Depth of environmental expertise should inform – not preclude
– the ambitions of spatial agency.