I also heard about healing gardens for hospitals and redesigning schools to both fit LEED standards and the needs of teachers and kids. Several presenters discussed the trade offs involved in choosing where to live, particularly for families with children. Many parents choose to live in the country because they want their kids to have time around nature and to keep their families safe from crime. Unfortunately, this often results in increased auto dependency. Families find themselves spending their days shuttling kids to and from their various activities. Kids may spend two or more hours a day in the car, rather than outside playing.

Since there were so many concurrent sessions I missed a number interesting talks, for example, a panel on how to make green houses affordable and a whole series of panels on enhancing workplace environments through design. Luckily, next year’s EDRA will take place in beautiful Veracruz Mexico, which will surely attract many presenters and attendees.

(Photo by Patrick Dirden. Used under creative commons licensing.)

If by “green architecture” we mean buildings designed to exist in harmony with environmental conditions, to conserve fuel and regulate temperature by “natural” means, then it is easy to forget that this did not begin with the invention of solar panels, photovoltaic cells and LEED certification. Americans have been experimenting, adapting and reshaping their architecture to suit their local environment since the very beginning.

(photo of Monticello by Jason Eusebi, used under a Creative Commons license)