changes such as adopting solar³ or composting techniques introduced in the 1980s, green building designs⁴ pioneered in the 1990s and the push towards widespread cooperation for sustainability and transparency⁵ efforts starting in the 2000s remain no less important. Yet sustainable design in 2026 is reaching for more. Inclusive, circular design⁶ is a top priority for constituents ranging from indigenous communities and local businesses to large companies, investors and insurers as policymakers craft regulations that require transparent, measurable resilience standards in cities and many nations.⁷ Generation one (1980s): Current needs, fewer future harms In the 1980s, the United Nations created the Brundtland Commission⁸, chaired by Gro H. Brundtland⁹, now also the former director of the World Health Organisation and the former Prime Minister of Norway. The commission’s 1987 report defined sustainable development as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” The report marked nations coming together and the start of first generation sustainability efforts. These goals led to early focus on improving existing designs and building systems by implementing efficiencies such as using more eco-friendly and recycled building materials to build or retrofit. Solar power installations climbed. Take a hypothetical example of a community centre building. Some investments are more expensive to begin with but save money and energy down the line. 10 Such substitutions are common today and serve as a baseline for subsequent sustainable design generations.
In designing the centre during the 1980s, we’d include: – Insulated windows – Water-saving toilets, showers and taps – LED lighting – Recycling bins – Solar panels on the roof – Eco-friendly appliances Generation two (1990s): Ethical and systems thinking Generation two builds on generation one: if it’s first- generation strategy, it becomes part of the second- generation strategy, driven by increased climate awareness 11 and a rise in offshoring production of industrial products 12 away from developed Western nations overseas. In this era, general public awareness of nature and climate change grows and awareness of social responsibility 13 increases amid the first UN Conference of the Parties, or COP, in 1995. When a new infrastructure project is proposed, design changes are considered. This covers: – Examining health and safety – Societal impacts, including ethical sourcing – Scrutinising materials production and disclosure – A focus on the transparency of systems as a whole
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