A major aim of design, at least in my view, is to deliver an outcome that fulfils the client’s requirements in the best possible way.
You might decide against nuclear power because you believe that all our future energy requirements can be met by renewables; that all the required assets can be delivered in time to decarbonise; and that the overall context and incentives are right for this to happen.And if they are not, you might still judge that the consequences for humanity are not as bad as the risks we would incur by using nuclear energy..
Although some argue that it would be technically possible to meet all of our energy needs using renewable energy sources by 2050,.4. it is much harder to argue that it is practically possible to achieve the necessary, aggressive decarbonising of emissions within the next decade.The only countries that have been able to achieve the required rate in carbon emission reductions are those that have been using nuclear power (see figure below).. 5.
Renewables require a lot more land, as well as the installation of additional distribution grid, which takes time and becomes increasingly more difficult and costly, as the obvious and easy places for these technologies have already been taken, and further away, more difficult land or sea locations are now the only option for development.. 6.Whether an (almost) all-renewables portfolio could provide the required clean energy, and whether it is realisable quickly enough remains a matter of debate.
But in a way that is not the point either; because if you aren’t 100% sure you can realise this renewables-only portfolio, then as time is so short, failing to look into energy portfolios that include nuclear would be both unwise and irresponsible.
We won’t have time for a second chance at getting this right..I really enjoy the experience and am very grateful to be given the opportunity to attend.
Even though I am there to help the students, I don't think it is only about them benefiting from the experience.I believe it is hugely important for architects to stay involved in architectural education, not only in order to help tutor the next generation of architects, but also to take inspiration, ideas and thought processes from student work back into real world practice.
At University we are encouraged to create provoking, abstract, sensitive, conceptual and sometimes impossible design briefs and projects, testing the limits of the designer and the possibilities of architecture; skills that should never be forgotten.. BW: What and who does a crit typically involve?.M: A crit involves the students individually presenting their design work project to a panel of critics.