Future building: towards a sustainable habitat – “Interview: Nyasha Harper-Michon, a constructive woman”
I’m very excited to have been featured in of the UNESCO Courier – Future building: towards a sustainable in an interview by Anuliina Savolainen.
About the issue: “Today, the building sector accounts for 39% of global CO2 emissions. This reality highlights the need for a ‘green revolution’ in architecture. There are several ways to achieve this: by adapting to the climate, transforming old structures and practices, or using sustainable and non-polluting materials. The UNESCO Courier invites you to discover some of these initiatives explored around the world.”
In my interview, I share insights into my journey as an architect and an “archtivist,” advocating for environmental and social reform in the built environment industry. I reflect on the realization that I had in my career to shift away from the outdated “Reference Man” model in architecture prompting me to pursue a more inclusive and regenerative vision.
I emphasize that “Green policies have to be coupled with initiatives of affordable housing, inclusionary zoning and the like. By thinking holistically, we can create both natural and socially inclusive neighbourhoods.”
I talk about using social media to engage to raise awareness and inspire action for a more sustainable and inclusive future. “If used wisely, social media can be a powerful tool for shaking things up and influencing decision-making.”
“Sometimes inventing a new world order requires unearthing the foundations of the old one. For Nyasha Harper-Michon, an Amsterdam-based architect, this led to her breakup with a certain man.”
Extract from the interview: “Sometimes inventing a new world order requires unearthing the foundations of the old one. For Nyasha Harper-Michon, an Amsterdam-based architect, this led to her breakup with a certain man.
They don’t have much in common. On a top shelf designed for this 1.80-meter-tall man, she could barely reach a jar. Where he maintains a regular pattern of daily commuting to work, her workplace and schedule vary from day to day. To move around in the city, he drives a car whereas she cycles or uses public transportation. In short, their needs and uses of the city are very different.
Nevertheless, the city, its housing and urban spaces were tailor-made for him. “He’s the Reference Man. I have designed for him many times, that’s what we learn to do in architecture school. He is used as the standard, the archetype of the average person for whom everything is designed: our houses, our cities, the size of our streets, the chairs that we sit on, even our mugs,” she says. “Designing solely for this guy creates a very exclusive world: it excludes those who do not resemble him, like women, older people and people with disabilities.”
And yet, it took her a while to wake up and realize how incompatible they were. “See how ubiquitous and pervasive it is, that even I myself could have been so blind to it!” she exclaims. This realization profoundly changed her approach to architecture.
About the UNESCO Courier
The UNESCO Courier is the main magazine published by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). It has the largest and widest-ranging readership of all the journals published by the United Nations and its specialized institutions.
The printed version of the UNESCO Courier magazine covers issues of literacy, human rights, environment, culture, science, and arts. The magazine is published in several languages: English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Russian and Chinese.