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Ecological Dualisms Undone: Exploring the Roles of Ideologies, Zero Waste, and Qualitative Life-Cycle Analysis in Punta Cana’S Building Material Culture

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Ecological Dualisms Undone: Exploring the Roles of Ideologies, Zero Waste, and Qualitative Life-Cycle Analysis in Punta Cana’S Building Material Culture ECOLOGICAL DUALISMS UNDONE: EXPLORING THE ROLES OF IDEOLOGIES, ZERO WASTE, AND QUALITATIVE LIFE-CYCLE ANALYSIS IN PUNTA CANA’S BUILDING MATERIAL CULTURE A thesis presented to the faculty of the Graduate School of Cornell University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Arts By Jessica Anne Ekblaw January 2012 © 2012 Jessica Anne Ekblaw A B S T R A C T Materials, as the physical human-environment interface, are key challenges and requirements for sustainable design. This study investigates the epistemology of building materials to understand the considerations and consequences of material selection, both in abstract and within the specific context of Punta Cana. By employing reflective research methods to interpret six environmental building philosophies, this study reveals the building community’s need to resolve inflexible dualisms regarding technology, globalization, and cultural meaning to overcome professional divisions that hinder interventions toward sustainability. The results call for common goals, such as zero waste, to explore a wider range of suitable building solutions and provide unified sustainable design criteria. Finally, a qualitative life-cycle analysis suggests that bamboo, a building material commonly disregarded by dualistic mindsets, may convey more environmental, economic, and social benefits in Punta Cana than concrete, the prevailing Dominican structural building material. The conclusions of this study call for increased criticism and ethics throughout the design process to avoid misleading assumptions, represent implicated stakeholders, and promote context-based building solutions. Keywords: sustainable materials, environmental philosophy, zero waste, vernacular, bamboo, Dominican Republic B I O G R A P H I C A L S K E T C H Jessica Anne Ekblaw is an aspiring interior designer and green building professional. She was raised in upstate New York and graduated from Vestal Senior High School in 2006. Her concern for the environmental impacts of buildings grew during her undergraduate attendance at Cornell University, and this interest inspired her to become a LEED Accredited Professional in 2009. In 2010, she received a Bachelor of Science with Distinction from the Design and Environmental Analysis program with a concentration in interior design. Upon graduation, Jessica enrolled in the newly created Sustainable Design Studies graduate program at Cornell University and worked to enrich learning experiences as a teaching assistant for design lectures and studios. By bringing concepts from her graduate minor, Science and Technology Studies, into the design field, she has begun to explore the design process, particularly how designers perceive their material options, and hopes to reveal how assumptions can be questioned to explore sustainable possibilities. iii A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S The insight, assistance, and encouragement of many individuals have been instrumental to the production of this thesis. Foremost, I must thank my thesis chair and advisor, Jack Elliott, for his enthusiasm and encouragement of my ideas. His spirit of intellectual exploration was influential in shaping a unique and intriguing course of study, and I am grateful for his time and effort to develop a meaningful project. Secondly, I thank Sara Pritchard, my minor member in Science and Technology Studies, for her help navigating an unfamiliar field and for her ongoing support through the ideation and writing process. Her empathy, feedback, and time have been invaluable to guide and refine my work. The Department of Design and Environmental Analysis provided funding for my research, which allowed me to experience my case study location, Punta Cana, firsthand. I appreciate this financial support, as well as the assistance of Grupo PUNTACANA to facilitate my stay in Punta Cana. I especially thank Jake Kheel for his interest and hospitality and Ben Hulefeld for his informative tours and logistical organization. I also owe much to those who have offered listening ears and words of encouragement. Thanks to Rhonda Gilmore for her faith in my abilities; Kristin Malyak and Courtney Cheng for nightly kitchen chats; and Joseph Fleury for short-term goals, long-term dreams, and needed perspective. My parents deserve a special thank you for understanding the stresses of a graduate student and providing the means for my accomplishments. You have lived my experiences with me and helped me reach my goals, and for this I am truly grateful. iv T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S Introduction 1 Overview and Significance 1 Need for Research 3 Purpose and Scope of Research 5 Questions for Exploration 6 Methodology 7 Background 8 Introduction 8 Environmental Philosophy, Philosophy of Technology, and the 10 Human vs. Nature Dualism Early conceptions of nature Nature-based environmental philosophies Industrial-based environmental and technological philosophies Impacts of ideologies Conclusion Sustainability Movements, Motives, and Metrics 37 Sustainability movements Sustainability motives Sustainability metrics Conclusion Material History 58 History of material usage and development Historical themes Reasons for a shift toward material science Critiques of material science and advocacy for alternatives Material ambiguity and middle ground Conclusion The Dominican Republic 76 National and regional characteristics v Vernacular and development Tourism and ecotourism Grupo PUNTACANA Conclusion Methodology 103 Objectives 103 Hypothesis 103 Research Design 104 Precedents 107 Limitations 110 Results, Part 1: Dualisms 113 Introduction: A Call for Ethics of the Built Environment 113 Eco-technic vs. Eco-centric 123 Introduction Assumptions of eco-technic and eco-centric perspectives Limits of categorization Defining nature, technology, and hybridity Understanding and applying technology Conclusion Eco-medical vs. Eco-social 158 Introduction Challenges Dualisms and ambiguities Green development and ecotourism as resolutions in Punta Cana Conclusion Eco-aesthetic vs. Eco-cultural 186 Introduction Meaning in materials Defining vernacular, high style, and their dualistic relationship Ambiguities Lessons of a modern vernacular vi Application in Punta Cana Conclusion Results, Part 2: Responses to Dualisms 223 Zero Waste 223 Consumption and waste Assumptions Zero waste Alternatives to conventional material culture Justifications Investigation of Material Application in Punta Cana 248 Introduction Summary of findings Environmental Economic Social Conclusion Conclusions 288 Implications 288 Directions for Future Research 295 Appendices 305 Appendix A 305 Appendix B 312 Appendix C 313 Appendix D 314 Appendix E 315 Appendix F 316 References 317 vii L I S T O F F I G U R E S Figure 1 Human-environment ideological flowchart 12 Figure 2 Sustainability pyramid 12 Figure 3 Environmental theme indicators, 1985 45 Figure 4 The state of sustainable development in 2005 based on 51 a combined measure of Ecological Footprint and Human Development Index Figure 5 Topography of the Dominican Republic 77 Figure 6 Hierarchy of tourism categories 89 Figure 7 Environmental Kuznets curve 177 Figure 8 United States nonfuel materials consumption (1900-2002) 225 Figure 9 Distribution of material usage 225 Figure 10 Share of world’s private consumption, 2005 226 Figure 11 Materials flow model 235 viii L I S T O F T A B L E S Table 1 Timeline of material usage and development 59 Table 2 Dualistic assumptions of building materials 249 Table 3 Summary of findings 251 Table 4 Non-dualistic traits of bamboo and concrete 290 ix L I S T O F A B B R E V I A T I O N S AIA American Institute of Architects BEAM Building Environmental Assessment Method BREEAM Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method CASBEE Comprehensive Assessment System for Built Environment Efficiency CEB Compressed earth blocks CFC Chlorofluorocarbon CSR Corporate social responsibility EPA (United States) Environmental Protection Agency EPS Expanded polystyrene FSC Forest Stewardship Council HCFC Hydrochlorofluorocarbon LBC Living Building Challenge LCA Life-cycle analysis LEED Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design MBDC McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration NCARB National Council of Architectural Registrations Boards PCEF PUNTACANA Ecological Foundation PISÉ Pneumatically Impacted Stabilized Earth PVC Polyvinyl chloride TQM Total quality management UN United Nations UNCED United Nations Conference on Environment and Development UNEP United Nations Environment Program WCED World Commission on Environment and Development USGBC United States Green Building Council WTO World Tourism Organization x I N T R O D U C T I O N The following exploration challenges prevailing dualistic mindsets that shape material and environmental epistemology. The use of dualisms in a complex and dynamic world is problematic because assumptions can preclude consideration of functional, sustainable materials and promote uncritical use of predominant, and often unsustainable, methods. By analyzing the conceptual bases for material use in new construction, this study overcomes the limitations of the many studies that focus on technical solutions alone, which neglect the need for philosophical and lifestyle changes when problems have social, rather than technical, roots.1 By revealing and resolving the underlying values and conditions that fuel divergent thinking regarding technology, sourcing, and cultural aesthetics, designers and the general public
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