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A real need on the planet. A real need of people?
The climate crisis is a fact: either we change the way we produce, consume and dispose of NOW, or we are headed for a very dark future with respect to biodiversity, meteorology and the health of the planet in general.
And yet, how many times did you disobey your parents who told you "son, not that way … you're going to hit it …". Humans are wonderful beings in some ways, but in others we can be quite stubborn. And when we speak of masses of humans, the strengths and weaknesses only intensify.
It is clear that the buildings we design should be more sustainable. That existing buildings should reduce their consumption. That we should directly build less square meters. That reduction, recycling and reuse should be an essential part of the creation processes. That … endless more measures.
But after finding that the majority of architects trying to make their way into the sustainability field end up talking to themselves with their budget in hand, I ask myself the following question:
Does the market (which are flesh and blood people) really have these needs?
Does the market (which are flesh and blood people) really have these needs? The promoters, the construction companies, the companies, the users of the street … Doña Carmen, 56, who lives in a third party and makes the best croquettes in the building?
I would like to think so, but the reality is different.
Architects bumping into sustainability
If there is one thing I know, it is that the new generation of architects to which I belong have not had a good time at a professional level.
And when the horizon of sustainability, a vast and extensive ocean barely explored by competition, opened before our eyes, many of us finally saw the opportunity we had hoped to provide valuable services to contribute to the betterment of the world … and charge for it. decently.
But it has not been as promising as it seemed. Every week I meet several colleagues who offer services of this type and they live poorly because they can hardly close clients who want to pay sustainability.
Every week several colleagues offer services of this type and they are struggling because they can barely close clients who want to pay for sustainability
We try to convince people to install this or that product by showing them how much they would save on the electricity bill, we ran out of sleep the night before to present the ROI of the “most efficient” proposal to the promoter, we fought with the communities of neighbors to carry out the solar panel project, we threaten the builders to follow the waste management project to the letter, we cry to the autonomous communities to approve subsidies for energy efficiency projects … it seems that this sustainability does not fit easy.
First you have to understand why: 2 reasons
As many of you already know, I neither nourish nor celebrate nor do I complain. Instead, I and the architects I work with are transforming the paradigm of our profession, precisely to change what we do not like and make this a more sustainable professional reality, also in the field of sustainability.
And I want to contribute what for me are the two main reasons for the great difficulty that sustainability is finding right now to break through in the market.
Because only by understanding why, we can change.
1.- Generational mentality
The other day I bought a coffee to go; They gave me a double glass for the heat, lid, napkin, sugar, stir stick and even a straw. The only thing I didn't throw away was the coffee I drank. And mind you, I was walking down the street and I started to feel a little… let's call it shame.
Yes, I belong to the millennial generation and our degree of awareness about the climate crisis is higher than that of my mother's generation (for example, who goes with her plastic coffee so quiet down the street) and of course that of the generation of my grandmother (who by the way her consumption habit is much more sustainable than that of my mother's generation or mine).
But the truth is that none of these three generations have a level of consciousness high enough on this climate issue to pay € XXXX on a sustainable roll or some green project. Why? We just don't feel the same urgency as Greta Thunberg because we were born into a world with very different values.
In other words, the people who represent the market today are fundamentally my generation, my mother's, and maybe even my grandmother's. Greta has arrived, but it will take a few more years for her generation to achieve the purchasing power necessary to decide what to buy.
When that moment arrives, which I estimate will be in about 5-10 years, we will live the true revolution of sustainability: a large majority of people who pay much more for sustainable measures.
But for now we are living another story.
Of course, to speak of generations it is necessary to generalize. The exceptions and singular cases, although they are laudable, do not represent the majority and therefore none trend market.
2.- Sustainability is not seen
The second main reason why sustainability is a difficult field at the moment is devastatingly elementary: it is not seen.
The proper functioning of the facilities in a home is essential for the quality of life within it; However, it never ceases to amaze me how many clients skimp on wiring, pipes, appliances or technology during a renovation, for example. We can pay a millionaire for a bathroom tile and then grab Leroy Merlin's cheapest thermos; we are most likely willing to sacrifice that A +++ thermos for some slippers for Christmas.
And it is that one of the main drivers of the market is the acquisition of status. Everything you buy, everything I buy, we do because in one way or another it gives us status - the status to which each one aspires.
The generations that make up the current market fabric were born and raised with values and with a certain idea of status. Of course, my mother's generation does not feel better about themselves for having a hyper-low consumption thermos, much less if it is not seen and no one else knows.
Perhaps a percentage of my generation began to find status and affinity with our values in this type of thing … and I can surely tell you that for future generations this will be ethically and morally a must. And above all, if you see it: in the app you have on your mobile, in the brand of lights you use, in the amount of garbage you throw away at night …
But at the moment it is not seen, or it is not taught - that it is not the same.
Exits and solutions to the current market outlook
From my research and the work done with several dozen architects to help them achieve and consolidate their professional independence in multiple branches, including sustainability, I would like to bring you some exits / solutions so that you can start to make this field a more sustainable reality also for your profession as an architect:
1.- Patience, acceptance and observation
Maybe it's early for the green revolution you were hoping for. One thing is what the newspapers and climate summits say, and quite another is the real pulse of the people on the street. Have a little patience and try to understand what I am explaining to you: market movements.
2.- The needs that do exist in the market today
Don't try to convince anyone; instead, try to read their real needs. Maybe people don't want that hyper-low consumption thermos hidden in a dark closet, but they do want a super lamp cool made from recycled tires hanging in your living room.
Maybe people don't want to be dealing with the entire neighborhood community, but they do want to have the home with the cheapest electricity bill in the entire building.
Don't impose your sustainability; Better get in their shoes and dance with them.
3.- Other niches more prepared for change
We can also change our sights and target other niches that are now more ready for change. A good question to find these possible niches would be: Who has palpable and extremely attractive advantages today for being sustainable?
For example, I'm sure you've seen the latest Chanel or Patagonia campaigns. These and many other clothing and cosmetic brands will have to get on with sustainability if they want to begin to penetrate the conscience of future generations who do find status in it. And these brands have stores, spaces, facilities, materials, logistics, waste, production … perhaps an architect will dare to propose something.
Other examples in which I have worked with various architects can be the food industry, urban mobility or the rural world. And is that sustainability has many battlefields.
4.- And above all, skill more than strength
We architects have the ability to transform the world, each one in his own small part contributes to this change. But if we go around imposing what must be done and selling things that people do not want, it will be impossible to transform anything. We need people.
Your responsibility with sustainability is in learn to read the current market. If you do not learn to see where the real needs are today in this field, sustainability will have it even more difficult to break through. We need to silence our modus operandi, listen to where you can fit in, see to make ourselves see.
You have to learn to read the current market
Dont miss the chance
Ultimately, sustainability is a necessity of the planet and it will be a necessity for people shortly. As architects we have the duty and the ability to drive this trend in the market to improve things, but not at the cost of our professional health.
Why? Because it is not sustainable. Those architects who cannot make a living from sustainability are missing out on a fantastic opportunity to really help people, that is, from where those people are.
If you are finding it difficult to find real clients who will pay you for your work in the field of sustainability, it is time to refocus your strategy. And if you are also committed to your professional career and want to make it more sustainable, then I can help you.
If you want to know new challenges and opportunities, you can find me on my website from HERE. Tell me your story, that the future does not wait!
