In an age in which levels of consumption have reached impracticable levels , terms such as sustainable design, eco-design and design for need have gained more space in a society which can  constantly see the urgency to become sustainable, thus guaranteeing the maintenance of natural resources for future generations.  

The architect Fernando Mascaro from São Paulo, who graduated from the University of São Paulo in 1979, and who is a specialist in sustainable design, visited th International School of Alphaville on March 25th, to give a lecture to High School students, in an activity which marked the sequence of lectures related to the subject “Entrepreneurship and Life Project”, taught by the teacher Ricardo Mesquita Chioccarello.

During the explanation, Fernando Mascaro, one of the members of the sustainability committee which is being implemented at Grendene and partner of the French studio O2, that helped to disseminate the discussion about sustainable design with the publication of the book  “Haverá a Idade das Coisas Leves”, edited in Brazil by Senac (and sponsored by Melissa), described to students the specificities that differentiate sustainable design, eco-design and design of need, detailing the areas in which a graduate of architecture can work, among other subjects approached.

Below are the principal moments of the lecture :

Structure of the International School
“It was great to walk through the school and get to know the structure that is offered; you will certainly leave the school prepared for the job market, which has become more difficult, due to the crisis.”

Practical experience
“As the International School  focuses entrepreneurship, I believe it is interesting to talk about my experience, since I have practiced this and it has worked out : while I was working in the first office in my career, I was still in the third year of college working from 6 p.m. To 1 a.m.. It was  a great opportunity to learn more, making floor plans for City Hall , housing projects, specifications, all by hand, and still received some money. ”

Life Project
“Everything in our life requires a project. You need a project for a house, for an automobile, for a city , for a trip. I never make a trip before making its project. I try to make the most precise itinerary I can. If I arrive at the place and have to change everything, it is O.K. But at least I have studied it before. I have met people who went to Greece and hated it just because of its old buildings (laugh). For me, the most important thing is to have a life project. I do not believe in just going out and doing things , with no aim, no references.”

Humanistic background
“Even if the career you choose is very technical, if you have a humanistic approach, the chances of being successful, which is always possible, will be even greater.”

References
“I will mention the name of some personalities I admire. Machado de Assis: I can´t imagine a life project without reading Machado de Assis. Leonardo da Vinci: with  incredible intelligence , he knew how to use both sides of the brain very well. Antoni Gaudí: Catalan architect, he always had a project in mind; every morning he drew a little; he made projects of houses, furniture, and had a fantastic mind for his days, because, against many factors and architectural norms, he subverted established maxims . Oscar Niemeyer, who at the age of 102 continues to think, making projects, and despite being an atheist, built one of the most beautiful cathedrals in the world, in Brasília, an incredible masterpiece.”

 Multidisciplinary professional
“In our profession, you can be a specialist in an area, but you have to keep a wide view of everything in mind, of what is happening in the world.”

Constant updating
“I render services to several companies,  in partnership with design schools, in Brazil and abroad – Canada, France, Italy – and I believe we are always learning. It is a constant process.”

Areas of work for architects
“20% end up working with architecture, and 80% move on to movies, theater, photography, whatever comes up.”

Three categories
“I have separated design in three categories: design for need is one, which is to make flip flops out of plastic bottles because there is no money to buy  traditional slippers , or the antenna made of bamboo . There is eco-design, with articles produced in small or medium amounts, such as the poltrona-favela (slum chair), which has this name but was created by two renown Brazilian architects, the Campana brothers, which can either be a source of income or be sold in design stores at a high price. And there is my kind of work, sustainable design , which goes from a couple hundred to millions of samples. An automobile, a fan, a bottle, slippers, something you make and recycle later. Also, in its process of production, very little energy is consumed. That is where a serious subject starts: the need for design which reaches billions of people. An example of this is the PVC cylinder which a person fills with water and carries, instead of taking a bucket of water on ones head for many miles .”

Social function of design
“In Bahia, for instance, a group of chemical engineers, together with a group of designers, began to make projects for specific hospital objects, aiming at , not only making them more attractive, but also making them multi functional, in answer to a specific need. You have probably seen that leg prosthesis made of titanium, which looks like a lever; that is design.  Nike, for example, works in this field, investing in a research center in Califórnia, working on prosthesis etc. Our friends from Bahia do not have the same financial conditions as Nike, but are working in solutions which can help a great number of people. One of these prosthesis will go to those who need them and can´t afford to buy them, such as those who work in isolated places.”

Sustainable Planet
“In the WWF site, there is a series of tests you can do to check your level of consumption and how it affects the planet as refers to sustainability: there I discovered how many planets like ours would be necessary if everyone consumed like I did. It is frightening. We would need three planets. I had to learn to reeducate myself. It is cool to enter the site to calculate, understand the habits in consuming that you have, and discover how many earths would be necessary if the whole world consumed like us .”