Culture & Sustainability
Culture is often overlooked in the discourse on sustainability, despite globalisation and modernisation often perceived to erode those time-tested rituals and traditions that are often associated with culture and heritage. Our research provides a balanced understanding of the green agenda that goes beyond the triple bottom line to also include culture as a fourth pillar for creating more sustainable built environments. In particular, we demonstrate how the principles of sustainability can be applied in the conservation, restoration and adaptation of historic structures; focusing on integrating the built heritage within cities as a means of enhancing economic and cultural value. We explore ways in which time-tested building and conservation techniques still meet emerging standards for sustainability and energy conservation; and provide an insight into how indigenous building materials and passive design techniques can help retain local cultural identity.