Background​

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Conventional methods of building construction consume huge quantities of material
and natural resources. Many of the building materials are non-renewable and have
negative impact on the environment. Building sector is the single largest contributor to climate change with the used phase of buildings alone estimated to be responsible for 30-40% of total global greenhouse gas emission. Almost 3 billion tonnes of raw materials i.e. 40-50 % of the total flow in the global economy are used in the manufacture of building products and components annually. Building construction and demolition waste contributes about 40% of solid waste streams in developed countries.

In response to this destruction, building construction professionals and community at large has come with standards, guidelines, rating systems and a barrage of
technological developments that improve the efficiency of production and performance of building components. However, by and large, these have been ineffective in mitigating the impact of this sector, which is only second after agriculture in its ecological footprint on the planet. There are green buildings but these are devoid of sensitive and caring residents.

A new environmental approach has recently emerged which advocates that measures be focused on the consumer rather than efficient technology. New tools in the fields of behavioral science and behavioral economy are emerging directing towards alternative economical paradigms that challenge our traditional definitions for "growth" and "profit".

The theme of the workshop, ‘Small is Beautiful’ adopted from E.F. Schumacher’s work addresses the optimization of resources at the individual and community level.
Participants are asked to engage in questions such as ‘what is small? What is beautiful? Is it with people and their spaces or their shared values? The workshop also invites participants to ask ‘what can you learn from these spaces that you can adopt and recommend?’

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The theme aimed to understand and apply design values through the learning from
compact spaces, and communities living within limitations of socio-economic factors. It encourages participants to derive practical lessons for designing new spaces through the analysis of standard modern nuclear and the traditional spaces linked to community.

As Schumacher puts it: “While many theoreticians – who may not be too closely in touch with real life – are still engaging in the idolatry of large size, with practical people in the actual world there is tremendous longing and striving to profit, possible from the convenience, humanity and manageability of smallness.”

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Course abstract

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The course is a seven day interdisciplinary design workshop which will take place simultaneously at the Rachana Sansad Institute of Environmental Architecture in Mumbai (RSIEA) and at the Bezalel Academy of Fine Arts in Jerusalem. The course will focus on integrating practice and knowledge from different design disciplines in order to develop innovative design solutions for micro living spaces. 

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During this process we will address various issues related to sustainability: current trends of increasing housing size, different opportunities of resource, space and infrastructure sharing, design for low-income families, cultural and behavioural driven design, etc., all of which will lead to the saving of resources and the reduction of pollution.  

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Indian and Israeli students from different design disciplines will work in mix groups. The groups will be assigned case studies of dense living spaces in Jerusalem or in Mumbai and they will explore different aspect of their living and environmental conditions. Based on this analysis, the students will be asked to design solutions of various kinds: architectural configurations, products and services that will advance a more efficient use of space, energy, food etc., as well as to design campaigns that will encourage changes in behavioral patterns that influence human habit of consumption.     

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Working with the Community

After finishing the course the students are encouraged to continue working with the communities they studied with. Some projects continue to