Gen Z design: Sustainability at the fore
Arden Callagher recently received Top in World in AS Level Design and Technology at The Cambridge International Outstanding Leaders Awards.
Arden’s Cambridge International AS Level Design and Technology final model was a water sculpture, created alongside a design portfolio in a matter of weeks in her school workshop.
One of the first illustrations that Arden created for her first year design studies at University of Auckland, aimed at capturing atmospheric space.
Arden Callagher was recently named this year’s Top in World in AS Level Design and Technology at The Cambridge International Outstanding Leaders Awards. Having just finished her year 12 studies, Callagher is a rising star passionate about sustainable architecture and design, representing a theme among emerging Gen Z creative thinkers. We catch up with her following receiving this honour to find out what her plans are next.
ArchitectureNow: When did you first become interested in architecture? What initially drew you to it as a career?
Arden Callagher (AC): For as long as I can remember I’ve wanted to be an architect. I was drawing houses and wacky skyscrapers on my mum’s drawing machine since I was five. Taking Cambridge International Design and Technology was very insightful into the creative process, where researching and creating concepts, and then using problem-solving skills to take these concepts through to a finished product was enjoyable. I really want a career that will allow me to be creative but also improve the lives and home and working environments for people.
ArchitectureNow: What are you looking forward to as you begin your architecture studies at the University of Auckland?
AC: I started at university this year and am really looking forward to stretching my abilities and to confront and overcome challenges whilst learning new skills from my experienced tutors and lecturers. I feel really inspired by the innovative designs the school is creating and the resources and tools we have access too. But mostly, I am emboldened to unleash my creativity and take in everything I can from both my tutors and classmates.
ArchitectureNow: What areas of the architecture/design industry are you most passionate about?
AC: Sustainability has to be at the forefront of all my designs. It is something that I am very passionate about. Taking geography at school all the way through to A-level, as well as through my personal research, I have learnt about the fragility of our planet and how we need to dramatically change how and where we live, work and play if there is to be a good future. I have volunteered for Sea Cleaners and seen a small sector of the pollution and mess that people make. In architecture, I am very fervent about how low carbon buildings work in harmony with the climate and our environment.
A secondary drive for me is designing efficiently. Whilst we spend the foreseeable future saving lives by staying in our homes, I think you can really notice what parts of your house you use and don’t use. By looking at the end user of the space and using space-maximising designs techniques, do we really need three lounge rooms, and does the car really need to have the biggest bedroom in the house?
ArchitectureNow: What has been a favourite project of yours in your studies so far? What projects have challenged you the most?
AC: University has been incredibly enjoyable thus far. I’ve enjoyed designing and modelling with different software and physical media too. One of our design projects was making 1:200 scale paper models of a 36m2 “party room”. This was an opportunity to let the imagination run wild and to really think about how a small interior space could work on a steep site. These were fiddly little beasts, but the end products were very rewarding.
ArchitectureNow: What do you see as some of the biggest challenges facing the architecture industry going forward?
AC: Using the resources we’ve been given wisely is a key challenge, but ensuring those resources are around for generations to come is the bigger challenge. Building homes that are affordable as well as safe and nice to live in, is a huge challenge for 80 per cent of the population. We currently have land and bush being cleared to be covered over with concrete driveways and large homes – and this is wrong. Where will our food come from? Where will the insects and birds live? Which river will be damned next? Just so we can generate the energy to run heat-pumps 24/7 in 30,000 (poorly designed) brand new homes? The decisions that we make now will impact on the viability of future generations, and as architects are big influencers of urban form, we must be making wise long-sighted decisions.
New Zealand is well endowed with its natural beauty, and we must preserve this. I’m disturbed to see our coastlines becoming densely populated and our marine life suffering as a consequence of our growing population and urban sprawl. Using our resources in the most sustainable way will include having all spaces designed purposefully and not wasting what we are blessed to have.
Follow Arden’s Architecture blog to keep up with her latest designs and ideas.
