The need to save our environment for future generations is one of the greatest challenges that humankind must address today; this task is fuelled by the growing realization that if we maintain our current rate of growth, consumption and way of life, this may be our last millennium on Earth. The singularly most compelling question for any designer is: how do we design for a sustainable future?

Just as much as this question concerns the design professions, it is also a question that concerns industry - many corporations now anxiously seek to understand the environmental consequences of their current activities and attempt to envision what their impact might be if their business were sustainable. The most committed businesses must seek ways to realize their vision through ecologically benign strategies, new business models, production systems, materials and processes.

Vital issues include how energy will be a major factor influencing our architectural design and planning. It is no longer a matter of design for low-energy or for zero carbon, but whether our designed systems can generate their own energy locally.

An ecologically responsive built environment will undoubtedly change not only the way we design our built environment, but also how we work and the currently ecologically profligate way of life pursued by many of us in the developed and developing countries.

In response to these imperatives, the 7th Jerusalem Seminar focused on the state of green design and planning, and within this overall theme, the conference encompassed the theoretical work done in this field and the range of technical solutions. The conference informed and gave an assessment and overview of the work that is carried out worldwide today.

Dr. Ken Yeang