In Other Words

Observations on the Prescriptive Role of Sustainable Development Buzzwords in Architectural Discourse and Practice

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to provide a critical perspective on the complex relationship between buzzwords associated with sustainable development and the architectural discourse. Particularly, by relying on architectural theory and discourse analysis literature, we contend that the communicative trivialization that is entailed by slogans and buzzwords such as ‘sustainable’ tends to play a prescriptive role in architecture by exploiting certain tacit assumptions that characterize its discourse, and ultimately, its practice.