In 2022, The MArch course commissioned an environmental audit of the end-of-year showcase to understand resource use, carbon emissions and waste generation.
Inspired by the environmental audit of the Waste Age exhibit at the Design Museum by URGE Collective, Spatial Practices Climate Advocate and MArch student Hannah Millet was commissioned to undertake an embodied carbon analysis of the MA Architecture 2022 end of year showcase. With assistance from URGE providing technical support for the data analysis and data translated into a report and infographics by graphic designer Marcos Villalba of Villalba Studio, Hannah’s findings were displayed in the end of year show. Hannah has since gone on to train BA Architecture, MArch and CSM staff in carbon auditing of exhibitions resulting in the Lethaby Gallery adopting the method for all shows at the gallery and in the influencing of commercial partners i.e. a carbon audit was done for the Canada Goose x BA Fashion exhibition.
Carbon audits are the first step in understanding the impact of a physical exhibition – other impacts such as biodiversity and ecological, labour practices in supply chains and land use chains associated with material production are either not measurable in the time frame or near impossible to quantify. To generate a holistic understanding of our impact a united effort is needed to increase transparency throughout product supply chains, industrial practices and legislation. By estimating embodied carbon we can at least begin to improve practices in terms of carbon emissions, and encourage more reuse and resourcefulness in exhibition design, and also begin to understand the other impacts of our work as designers – qualitatively as well as quantitively.
The intention is for this to become a template study, adopted by other programmes and both staff and student work. We hope for this kind of analysis to be carried out at all events and exhibitions in order to quickly identify areas for improvement in our practice. End of year shows are often greatly wasteful and overlooked in terms of its ecological consequences due to time constraints and course deadlines occurring at similar times.
This exercise responds to in part the criteria set by RIBA on demonstrating climate literacy and minimising embodied carbon whilst we begin to generate our principles of how to think through carbon.
Although designed by what if: projects with minimal environmental impact in mind, using re-used material from former exhibitions, the MArch end of year show produced a grand total of 5.7 tonnes CO2e. Once we can understand and visualise the data:
● How do we reduce the harm of showcasing work?
● How do we shift practices amongst all staff and students at UAL?
● How do we influence our industries inside and outside of UAL?
Rebecca Solnit reminds us that that the notion of a ‘carbon footprint’ was the brainchild of the advertising firm working for BP. Whilst we all have to radically improve our individual practices, we cannot forget the collective action necessary to halt emissions from harmful industries.