By Don Browne
“In traditional Japanese aesthetics, wabi-sabi is a world view centered on the acceptance of imperfection and appreciating beauty that is ‘imperfect, impermanent and incomplete in nature.”
The Japanese wabi-sabi is not taught as a subject at any U.S. architecture schools. Western building styles often focus on permanence and durability using heavier materials like stone, concrete and steel.
However, as more American-based designers and construction influencers recognize the urgent need to build sustainable homes, we have seen wabi-sabi ideas incorporated into some designs. In the next video course to be released by the Polymeric Exterior Products Association – PEPA 1 Class V3 – author and producer Fernando Pagés Ruiz demonstrates a happy marriage between polymeric exteriors and wabi-sabi principles.
Like washi paper, vinyl siding is a light material made from natural and recyclable substances. It has the lowest carbon emission of all claddings on the market today. It also comes in what Fernando calls “a surprising array of styles and finishes,” including emulated stone and other Western materials. Vinyl siding and other architectural polymers are also available in a wide range of colors.
Here is the best part: architects and designers have for years felt forced to choose between environmentally friendly buildings with lighter materials, or more durable structures with a more negative ecological impact, according to Fernando. Despite its light weight, vinyl siding is also very durable and outperforms the competition in terms of withstanding the most extreme climate conditions. Its quiet, understated strength is another trait that vinyl siding shares with washi paper.
In this video course, Fernando cites a reinterpretation of wabi-sabi building projects using modern materials like vinyl siding. There can be no greater example to support Fernando’s argument that you can achieve both sustainability and durability, as well as innovative design, by using wabi-sabi as a design strategy and incorporating architectural polymers like vinyl siding in your projects. It’s architectural freedom that includes greater affordability.
Finally, with PEPA, its members and other industry partners joining forces with the growth of the Revinylize Recycling Collaborative (a recycling initiative comprised of dedicated installers, recyclers, collection sites and other advocates that’s revolutionizing the recycling of vinyl siding and other rigid vinyl building products), it won’t be long before you’re specifying architectural polymers made from mostly recycled materials.
Natural, gentle on the earth and durable.
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Don Browne is a writer, entrepreneur and local legislator who believes that the power of words can change the world. He provides unique writing services for clients in the construction, health care, IT and hospitality sectors. He has a passion for small business and start-ups, as well as writing about Irish history, family and corporate biographies. As a homeowner and father of four who is passionate about community development, Don looks forward to writing more about the exciting possibilities of creating traditional neighborhoods and more sustainable communities using modern materials.