Design for an Empathic World: Reconnecting People, Nature, and Self

by Sim Van der Ryn, Jason McLennan (Foreword)

Despite an uncertain economy, the market for green building is exploding. The US green building market has expanded dramatically since 2008 and is projected to double in size by 2015 (from $42 billion in construction starts to $135 billion). But green-building pioneer Sim Van der Ryn says, “greening” our buildings is not enough.  He advocates for “empathic design”, in which a designer not only works in concert with nature, but with an understanding of and empathy for the end user and for ones self.  It is not just one of these connections, but all three that are necessary to design for a future that is more humane, equitable, and resilient.Sim’s lifelong focus has been in shifting the paradigm in architecture and design. Instead of thinking about design primarily in relation to the infrastructure we live in and with—everything from buildings to wireless routing—he advocates for a focus on the people who use and are affected by this infrastructure. Basic design must include a real understanding of human ecology or end-user preferences. Understanding ones motivations and spirituality, Sim believes, is critical to designing with empathy for natural and human communities.In Design for an Empathic World Van der Ryn shares his thoughts and experience about the design of our world today. With a focus on the strengths and weaknesses in our approach to the design of our communities, regions, and buildings he looks at promising trends and projects that demonstrate how we can help create a better world for others and ourselves. Architects, urban designers, and students of architecture will all enjoy this beautifully illustrated book drawing on a rich and revered career of a noted leader in their field. The journey described in Design for an Empathic World will help to inspire change and foster the collaboration and thoughtfulness necessary to achieve a more empathic future.

Genres: Design, Architecture, Nonfiction

192 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 3, 2013

About the author

Simon Herman Van der Ryn was a Dutch-born American architect, researcher and educator. Van der Ryn's professional interest was applying principles of physical and social ecology to architecture and environmental design. He promoted sustainable design at the community scale and the building-specific scale. He designed single-family and multi-family housing, community facilities, retreat centers and resorts, learning facilities, as well as office and commercial buildings.

Reviews

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book to be thoughtful, educational and inspiring. Much of what I read in my employment has to do with urban and environmental design, so once I got past the instinct to edit (not that it needed it) I was able to absorb and enjoy the content as a reader. The author weaves his history (including substantial credentials) and personality with the history of the environmental and urban greening movement, exploring how important it is today, both for society and culture as a whole and for us as individuals. I support these ideas already, so it didn't change my mind, but it did deepen my understanding as well as reveal facets of the movement, both past and present, that I didn't know. (I bookmarked a LOT.) The book is aesthetically well presented and contains lovely artwork by the author himself. Overall a thoughtful presentation and an important one.

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

The watercolors were very nice. I thought the idea of changing the color of the paper for each chapter was vaguely interesting.

From the other reviewers, it seems like people are really getting a lot out of this book, which surprises me. If you read ecological design books, you've probably read books with a lot more personality and content. If you don't read design books, then I don't know what you would find appealing about it.

There's nothing in this book I disagree with. There's nothing in this book that provokes in me much of any response at all. My main thought was "well, good for this guy; seems to be living the life he wants to live and doing good work. That's cool I guess."

There's something about the power of experience that I don't think easily translates into words. Like the author, I really enjoy watering my plants and it's something I really look forward to. Unlike him, I don't think it's something that translates into an interesting narrative.

[Nic · Rating 5 out of 5]

a nice, easy read that views architecture and urban design through the lenses of curiosity and the human experience. a hopeful view of what could be if design was centered around living not profit

[Jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I consider myself an empathic person; someone who spends his time worrying about the welfare of others, those I haven't met, those who don't exist on this planet yet, no matter of the circumstance surrounding the individual(s). As I read through Sim Van Der Ryn's Design for an Empathic World, I slowed down, even before he made it clear this was a quality to practice. I dampened my pace for the sheer fact that the book demands a respect of calmness, of putting aside the pesky, trivial thoughts in your head. Reading it was meditative on its own, regardless of some of the lessons within, as the fluidity of the pieces were just as important as their validity.

The forward of the book—A Sustained Awakening of the Human Heart—is truly a testament to the purpose of the entire text, a philosophy strongly upheld and placed without struggle in front of the reader for their recognition. Beyond just being a standard book, a fantastic journey through ecological design and sustainability by a leading voice, it was also a personal reflection (something clearly evident in Chapter 6 entitled, Journey to the Inner Self and Outer World) which make the reader question ones core beliefs and values, beyond just ethical practice, when designing. As such, the book fundamentally asks who one is as a human being?

It was fitting that shortly before reading the book, my wife and I had begun a conversation about the 1920's and 30's and how, during that time, electric railways dominated many large American cities. We discussed the well-known story of how GM, Standard Oil, Philips Petroleum, and Firestone had gained control of almost all of these streetcars and had them shut down: an act largely believed to push people to buy their own vehicle or take a bus powered by fossil fuels (and Firestone tires). This is a popular tale of greedy, anti-empathetic behavior, and we now sit in a hotbed of concerns related to climate change, energy shortages and dwindling resources, as a result.

It is within this context, that Sim Van Der Ryn drives his point home. As he discusses Governor Reagan calling in the National Guard on students at Berkley for coming together and building a park, on land which was considered private property, one begins to understand that at times, those privileged few can forget about those less fortunate...and that the decision to think without empathy, can cause severe consequences years later. Van Der Ryn, similarly, speaks to the pitting of design students against each other in studios, and how this breeds feelings of mistrust and a drive to be the best, while accepting all the collateral damage that may accompany your decisions. From a design perspective, can a work ever really be empathic enough? Can we not always do more for our fellow human?

It is worth mentioning that there is a portion of the book that speaks about yoga and spirituality—attempting to make the link between yoga, spirituality, and an individual's level of empathy. While I do understand that the author was merely trying to provide a road map to finding the inner-self, the true message became slightly muddled for me in loose spiritual talk.

I cannot complain, however, as the other 98% of the book was nothing but heart-warming stories of good being done. I thoroughly enjoyed a passage near the end of the book, for example, where the author talks about insatiable modern desire for connectivity and speed via technology—something that seems to be creating a chasm between us as human beings. He states that "our eyes dart around, but are we truly seeing? With all our speedy need to get on with the next thing, we never catch up. Are we ever truly present? We're connected but how, to whom, what, why?" Finally he adds the piece that sums everything up for me:

"To be present is to be gifted with the simple pleasures of peace and quiet, which seem the rarest of commodities in our present environment."

In this fast paced, digital world, I would argue that living and doing for the common good is far more rewarding and influential in life than living for oneself. For those of us who shape the built environment, we have the responsibility of creating a humane platform that can enrich our lives, not detract from it. Designing for an Empathic World truly understands this concept, and drives it home with grace and elegance.

[Jonna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was given this book about design at a particularly serendipitous time. The author, Sim Van Der Ryn, introduces both his personal and career history by describing his relationship with California, and specifically the Bay Area. I was intrigued because I received the book the week that I returned from a weekend trip to San Francisco to visit friends who moved from the Midwest to California (wine country, Sonoma).

Much of the scenery and situations of the book were vividly familiar to me and I could picture the landscapes he described (also aided by the lovely watercolors that accompany the prose.) The lessons and mindset that he set forth as his role as an instructor and architectural representative to California's state government seemed to be very progressive for its time, and today are more readily accepted as design principles.

In addition, at my workplace, our company is undergoing some tenant improvements and remodeling. So a lot of the discussion about taking the end user and their needs and desires for any kind of architecture or design, was particularly apt to me.

It was a breezy, yet thoughtful read. You will enjoy it!

[Julia Barnard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It's written in a very conversational style, which makes it a pleasure to read casually. It takes seriously the question of how to use design, planning, and architecture in service of justice and reads as a friendly call to action. I got interested in design and planning from a justice perspective, and this book reminds me that in the middle of all of the pragmatism, business focus, and neoliberalism, there is and must be space to remember social responsibility and ethics.

The author compels us to keep long-term questions of ecology and inequality in mind while also reminding us that hope is an essential element in the hard work of just design. I especially appreciate the focus on cooperation, collaboration, and altruism. Most importantly, Sim Van Der Ryn reminds us that we must pay attention to "the core of our being" and the basic things that bring us and others joy when we are doing this important work. This focus on the intersection of the personal with the work (design, planning, architecture, or otherwise) was refreshing and will stick with me for some time to come.

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a retired carpenter, I enjoyed the author’s principles and view of ecological design built into the environment. It is so reassuring to see and read about green building movements of our present time. It is very insightful to read of the sustainable design practices that are becoming more predominant. Human-centered designs such as open concept living space and daylight provided by more windows and/or skylights have escalated in today’s buildings. The energy savings aspects brought out in this book were most informative, such as water and electricity usage and how we overuse them and how we can change our ways of overusing them. I also enjoyed the farming aspect in this book by which the author himself learned to experience hands-on participation in growing plants. This book is a good eye opener – especially for every American!

[Marlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thought-provoking book from architect Sim Van der Ryn.

First of all, the book itself is gorgeous, with watercolors by the author sprinkled throughout. Each chapter has a subtle color of its own.

From thinking about who pays for buildings, who uses buildings, how buildings fit in with the earth, how architects are taught, and how inward reflection has outward results, this is certainly an unusual book about design from an individual who has spent a career innovating and advocating for the common good.

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

More of a memoir than a planning book, but thoughtful and well presented.