Intentional sustainable communities – places generating architectural innovation

This paper describes the intentional sustainable communities in terms of innovation. The article tries to answer the following question: can the adoption of sustainable development principles as a basis for community life lead to creative and innovative solutions in architecture?

The sustainable communities have several features that can be considered as resources for a favorable response to the question above. The recent development of these groups of individuals was influenced by their organization in international networks, facilitated by the access to the internet. These networks are creating links between individuals with common interests and give them access to information about community building and sustainable technologies. Also the involvement of individuals in the design and building of the community is active and based on the principles of ecology. Community life involves common activities and shared responsibility, and this translates into the existence of common spaces and spatial organization overall. This organization favoring common areas and natural exterior spaces demands the development of new architectural programs.

A very important resource for innovation, for its profound nature, is the attitude within the community towards living space elements. Living in these places affects the attitude towards ecosystems and the relation between man and the natural environment. In this context, the attitude towards space, interior and exterior, towards the land and resources constitutes a new perspective with a potential for innovation.