Energy always makes a huge difference when it comes to using the proper design. Designers aim to create the most environmentally sensitive buildings which are feasible and sustainable. Engineers who use energy technology for a building design apply basic building engineering principles and technical skills which supports the developing of energy-related systems. Energy technology is widely used throughout the world to bring about development which is not only economically beneficial but also which is supportive of the environment.

The energy that is consumed by the energy-related products can cause a lot of impacts on the environment such as the consequences of energy and other materials/resources consumption, waste generation and release of hazardous substances. It is estimated that over 80% of all product-related environmental impacts are determined during the design phase of a product. These impacts are majorly caused by the production, the distribution, use, and end-of-life management of energy related products

There are many firms and industries across the world which are combating ways to create a green environment. One such example is of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. It targets ways in which we think about how our buildings and communities are designed, constructed, maintained and operated across the globe. It creates green building tools which addresses the entire building lifecycle which helps to recognise the best building strategies.

http://www.southcentral.edu/building-design-and-energy-technology/building-design-and-energy-technology.html

http://ec.europa.eu/energy/efficiency/ecodesign/eco_design_en.htm

http://www.usgbc.org/leed

Water resources management is the science of preserving our natural water environment for today and future environments. There are many problems that have been caused to our water resources such as land erosion, construction of dams, etc. Water supply and water quality are two of the most concerned problems viewed by the humanity. Water resources management aims to use engineering techniques to combat these problems. It plans to deal with these problems by constructing bridges to reduce impacts to non-tidal wetlands, erosion and sediment control design, environmental site design, etc.

There are several firms that have been developed in order to resolve water resources problems. One such firm is the MWH global. This firm is known to provide solutions to protect, enhance, store and distribute water. MWH has the technical resources, knowledge, and multi-disciplinary expertise to bring about environmentally responsible water resources solutions. It uses several engineering techniques to provide technical solutions and services such as watershed planning and management, planning approval applications, project feasibility studies, beneficial reuse, etc.

One such other example is of the Horizon Consulting Services. It provides civil and environmental engineering techniques for water resources and water supply. It also uses hydrogeologic and hydrologic services to develop new water supply sources from either groundwater or surface water resources. It can be useful in helping clients with bid solicitation and administration of construction contracts for all types of improvement projects. Field observation services are provided to monitor construction activities for conformance.

http://www.jmt.com/solutions/design/water-resources-management/

http://www.mwhglobal.com/services/engineering-and-design/water-resources/

https://horizonconsultingservicesllc.com/Water_Resources_Design.html

Nanotechnology is the technology which is based on the manipulation of individual atoms and molecules to build structures to complex atomic specifications. When nanotechnology would be incorporated with design, it will make design the most important part of any development process. If nanotechnology is possible, the cost of products (manufacturing, raw materials, labor) would drop to almost nothing. Though nanotechnology would increase the amount of work due to its complexity, but it aims to make the design process important and give designers the power to enact positive change.

The next question would be that what can nanotechnology provide? Nanotechnology being one of the most interesting fields of science and technology allows scientists to observe, touch, design, fabricate matter as small as atoms and molecules. Nanotechnology creates new materials and devices for use in a variety of applications, including physical science, medicine, electronics, and etc. It will provide engineers opportunities to explore challenges such as how to get objects into space efficiently, how to control material properties, identify the materials to be used for a particular application, etc.

Nanotechnology would benefit four specific areas through its use. It would collaborate a variety of diverse scientists and engineers to support research and development to meet national challenges. It gives a modelling network or multidisciplinary intellectual collaboration that effectively couples experimental basic research, modeling, and applications development. It would effectively enable application of models and knowledge to nano materials design. Lastly provide a data and information infrastructure to support data sharing, collaboration, and innovations across disciplines and applications.

http://trex.id.iit.edu/~milanski/fun/nanotechnology/nanotechnology.html

http://brown.edu/ce/pre-college/catalog/course.php?course_code=CEEN0916

http://www.nano.gov/node/829

Communication design is one of the major applications of design. It is mixture of design and information development which is concerned with the role of media like printing, crafting, electronic media and presentations. Its approach is not only concerned with developing the message aside from the aesthetics in media, but also with the creation of new media that ensures that the message reaches the target audience. Some designers use graphic and communication design as to overlap the skills. Communication design can also refer to a systems-based approach, in which the totality of media and messages within a culture or organization are designed as a single integrated process rather than a series of discrete efforts.

The main objective of communication design is to teach designers to examine social and cultural ramifications of communication. They learn to persuade people by creating compelling messages, explaining their design in meaningful ways, and crafting different strategies to broadcast to the world. Designers are encouraged to undertake real world collaborative projects and to pursue internships and other work experiences. Communication design can provide various career opportunities such as advertising, motion and broadcast graphics, book and magazine design, interactive design, etc.

A great example in the field of communication design is of graphic design communication. Graphic design is a blend of liberal arts and applied creative and technical skills. Its aim is to extract information to shape visual messages that are thought provoking, well researched and well executed. It demands for a lot of creativity, curiosity and discipline. It motivates individuals to work with technology and draw inspiration from from academics and experimental research. Critical thinking and technical training are partnered with practical information in  Graphic Design .

http://rwu.edu/academics/schools-colleges/fcas/degree-offerings/graphic-design-communication

http://www.newschool.edu/parsons/bfa-communication-design/

Design is done to fulfill many purposes all over the world. It ensures the safety, reliability, sustainability, etc of the design. A very important factor for design is the pleasure that one gets with the design. People make designs for pleasure as well. The main idea of the design which is made for getting pleasure is that of feeling mentally and physically pleasant around our surroundings. Different features are added significantly in the design in order to create a positive feeling which pleases our senses and makes it a better place to live.

Many questions have been raised in this topic when it comes to what should be the main focus of the design? Should it be the users or the pleasure the users get from the design? Traditionally, people would want to make sure that the users can access the design, then they can use it and lastly hoping that the design itself is useful. This view was eventually opposed by the designers who proposed that why shouldn’t the design be the main focus so that users can  choose the design that gives them the most pleasure. It was proposed that the design that gives the most pleasure should be given the topmost priority.

An example to support this point would be that of designing of an automobile industry. Instead of people wasting so much time worrying about how to design cars that is comfortable for people and what are their preferences, people should come up with ideas about how to come up with a good design for a car and make a better car. People then get the choice to choose a car that is best suitable for them out of all the designs. Thus, the main idea should be that one should build a great product, and the users will come to you.

http://www.iivix.com/pleasure_centric.html

http://www.forbes.com/sites/houzz/2013/09/27/designing-for-pleasure-how-to-appeal-to-all-the-senses-at-home/

Health is one of the biggest factors that affect an individual and an entire nation as well. People from all over the world are coming up with ways to improve the health conditions of a place. People are also coming up with designs that target to ensure better health facilities and navigate places that can transform vacant spaces into healthy places. The design aims to focus on the fact that healthy choice is the best choice no matter where you live, work or play.

A great example about a design which is in process to improve health care facilities is that of the “Fable” hospital. It may seem that extra large private hospital rooms with plenty of light and natural artwork are luxuries that are unaffordable. But research has shown that these and other architecture and design features can improve patient health care and eventually reduce costs. These are the elements of a “Fable” hospital which is an ideal health care facility conceived and analyzed by people involved in health care and design and it aims to improve quality and value.

Another such example is of the ‘Affordable Designs for Affordable Housing’. This project aims at incorporating active design principles that can help in increasing physical activities among children within the age of 3-18 years. It aims to provide professional designing and developing affordable housing with low-cost solutions for increasing physical activity in their developments. The project claims that when implemented, low-cost and cost-neutral strategies will support physical activity and better health.

http://www.thehastingscenter.org/FableEssays/

http://www.good.is/posts/when-urban-design-meets-public-health

http://activelivingresearch.org/good-design-improves-health-fostering-physical-activity