Who?
What?
Specifically focussing on projects that are actively regenerating or contributing positive impacts to the people who use them and the local ecology that surrounds them.
How?
- Defining regenerative design as design that “reconnects humans and nature through the continuous renewal of evolving socio-ecological systems”.
- Generating site-specific metrics by profiling the pristine conditions before human intervention at or near the site, which built projects are to match.
- Drawing on multidisciplinary teams comprising scientists, economists, builders, analysts and artists to create projects that are foundations of progress, by going beyond basic high-performance design and towards renewal-focused impacts.
Outcomes/Example Projects
- Experimental projects, such as the NAIOP International Design Competition for the “Office Building of the Future” revealed timber as a construction material with high potential for positive impact. It is a renewable resource that sequesters carbon, facilitates lighter construction, which in turn reduces the necessary size of the foundation, is naturally insulating and includes biophilic design benefits.
- Rodney Cook Sr. Park in Vine City, Atlanta, GA: The 16-acre park now alleviates flooding by capturing and storing up to 10-million gallons of stormwater, while creating a vibrant community destination – ultimately revitalizing a neighborhood that has been plagued by a complex set of social and economic challenges, outdated infrastructure and severe flooding.
“The fact is, we cannot just design to net zero buildings — net zero waste, energy and water. We have to design to net positive impacts.”
Regenerative Principles
Rooted in place/ context
Living systems thrive within a place, and natural ecosystems are open but contained within a context. So for regenerative business, connection to place and community matters. There is no “one size fits all” approach – it’s about working with local and regional ecosystems.
Interconnectivity
Interconnectedness often leads to unexpected non-linear changes because of many different feedback loops in the system. These relationships are the heart of regeneration.
Dynamic
Regenerative systems are Dynamic, as is nature. Change is a given: seasons cause growth, blossoming and decay. Regeneration is not something you can “solve for” once and then ignore. It’s about recognising that change is a constant and developing the capacity to continually adapt.
Design Principles
Learning from Nature
Best illustrated through the concept of biomimicry, ‘mimicking’ nature. Most well known in the world of design and architecture, the core idea behind it is widely applicable. It’s essentially about recognising that nature has a 3.8 billion year headstart on us when it comes to learning how to adapt, survive and thrive, and so we’d be foolish not to see it as a model to learn from and be inspired by. As Janine Benyus, Founder of the Biomimicry Institute puts it: “Life creates the conditions that are conducive to life.”
Circularity
The principle of designing waste out of the system, recovering water, waste materials and energy through production, usage and recreation processes to generate more materials and energy.
Aligning Inner and Outer
A crucial principle is integrity, or alignment of inner and outer. You can’t be regenerative on the outside without also being regenerative on the inside.
