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Farmer Holding Vegetables In Hands

You don't have live in a rustic cabin in the woods and grow all your food and cook with a solar oven to live a sustainable life. There are many choices.

 

Biophilic Regenerative Design in a nutshell

Biophilic Design and Regenerative Development is an approach that encourages communities to support and create positive relationships that will benefit society and our environments by allowing the systems of Nature to evolve and adapt to changing circumstances. This paradigm emerges from an ecological mindset by embracing uncertainty and change. It moves away from the idea ‘control’ as we cannot predict how systems will evolve. Instead, it learns from Nature and understands that diverse strategies acting in unison are key elements to create an adaptable and resilient natural environment (and development).

Most importantly, it views the world from a holistic perspective. That is, this framework understands that every issue has many interacting factors contributing to it; thus, any attempt to improve the situation must act across different scales and elements.

How is this different from current strategies? Current development strategies understand the world from a ‘mechanistic’ perspective; that is, the aim is to control the variables. To do so, it breaks apart the systems and deals with one element of the issue in isolation. Afterwards, we are surprised that the issue was not fixed after the intervention. In general, the same values that drive our economy ‘get more revenue for less work’, drive traditional development strategies ‘do more with less’. As such it is unstable in the long run.

 

Biophilic Regenerative Design in action

Biophilic Design Regenerative development creates the capacity within a system for it to be vital, viable and able to constructively adapt to change. Critical to this is the engagement of people. Critical to a thriving future is architecture and businesses who begin to see their role as enriching, supporting and benefiting their community, They aren’t just sustainable in its water, energy and resource use; but is also supporting all its inhabitants and employees to grow, succeed, be happier, healthier and more engaged.

 

This groundbreaking work has allowed us to identify the defining characteristics of life as the ability to self-maintain and to self-regenerate. It also identified 4 unique properties of life;

  1. Self-Regenerative ability is not located in any one place. It is nodal or decentralised

  2. Life is dependent on interconnected relationships of all parts of the cell

  3. Life is an holistic (emergent) property of all “parts” of the cell and relationships between the parts

  4. Each “part” is also a self-regenerative (autopoetic) system so the cell as one whole is made up of a number of other wholes within it.

 

So “life is an organized system capable of maintaining itself within a boundary of its own making” where living is regenerative and regenerative is living. The breakdown of this interconnectedness leads to the inability to regenerate and death. When we consider the systems with which we work; agriculture, business, organisations, communities, governments; these are all living systems which have complex connections within and between them. They are individually wholes; as are the soils, farms and people; but are wholes within greater wholes. If we break down the connections, we take life from the complex systems we are working with, for example the soil, the business or the community. We lose the potential inherent within these complex systems and need to provide more support by way of inputs and energy. A prime example of this is the increasing reliance of our agriculture on exogenous inputs like fertiliser, pesticides and herbicides. Degenerated systems need external support and cost more to run than regenerative systems. Living Systems as with natural systems have the inherent ability to maintain themselves, regenerate and thrive in the right conditions. Regenerative design is about creating these conditions. Decision making in this design process needs to be mindful and relevant.

Here a few examples of the many styles of architecture that can be adaptable to Regenerative Design principles in the processes of building and maintaining them over time. Yet, this process can only be done in relationship to the many complex relationships between how the building is built, how it is placed on the site, how much energy  it requires, how much waste it generates, how much Nature is disturbed, plus 100+ more issues. To start on must consider a holistic list of how you architecture project can apply Regenerative Principles. This team has years of experience couching clients through this complex, yet necessary process.

Below are just a few examples of architectural styles that can be adapted to Regenerative Design. Whatever you unique style preference, it is likely adaptable regeneration. These shifts in practices lead to 7 principles which define regenerative.

  1. Holism.  Interrelated and dependent where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

  2. Mutualism.  All parts of the system have inherent value, are interdependent and contribute to the health and resilience of the system. Success cannot be at the expense of the parts or the system.

  3. Uniqueness.  Every whole and part of the system is unique and has within its whole inherent and often unrealised potential. Regenerative design fosters individual genius and unrealised potential within the parts for the benefit of the whole system.

  4. Evolutionary. Living systems are unpredictable and the environments within which they work constantly change. The flexible frameworks of regenerative design maintains a dynamic balance with ever-changing environmental conditions.

  5. Nodal. Decentralized and distributed decision making and resources which redistribute power.

  6. Developmental. Regenerative design allows for the growth and health of the individual members.  Unlimited potential is realised when people grow.

  7. Beauty. Too many human projects do not consider the aesthetics, patterns and orders of Nature when planning and building their environments. This typically results in poor functionality and a hodge podge growth system that too often requires a lot of concrete and asphalt roads connecting poorly planned environments. This destroys more Nature and easily becomes ugly. Example: Suburban cul-de-sac of lawn and garage in front style homes, especially on trash day- lots of plastic trach cans stacked by concrete driveways on asphalt streets- UGLY! Even in old treelined neighborhoods it is shabby. Plus, where is that trash going? In a regenerative system all the organic trash would be composted and plastic, metals, etc. reused in some way that is regenerative.. If it is not beautiful why do it? The whole plan and how all the parts relate must be considered as much as possible including how they look. Regenerative Designs always ask the question, "How can existing Nature be protected and saved in ways the promote future regenerative qualities and remains beautiful always?"

 

From these 7 principles we have framed a definition of regenerative "Beautiful living, evolving and naturally functioning environments, patterns and organization where abundance and resilience are recurring outcomes of its underlying health. Regenerative architecture is the practice of engaging our natural world as the medium for, and generator of the architecture. It responds to and utilizes the living and natural systems that exist on a site that become the “building blocks” of the architecture.”

The term “regenerate” describes a process that mimics Nature itself by restoring or renewing its own sources of energy and materials. This team views regenerative design as design that reconnects humans and nature through the continuous renewal of evolving socio-ecological systems. Some of the top regenerative design strategies are: Green Roofs & Skins. Green roofs are fairly common in today's building design industry, but we can also design buildings with skins that actually clean the ambient air and sequester carbon. Capturing  and storing Rainwater and growing food.

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Some common biophilic and regenerative design elements include skylights, which provide natural light; interior and exterior plants, green walls, pergolas, covered with living greenery; edible lawns, greenhouses, cellars and the presence of water, such as fountains or ponds. Biophilia means a love of nature, so Biophilic Design uses natural elements and resources to create a sense of harmony between our modern living, working and playing spaces and the natural world. Biophilic Design is proven to:
 

· Improve mood, physical and mental health and cognitive function

· Reduce stress levels

· Increases productivity, performance, engagement, and creativity

· Advance the natural healing process

When working with this team you will learn not only the mental and physical benefits of Biophilic and Regenerative Design but also:

· Categories and Principles of Biophilic and Regenerative Design

· Why it's becoming increasingly popular (and necessary) as an architectural and interior style

· Simple and easy ways to create a connection with Nature, in all our buildings and interior spaces

· Architectural, Interior and Landscape trends influencing Biophilic and Regenerative Design

· The connection between Biophilic, Sustinable and Regenerative Design, Wabi Sabi, Permaculture, Biodiversity and Hygge

It’s all about the the experience!

When traveling or just living in your home, people seek satisfying experiences connected to Nature that enjoys the moment and build memories. We seek interesting experiences that resonate with local history and culture, focus on well-being or simply have a novel theme. When variety increases, there’s all the more to share and talk about. Financial experts say that spending on travel and dining experiences is outpacing demand for goods and  personal consumption. And designers like our firm and others are constantly re-imagining and customizing the homeowner''ss and guest environment, keeping foremost in our minds that we are designing for people. It’s no longer enough to craft a beautiful building or space that people will enjoy. We also have to create memorable experiences. And those experiences often involve shared social enjoyment and not just individual satisfaction.

 

It’s obvious how experiential design enhances success for restaurants, hospitality and retail. But regenerative design is also having an effect on our homes and workplace where social spaces foster collaboration, and even on higher education where learning takes place as much in the informal setting of a student center’s cafe as it does in the classroom.  In the places where we live, work, learn and heal, creating a healthy, green environment has become a touchstone for quality of life. As part of life’s expectations, it should not just be sustainable but also regenerative. It should grow as a living idea. At the center of this trend is the concept of biophilia and biophilic design. To maximize the biophilic value of an environment, one must engage the landscape and integrate experience of the outdoors with the interiors. Designers start with the largest scale of planning the project site and continue the approach throughout and finally to the smallest details, in the case of a house, to the plants in bathing room. Careful integration of landscape and buildings can create an immersive biophilic experience. Biophilia, is about well-being and multi-sensory experiences. The word biophilia, with Greek origins, simply translates as an affinity for nature (bio- means “life” and -philia means “having a friendly feeling toward”). Originally popularized by psychoanalyst Erich Fromm in the 1960s, the term was elaborated by the American biologist Edward O. Wilson in the 1980s to stand for “the rich, natural pleasure that comes from being surrounded by living organisms.” Merriam Webster – Biophilia

 

Let's combine old and new technologies and information learned from Nature's processes to create our hybrid Regenerative Design Process that evolves us beyond our present limitations. When each of us start taking steps forward we all benefit and Resilient change happens.

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