Beyond Green - Drawing on Nature

Green building practices have become increasingly commonplace over the past decade, largely due to the introduction and widespread use of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) green building rating system. While an important Initial step, simply producing buildings that are incrementally better than current practice will prove insufficient to meet the requirements of a built environment that can support sustainable patterns of living.

The primary learning objective of this course is to gain a critical understanding of the potential lessons for architectural design that can be legitimately drawn from nature. In contrast to the fragmented approach evidenced in current green building practice, the course will explore value and potential of whole systems thinking. It will identify and critique emerging approaches founded in natural systems and processes that can help reframe architectural design and prompt new ways of exploring, testing and communicating strategies. This will be pursued through a series of presentations and discussions on the emerging notions of biophilia, biomimicry, restorative, regenerative and adaptive design as they relate to the design of the constructed environment. Student presentations of the course assignment will form an important part of these discussions.