While conventional design and construction practices over the last few decades have offered many anthropocentric benefits, there is growing acknowledgement that the resulting environmental impacts of these approaches are both ethically unacceptable and systematically unsustainable. As we increasingly understand earth to be fundamentally comprised of complex, interconnected and interdependent living systems, no longer should we alter or disturb these intricate networks without a holistic and deeply intentional approach by all project designers and stakeholders.
Following this collective realization is a heightened demand amongst clients and users for projects that are not just ‘high performance’ and ‘green’, but also resilient, healthy, holistically sustainable, and ultimately regenerative in their pursuit of mutualistic net-positive outcomes for all living systems that thrive within a given place. This shifting of worldview toward eco-centric values represents a fundamental underpinning of regenerative design and development thinking which puts life and all its manifestations at the heart of decision making. As such, regeneration serves as a guide for envisioning a future potential characterized by abundance, vitality, and a deep reverence for the living world beyond humanity.
This course will focus on providing students with theory, knowledge and skills that are essential in approaching projects through a regenerative lens. Students will work within interdisciplinary teams on assignments framed on real-world projects, offering a strong opportunity to address practical challenges along with other design professionals that come with a diversity of perspectives and specializations.
Open for registration to all graduate students in SALA and to graduate students in the High Performance Buildings, Master of Engineering Leadership program.