The term “ecology” has been through the wash in recent years. As designers and architects increasingly look to meet their client’s interests in green design, we’ve seen considerable drift in what it means to protect, support, or restore ecological systems around built forms. In this session, we return to the theoretical foundation of the discipline of ecology and explain how its key principles can and should influence design.
Our approach blends the formal sharing of expertise and experience with a workshop feel. Each of our four presenters will speak for 15 minutes, followed by a small group question and discussion section, each moderated by a panelist, in a world café format that allows participants to interact freely and personally with each presenter.
• Foundation: If we take a restorative approach to a site, we examine a series of questions. What are ecological attributes, how do we assess them? How do we comprehensively examine the drivers of degradation? Once we have a framework in place, what does recovery mean? – Juan Rovalo, InSite
• Implementation: A case study of formal evaluation of the larger scale physiography and function based on ecological systems to inform building and park design. – Tenna Florian, Lake Flato Architects
• The ecological perspective not only casts our built systems in a different light, but it enables us to identify the most beneficial design opportunities for the site, community, and region. If we consciously align with and learn from the remarkable ecosystems that we are a part of, we can begin to create healthy, prosperous, and regenerative built systems. To put concrete metrics on this approach, we can use conceptual guides to quantify existing, historic, and desired ecological functions. In this section we provide several examples of rigorous approaches to defining site carrying capacity along several axis of ecological function. - Bill Browning, Terrapin Bright Green
• Clients & Community: Challenges and Successes in educating clients and design teams on a more rigorous integration of ecology. This section examines where we go from here, and what our field needs to move forward and improve. We’ll discuss using ecosystem services, precedents, biomimicry, watersheds, and reference systems not as buzzwords but to build awareness and support for factoring in site ecology. - Pete Munoz, Biohabitats
This session is approved for the following continuing education credits:
- 1.5 LFA credits
- 1.5 AIA LU|HSW credits
