Ecological Design Principles

ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS

endangered species

global climate change

human survival

TRIPLE BOTTOM LINE

social equity

environmental impact

financial reward

HUMAN CONTEXT

Green Building Dockside Green: Vancouver BC

Green Building Dockside Green: Vancouver BC

Brownfield Site

Vegetated Architectural Systems

Sustainable Stormwater Management

100% Reuse of wastewater for industrial process

Biodiesel plant on the site; tenants encouraged to use diesel vehicles

Biomass Energy Generation

LEED Platinum

7+ environmental awards

Green Building Dockside Green: Vancouver BC

HARVARD BLACKSTONE RENOVATION

cogeneration & building systems monitoring

University Operation Services, Registered LEED Gold

Energy: heat recovery system, daylight sensors, occupant sensors, CF bulbs, LED, cool roof, geothermal/valence heat system

Innovative Site Design: bioswale, NO irrigation, permeable paving

Construction Waste: 99.5% diverted from landfill

Low VOC finishes

Daylight and views for 90% of occupants, operable windows

Bamboo

Natural Linoleum

HARVARD BLACKSTONE RENOVATION

cogeneration & building systems monitoring

Ecology of Place

Sound Attenuation

HABITAT CREATION

Conservation

•197,000 sq. feet of Roof Area

• Five Undulating Domes

• Slopes in excess of 60 degrees

• Six inches of Soil Depth

• Diverse Native Plant Community

• Observation Deck

CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES

CASE STUDY : C.A.S.

�

Chinampa is a method of ancient Mesoamerican agriculture which

used small, rectangle-shaped areas of fertile arable land to grow crops on the shallow lake.

temperate freshwater chianampa

BIOMIMICRY

SOUTH SAN JOSE POLICE SUB-STATION

MICROTOPOGRAPHY increases BIODIVERSITY

Rhypark, Basel, Switzerland

Architect: Stadtgärtnerei Basel

Year: 1987

Natural Analogue: Dry Meadow

Roof Size: 1615 sq.ft.

Roof Slope: 1.5%

NATURALIZED ROOFS

slide courtesy rana creek

EUROPEAN PRECEDENT

HERON’S HEAD PARK

HERON’S HEAD PARK

S

Literacy for Environmental Justice at Heron’s Head Park

NATIVE SYSTEMS

EDUCATION

PERMACULTURE APPROACH

MATERIALS

Living Roofs-Desert Climates

Arkin Tilt Architects

ECOLOGICAL DESIGN PRINCIPLES

Solutions Grow from Place

Ecological Accounting Informs Design Design With Nature Everyone is a Designer Make Nature Visible

PRINCIPLE DESIGN CRITERIA

“If we are sensitive to the nuances of place, we can inhabit

without destroying.”

“Trace the environmental impacts of existing or proposed

designs. Use this information to determine the most

ecologically sound design possibility.”

“Engaging in processes that regenerate rather than deplete.”

“As people work together to heal their places, they also heal themselves.”

“De-natured environments ignore our need and our potential for learning.”

ECOLOGICAL DESIGN: Sim van der Rynn/Stuart Cowen

1. Insist on rights of humanity and nature to co-exist in a healthy, supportive, diverse and

sustainable condition.

2. Recognize interdependence. Expand design considerations to recognizing even distant

effects.

3. Consider all aspects of human settlement including community, dwelling, industry and trade in terms of existing and evolving connections between spiritual and material consciousness. 4. Accept responsibility for the consequences of design decisions upon human well-being, the viability of natural systems and their right to co-exist.

5. Do not burden future generations with requirements for maintenance or potential danger due to the careless creation of products, processes or standards. 6. Eliminate the concept of waste. Evaluate and optimize the full life-cycle of products and processes, to approach the state of natural systems, in which there is no waste. 7. Rely on natural energy flows. Incorporate energy efficiently and safely for responsible use. 8. Understand the limitations of design. No design solves all problems. Treat nature as a model and mentor, not as an inconvenience to be controlled. 9. Seek constant improvement by the sharing of knowledge, and re-establish the integral relationship between natural processes and human activity.

Ecological Reference

Balanced Capacity Adaptation & Performance Sustainable Yield Hydrologic Cycle

PRINCIPLE DESIGN CRITERIA

Use indigenous plants, adapted to local environmental

conditions, provide wildlife habitat.

Landscape in balance with nutrient availability, rainfall, and

seasonal growing requirements of plants.

Plant material selection is based on adaptation to seasonal climatic variation and soil conditions.

Self sustaining, self regenerative, and self transcending and adapting. Do not rely on the abundance of irrigation, fertilizers, and maintenance. Contain healthy soils with active biological activity.

Integration of site and structure by capturing, storing, reusing, and conveying of storm water to and through the ground plane landscape.

Special Thanks to the following

for Photos and Design Principles

ECOLOGICAL DESIGN: Sim van der Rynn/Stuart Cowen

HANOVER PRINCIPLES: Wm. McDonough

RANA CREEK: Paul Kephart/Restoration View

ECOLOGICAL DESIGN: Josiah Cain