Organic Agriculture and Local Food

Appropriate Technology: Energy

Green Building & Retrofitting

1.Whole Systems Approach to Ecological Design
Ecological Designs	Master Planning	Climate Change & Peak Oil

Ecological Designs

The application of ecological design principles and technologies to the built environment has become a major imperative with increasing understanding of global environmental problems. These problems have been largely created by the developed world's building and energy practices.

The new ecological agenda for sustainable building design is one that insists on the incorporation of energy efficiency in all aspects of the built environment within a thoroughly developed ecological framework. New building technologies and design-forms are correlated with a systematic approach to both the biological and mineral aspects of our environment. Many consulting companies offer services in this field (Robert Gordon University is an example).

The ecological design overview explores five design philosophies or methodologies to deliver sustainable development:

Permaculture - design inspired by ecology;
Ecological Economics – balancing the four capitals;
Restorative Environmental Design – importance of place and biophilia;
Ecological Engineering – nature is the toolbox;
Industrial Ecology – cyclical vs. linear processes.

All these add excellent inspirational approaches, with strong academic connections.

This section then looks at Master Planning and the development of design protocols and sustainability indicators as tools for project implementation. The advantages in the integration of utilities are described. The importance of understanding appropriate technological scales is explored. The final piece looks at the relevance of re-localisation versus centralisation in urban design.
In John & Nancy Todd’s book From Eco-Cities to Living Machines Principles of Ecological Design, the design precepts are given as:

That the living world be the matrix for all design;
That design follow, not oppose, the laws of life;
That biological equity determines design;
That design reflects bio-regionality;
That projects be based on renewable energy sources;
That design be sustainable through integration of living systems;
That design be co-evolutionary with the natural world;
That building and design help in healing the planet;
That design follow a “sacred ecology”.

Ecovillage Design Principles
Click on image to enlarge

“Ecological Design” is one of the early books in the field, written by two industry pioneers - Sim Van der Ryn and Stuart Cowan.