We Have Met the Future and It Is Green - Sustainable Design: The Science of Sustainability and Green Engineering - page 302

FROM SUSTAINABLE TO REGENERATIVE DESIGN
Perhaps the greatest lesson being drawn from reexamination of the natural envi-
ronment is the notion of continuous, regenerative processes or cycles found in
nature. The shift in focus is from a mind-set of finding ways to be more efficient
with material resources and working to minimize the impact on the environ-
ment, to adopting a “whole systems” and “integrated” approach to design that
seeks symbiotic solutions. In Cradle to Cradle , McDonough and Braungart write
of nature's cycles of nutrient flow and metabolism in which “waste equals food.” 3
The nutrient building blocks of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen reside in
continuous cycles in what is, with rare exceptions, a closed planetary system. The
authors propose a new way of looking at materials by classifying them as either
biological or technical nutrients. “A biological nutrient is a material or product
that is designed to return to the biological cycle—it is literally consumed by mi-
croorganisms in the soil and by other animals.” In contrast, “technical nutrients
are designed to go back into a technical cycle, into the industrial metabolism
from which it came.” Rather than being “down-cycled” to a less productive use
or discarded as waste in a landfill, these technical nutrients reenter the system as
productive inputs to a new cycle.
This new paradigm of whole systems thinking requires the design community
to become better versed in understanding the environmental systems of the
places in which they live. An understanding and appreciation for the biology
and chemistry of living systems and the geology, hydrology, and meteorology of
place must complement the traditional technical knowledge of concrete, steel,
and other materials and methods. Future architects and engineers must not only
be equipped to understand the technical nutrients and embrace new ideas, such
as design for disassembly, but must also become familiar with biological nutrient
cycles. Being versed in both scientific and engineering principles becomes a
prerequisite in the search for symbiotic design solutions.
Mass Production to Mass Customization
The Nike company now has the ability to produce athletic shoes, apparel, and
equipment to meet customers' exact specifications, not only as to the size of a
shoe but also as to sport, material, color, personal styling of the laces, lining,
and a personal message, thus providing for thousands of possible variations. The
NIKEiD tag line is: “Choose your colors. Add your personal motto. Make it
your own.” This evolution in the manufacture of consumer goods from a mind-
set of economies of scale gained from mass production and limiting choice to
a mind-set of leveraging technology to meet detailed individual specifications
offers possibilities that can be transferred to creation of the built environment.