Agriculture Reference
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4. Is grounded in the faith that the world is not random but purposeful, and
in the belief that as part of a larger order, humans must act in harmony
with those larger patterns. *
Regenerative design is the next step beyond sustainable design. Why sustain
something for the next generation that is very good when we can set the stage
for them to build something even better?
* Pamela Mang, “Regenerative design: sustainable design's coming revolution,” Design Intelli-
gence , July 1, 2001.
Building information modeling (BIM) is an emerging tool that has been introduced
into the classroom to facilitate students' understanding of the relationship between
design decisions and building performance. BIM uses computer technology to
create a virtual model of the design and is intended not only as a tool for
documentation but also to provide a tool for testing alternative scenarios and
measuring each scenario across multiple benchmarks, from material use to energy
consumption. The tool transforms the traditional process of the computer simply
as a tool to document, to one of conducting analysis of all of a building's systems
in an integrated fashion. The potential for these models to behave in a much
more “intelligent” manner provides a design team with the ability to test “what
if” scenarios during the design process. With the development of more robust
databases on the characteristics and composition of materials, for example, models
will be able to reflect more accurately the life-cycle implications of a designer's
decisions as the model incorporates, for example, the “embodied energy” of
alternative materials from the point of extraction through manufacturing, delivery,
and finished installation. These information-rich models are also able to simulate
and analyze alternative scenarios that incorporate project specifics such as local
climate, which are fundamental to sound and sustainable design strategies.
Perhaps the best way to approach the future of green design is to focus on
those who will be the next generation of designers. So let us end the topic by
extracting the viewpoints of first-year engineering students engaged in green
design. First, let us give a brief structure of such a course.
LESSONS FROM THE FIRST-YEARS
In teaching two courses, one aimed at undergraduates just entering Duke Uni-
versity and one aimed at engineering majors in the junior or senior year, we have
learned much about green design. In this section, we share lessons on how to
provide a simple framework to introduce students to the science and practical
concepts of green engineering and design. The framework then builds on this
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