The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the theory and practice of regenerative design and how the concepts apply to scales of design. Ultimately, it examines the applicability and limitations of these principles in a non-traditional resort development. The theories of John Lyle, Robert Thayer, and William McDonough are examined to assist in the establishment of a new framework for regenerative design which is can be used in the design process or evaluation. Case studies of the Center for Regenerative Studies, the Ford Rouge Plant and the Loreto Bay Resort were under taken to evaluate the success of current built works utilizing the new framework. Finally, the development of a regenerative resort community at Mountain Lake, in Giles County, Virginia, is undertaken as a vehicle to demonstrate the process of development and evaluation under the integrated regenerative framework. Regenerative design is a form of sustainable design which incorporates the interlocking of communities with the natural ecological cycles, the larger society and environmental costs. The overall goals for regenerative developments are to design communities which exist within natural limits and are interconnected to the regional society for needs outside the given site. Regenerative design incorporates diverse ecological, cultural, social and economical systems while maintaining their integrity within a dynamic whole. The integrated framework is an effort to direct site specific design through a flexible and extensive structure. There are two parts to this regenerative design framework. The first is a conceptual model for regenerative design, utilizing the existing idea of regenerative design rooted in sustainability, and overlays it with design driven elements of culture, experience, and education. The second element of the framework defines a set of strategies for the design process and a means of evaluating a design. / Master of Landscape Architecture

This research project is based upon the assumption that humanity is passing through a period of great transition, or “Great Turning,” in which we have a critical opportunity to pass from a destructive “industrial growth society” to a “life-sustaining society” (Macy and Brown, 1998). I argue that the current scale of social, political, environmental, economic, psychological, and spiritual challenges reflects an underlying “disconnect disorder” (Arabena, 2006), and that these combined external and internal crises present an opportunity for widespread transformative learning and a collective shift. My core hypothesis is that this transition depends on humanity’s ability to engage in a dual process of individual and collective transformation through remembering our connections with ourselves, with one another, with the natural world, and with a sense of purposeful engagement in the world. I investigate this hypothesis through an in-depth, relational study of the Ecology of Leadership program (EOL) at the Regenerative Design Institute (RDI) in Bolinas, California, an organization that aims to “serve as catalyst for a revolution in the way humans relate to the natural world.” The Ecology of Leadership represents a unique model of transformative adult education that incorporates the principles of “inner permaculture” and regenerative design to support participants in cultivating personal and collective transformation. I introduce a “relational” theory and methodological approach, which centralizes Indigenous and ecological principles of relationship, respect, reciprocity, and regeneration. Using interviews (p=20), surveys (p=409), arts-based data (p=12), sharing circles (p=8), and participatory research, I integrate personal and participant narratives together with images, graphics, poems, and practices to bring this case study of the Ecology of Leadership to life. I also advocate for a new model of “regenerative research,” in which the research itself is life-giving and contributes to the healing, transformation, and regeneration of the researcher, the community of research, and the whole system. Based upon my interactions, observations, and interviews in the EOL program and my reflections and supportive research, I conclude by articulating the “Ecology of Transformation,” a holistic model for transformation that incorporates inner and outer change with practices for reconnection to oneself, the natural world, and the village.

Ecological and social challenges have tested the ability of conventional land development as a route to a sustainable future. Early sustainability paradigms have been part of the response towards better development practices, but many critics have argued that more needs to be done – to move beyond essentially degenerative sustainability paradigms towards more explicitly regenerative sustainability paradigms. This practicum examines the Canada Lands Company (CLC) development of its CFB Calgary properties (Garrison Woods and Currie Barracks) to explore the progress around sustainability paradigms and to prospect the case for Regenerative Design and Development (RD+D) as a new operative worldview governing CLC’s planning and land development practices. A literature review and a series of focused interviews with key informants were the main research methods, within the context of the case study set, to pursue a series of research questions, culminating with: How – and in what ways, with what rationale – could RD+D be considered an appropriate new worldview for CLC’s next generation of leading-edge-seeking projects? What are its prospects? It was generally concluded that RD+D is a viable, emerging sustainability approach for CLC. More specifically, on the basis of this research, CFB Calgary was assessed as having been developed with what may now be defined as a green approach – implicitly sustainable, in aspiration at least; the next progression on this would involve a more explicit sustainable approach, then restorative, all laying the ground for a potentially regenerative approach. If RD+D had been the operative worldview during inception and execution of CFB Calgary, there would almost certainly have been a very different process and outcome. However, it would probably require a dedicated champion of RD+D, within CLC, for this post-conventional sustainability approach to be seriously considered. The Company’s track record – as an innovative land developer – encourages the view that RD+D could well be a good fit – as a potential next-generation planning and development approach.

Machinarium is an exploration of industrial bio-mechanical hybridity as part of the 21st Century paradigm. The dissertation investigates the potential of industry as urban catalyst - a mechanism with which to regenerate urban environments and re-integrate socio-ecological systems. In an attempt to redefine modern concepts of waste and mitigate the flood of pollution emanating from 20th century industrialisation, the investigation is contextually based in an ‘urban wasteland’ - which is re-programmed as part of a new industrial ecology. The dissertation therefore blurs present-day distinctions between ‘social’, ‘productive’ and ‘natural’ space, while at the same time placing focus on the global cultural dependence on waste. If humankind is to survive the predicted crises of the our time, a 21st-century approach to design must shift the modern understanding of architecture as ‘machines for living in’ towards that of architecture as living machines. Machinarium alludes to new ways of architectural place-making in a rapidly changing world. / Dissertation MArch(Prof)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / Architecture / MArch(Prof) / Unrestricted

This thesis is based on two observations. First, that conventional buildings cause two major losses that involve non-human nature – the loss of native biodiversity and the loss of non-human nature experience for the buildings’ human inhabitants – and that these losses both contribute to a perceived separation between humans and the rest of nature. Second, that there appears to be a growing interest in connecting buildings with nature but there is little agreement on what it actually means to ‘design with nature’. As such, the purpose of this study is two-fold: (1) to describe the meaning of ‘designing with nature’ in current architectural practice and provide a working definition of nature-based design, and (2) to explore how this can be interpreted to encourage human connectedness with non-human nature, while addressing the two major losses mentioned above. It is thus an attempt to reframe the role of building as one that provides for all inhabitants of a site, both human and non. A framework was developed that captures and summarizes the dominant ways in which design draws on nature. The framework emphasizes the importance of using ecosystems not only as models, but foremost as context. The core concepts of the framework can thus be discussed from the perspective of buildings that act like an ecosystem and that interact with their ecosystem, and are described as: ecological sense of place, regenerative ability, ecosystem health, mutually beneficial relationships, context, appropriate management, functions, ecosystem principles, values, patterns, conditions, and adaptations. Although the concepts presented in the framework are themselves not new, the way in which they are organized does contribute a new perspective on the field of nature-based design. In addition to providing a graphic model that summarizes the essence of an evolving field, the research highlights the role of scale and place in linking building design, native biodiversity, nature experience and connectedness with nature. It thus acts as a backdrop on which to bring a discussion of ecological citizenship into the architectural dialogue.

This thesis is based on two observations. First, that conventional buildings cause two major losses that involve non-human nature – the loss of native biodiversity and the loss of non-human nature experience for the buildings’ human inhabitants – and that these losses both contribute to a perceived separation between humans and the rest of nature. Second, that there appears to be a growing interest in connecting buildings with nature but there is little agreement on what it actually means to ‘design with nature’. As such, the purpose of this study is two-fold: (1) to describe the meaning of ‘designing with nature’ in current architectural practice and provide a working definition of nature-based design, and (2) to explore how this can be interpreted to encourage human connectedness with non-human nature, while addressing the two major losses mentioned above. It is thus an attempt to reframe the role of building as one that provides for all inhabitants of a site, both human and non. A framework was developed that captures and summarizes the dominant ways in which design draws on nature. The framework emphasizes the importance of using ecosystems not only as models, but foremost as context. The core concepts of the framework can thus be discussed from the perspective of buildings that act like an ecosystem and that interact with their ecosystem, and are described as: ecological sense of place, regenerative ability, ecosystem health, mutually beneficial relationships, context, appropriate management, functions, ecosystem principles, values, patterns, conditions, and adaptations. Although the concepts presented in the framework are themselves not new, the way in which they are organized does contribute a new perspective on the field of nature-based design. In addition to providing a graphic model that summarizes the essence of an evolving field, the research highlights the role of scale and place in linking building design, native biodiversity, nature experience and connectedness with nature. It thus acts as a backdrop on which to bring a discussion of ecological citizenship into the architectural dialogue.

This thesis is based on two observations. First, that conventional buildings cause two major losses that involve non-human nature – the loss of native biodiversity and the loss of non-human nature experience for the buildings’ human inhabitants – and that these losses both contribute to a perceived separation between humans and the rest of nature. Second, that there appears to be a growing interest in connecting buildings with nature but there is little agreement on what it actually means to ‘design with nature’. As such, the purpose of this study is two-fold: (1) to describe the meaning of ‘designing with nature’ in current architectural practice and provide a working definition of nature-based design, and (2) to explore how this can be interpreted to encourage human connectedness with non-human nature, while addressing the two major losses mentioned above. It is thus an attempt to reframe the role of building as one that provides for all inhabitants of a site, both human and non. A framework was developed that captures and summarizes the dominant ways in which design draws on nature. The framework emphasizes the importance of using ecosystems not only as models, but foremost as context. The core concepts of the framework can thus be discussed from the perspective of buildings that act like an ecosystem and that interact with their ecosystem, and are described as: ecological sense of place, regenerative ability, ecosystem health, mutually beneficial relationships, context, appropriate management, functions, ecosystem principles, values, patterns, conditions, and adaptations. Although the concepts presented in the framework are themselves not new, the way in which they are organized does contribute a new perspective on the field of nature-based design. In addition to providing a graphic model that summarizes the essence of an evolving field, the research highlights the role of scale and place in linking building design, native biodiversity, nature experience and connectedness with nature. It thus acts as a backdrop on which to bring a discussion of ecological citizenship into the architectural dialogue. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Architecture and Landscape Architecture (SALA), School of / Graduate

Through critical urban spatial intervention and close attention to multispecies relationality, this project report documents the designerly exploration of a ‘plats-specifik’ (place-specific) ontology of becoming through polyvocal authorship, sticking with the trouble of anthropocentric urban development and temporalities of change. ‘JAG ÄR DU’ is a triad composition of trellises that grow scarlet runner beans, giving an architectural frame for the beans to grow into a hybrid typography and co-authored speculative poetics. Two metres tall and one and a half meters wide, each letter is built with vestigial matters of the past and present. Placed in a newly regenerated meadow in the northern parts of central Växjö, the intervention invites curiosity, reflection and abundant meetings between diverse thought worlds, species and generations of inhabitants. As a ‘plats-specifik’ project, this work demonstrates ways to make collective, public, and critical connections to placeness; the thick, implicated and multisensorial. It is to intervene in capatriarchalonialist (capitalist, patriarchal and colonialist ideological) politics of urban space, and to offer an alternative imaginary to the ways we see ourselves participating in the performing and making of multispecies publics.

Denna uppsats har skapats för att agera underlag vid framtagandet av en strukturskiss över fastigheten Nya Jägersro i Malmö. Uppsatsen syftar till att skapa ett planeringskoncept som kombinerar social och ekologisk hållbarhet genom att ta hänsyn till platsens specifika egenskaper. Både kommunen och fastighetsägaren, de två mest inflytelserika aktörerna för fastigheten, lägger stort fokus på hållbar utveckling. Uppsatsens frågeställningar baseras i två problematiker. Den första är fastighetsägarens separation av hållbarhetsaspekter som genom resonemanget om att hållbarhet skapas genom interaktioner mellan hållbarhetsaspekter kan bli problematisk. Den andra är hur Nya Jägersro som plats påverkas av ideal om förtätning i syfte att bygga hållbart. För att adressera dessa problem är uppsatsens syfte att ta fram ett planeringskoncept som kombinerar social och ekologisk hållbarhet och som tar hänsyn till platsens specifika egenskaper. Det teoretiska ramverket består av tre teorier som behandlar hållbar platsspecifik planering och design för att utveckla hållbara städer. De metoder av datainsamling som har använts är platsläsning, litteraturstudier och semistrukturerade intervjuer. Planeringskonceptet som slutligen presenteras benämns som JägersGro, vilket sammanfaller i flera avseenden med SMT:s och Malmö Stads agendor, men avviker delvis i vissa aspekter. Den största avvikande faktorn i relation till SMT är att JägersGro utgår från att hållbarhet utgörs av kombinationen mellan olika hållbarhetssystem. Ytterligare en avvikande faktor från båda aktörerna är att JägersGro förespråkar idén om att människans påverkan på de naturliga systemen inte enbart bör reduceras. Istället anses hållbara stadsdelar behöva vara med i återskapande processer för att kunna fungera i ett balanserat kretslopp med naturen. / This thesis has been created to act as a basis for the preparation of a structural sketch of the property Nya Jägersro in Malmö. The thesis aims to create a planning concept that combines social and ecological sustainability by taking into account the specific characteristics of the site. Both the municipality and the property owner, the two most influential stakeholders, place great focus on sustainable development. The thesis examines two problems. The first is the property owner's separation of sustainability aspects, which through the reasoning that sustainability is created through interactions between different sustainability aspects can become problematic. The second is how Nya Jägersro as a place is affected by ideals of densification in order to build sustainably. To address these problems the purpose of the thesis is to develop a planning concept that combines social and ecological sustainability by taking into account the specific characteristics of the site. The theoretical framework consists of three theories that deal with sustainable site-specific planning and design for developing sustainable cities. The methods of data collection that have been used are site reading, literature studies and semi-structured interviews. The planning concept that is finally presented is referred to as JägersGro, which coincides in several respects with SMT's and Malmö Stad's agendas, but also deviates in some aspects. The biggest deviating factor in relation to SMT is that JägersGro assumes that sustainability consists of the combination of different sustainability systems. Another deviating factor from both actors is that JägersGro advocates the idea that the human impact on the natural systems should not only be reduced. Instead, sustainable districts are considered to be involved in regenerative processes in order to function in a balanced cycle with nature.

The current anthropogenic practices of generating single-use waste streams in agriculture, forestry and manufacturing industries have created a host of environmental health problems. Humankind's reliance on non-renewable resources for the production of food and materials, and its current approach to product design and development, are clearly unsustainable. One mitigation strategy to reducing industrial and municipal solid waste, as well as environmental pollution, can be found in using white rot fungi to valorize our planet's most abundant and regenerative natural resource – plant biomass containing lignocellulose. From residual dry plant matter, white rot fungi can be employed through a solid-state fermentation process to produce a variety of edible, nutrient-dense saprotrophic mushrooms in addition to biologically augmented composite materials. Under the framework of the circular economy, agricultural and forestry byproducts with fibers containing lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose may be used as a feedstock for the production of both food and biomaterials – keeping plant biomass revolving through multiple cycles of use and reuse for a variety of product outputs that are biodegradable and help to sequester carbon. In this study, mushrooms were grown on a variety of lignocellulosic substrates derived from agricultural and forestry residues. Hemp-based substrates performed the best of the feedstocks with regard to mushroom yield and mycelium colonization time. Additionally, a number of mycelium composite products were designed and fabricated in this study using residual lignocellulosic plant biomass, including: insulation bricks, acoustical panels, and biodegradable planter pots. In particular, spent mushroom substrate containing hemp hurd and other agricultural and forestry residues showed significant potential in upcycling lignocellulosic plant biomass for the production of both mushrooms and mycelium materials. Regenerative design practices demonstrated how food and materials can be generated from the same lignocellulosic feedstock; therefore, reducing waste, circulating products and materials, and ultimately regenerating nature. / Master of Science / Environmental pollution and natural resource scarcity have encouraged exploration into using biologically based materials for the production of more ecologically friendly products. By valorizing the Earth's most abundant, renewable natural resource for the production of food and materials– dry plant matter containing lignocellulose – waste is reduced, carbon is stored, and materials can remain upcycled through multiple generations of production. Lignocellulosic residues – natural fibers containing the biopolymers lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose – have recently been given increased attention due to their ability to be aggregated and grown into low-cost, lightweight materials using white rot fungi. Mushroom farming has historically valorized lignocellulosic agricultural and forestry residues to grow an edible, nutrient-dense food crop. This thesis investigates the potential of various agricultural and forestry residues for the production of mushrooms and mycelium-based lignocellulosic composites. Furthermore, this study explores the utilization of spent mushroom substrate for the production of several mycelium-based composite products within the framework of the circular economy. Hemp-based substrates demonstrated significant potential in both mushroom production and mycelium composite fabrication, outperforming other agricultural residues in this study with regard to mushroom yield and speed of mycelial growth of Pleurotus ostreatus. More research into the tunable lignocellulosic substrate compositions will continue to help advance mushroom production and mycelium-based composite generation as environmentally friendly materials and production practices continue to gain interest.