Regenerative cities: A curriculum exploration
This poster was made to present the research that I did over a semester and summer with Prof. Jim Dolye from the Macalester Physics department. We co-explored the field of biomimicry, sustainable design, and regenerative design, and wrote a curriculum for a first-year course that we taught in Fall 2020.
Results (Class Description):
Sustainable design attempts to integrate sound ecological practices in the planning and construction of buildings and cities. How can we build cities that do not result in environmental degradation? Can we make buildings and cities carbon neutral? Does recycling really work? Is it possible to truly achieve zero waste? Does the technology exist to attain these goals at a reasonable cost? What are the aesthetic, comfort, and economic trade-offs? In this course we will explore the principles, feasibility and promise of truly sustainable design and architecture. Much of our work will be inspired by the principles of biomimicry, which looks to natural ecosystems as paradigms of efficiency and zero waste. Can we design a building like a tree, a city like a forest? The laboratory part of the course will be used for projects, and for field trips to Twin Cities locations that illustrate principles of sustainable designable design.