Regeneration refers to the action of renewing or restoring something. In this case, we are bringing awareness to the need to create designs that will help regenerate our environment. When we combine regenerative designs with architecture, we are creating a connection between the building and the natural systems, which are often more sustainable than artificial or mechanical systems.
Regenerative designs are meant to reverse ecological damage to the environment through the production of a net-positive building. To be able to design a regenerative building, we have to take a shift from sustainable lenses. Sustainability stops when it is able to limit the use of a resource to spare it. Rather, regenerative designs are built to replenish those resources. Sustainability works merely as a subset to a larger regenerative design.
We need to shift our thought process when it comes to designs. We want to create designs that are working with the environment and not against it. We need to take it a step further after sustainability and reach a point where our buildings are giving more than they are taking from the environment. We want to do better and improve, not just sustain our current status.
Stay tuned for next week’s topic: Act Now.
