A team of engineers, architects and researchers from the University of Bath have published a manifesto on “regenerative” design and engineering, providing a guide to confronting the climate crisis and creating “Net Positive” buildings, technologies and systems.
Freely available online, “RENEW: A manifesto for regenerative design and engineering,” demystifies the regenerative concept and unites several existing definitions of the idea, making a case for the approach to be widely adopted by professionals in engineering, architecture, and other disciplines as well as by government and industry decision makers.
What is ‘regenerative’ design and engineering?
Created by members of the Center for Regenerative Design & Engineering for a Net Positive World (known as RENEW), the manifesto defines regenerative design and engineering as “self-evolving net-positive solutions that renew our unity with nature.” It also details the origins of the concept, and sets out useable principles for action, as well as a framework for creating change.
Professor Sukumar Natarajan, Director of RENEW, said, “Regenerative design and engineering envisions a world where human activities restore and enhance natural systems, and create resilient, fair communities that can thrive in balance with nature, while improving standards of living.
“We need to go beyond Net Zero, to embrace ‘Net Positive’ design, construction, manufacturing or creation of goods, if we are to deliver actual benefits to society, planet and people.”
A framework for change
The manifesto was developed by RENEW’s 40-plus members, who are experts in fields including place-making and architecture, water and chemical engineering and materials and composites, as well as external advisors from a range of industries.
Dr. Juliana Calabria-Holley, Co-Director of RENEW, said, “Our mission is to provide global research leadership in regenerative design and engineering, by developing solutions that don’t merely abate or mitigate problems, but co-evolve societally, culturally, ecologically and economically positive co-benefits.
“The manifesto offers a definition, principles and a framework for regenerative design and engineering for people in those communities, but we also want it to be inclusive of all disciplines, serving as a call for collaboration to address global challenges.
“At the core of regenerative design and engineering is the understanding that complex problems require a multidisciplinary approach. Our manifesto provides a clear definition along with practical guidance on how to begin this multifaceted journey.”
Creating a ‘less anxious’ future
Dr. Emma Emanuelsson, also a Co-Director of the center, added, “A recent University of Bath study interviewing 10,000 children from across the world found that 75% think the future is frightening; 83% said people have failed to take care of the planet.
“We want this manifesto to help create a less anxious future for today’s young people, and for humans and nature to prosper in equal measure.
“It’s a huge challenge but it’s also an opportunity to do something new, which is really exciting. This manifesto may not show us the full journey, but it does have advice and a framework to allow us to get started.”
Six principles of regenerative design are laid out in the manifesto. They are:
- Reflective governance: Establish continuously evolving metrics and monitoring practices to track progress and impact.
- Embrace interconnectivity: Recognize that the world is intricate and interdependent. Take a holistic view accounting for the dynamic relationships between ecosystems and communities.
- Work as nature: Work harmoniously with and as nature. Design systems that work as part of species and ecosystem patterns, processes, and cycles.
- Prioritize Net Positive: Prioritize regeneration, replenishment and restoration, recovering and reusing waste to create net-positive solutions and an abundance of resources. The aim should be to repair, sustain and enrich the planet, rather than deplete its precious resources.
- Cultivate Resilience: Systems should be designed with a capacity to adapt, diversify and self-renew even in the face of uncertainty, change and disturbances.
- Transmit: Document, curate and publicize to help proliferate best practice through active discourse on a global scale.
