Tainter, J A (2012) Regenerative design in science and society. Building Research & Information, 40(3), pp. 369-372. ISSN 0961-3218
Abstract
The Building Research & Information special issue entitled 'Regenerative Design and Development' (2012, volume 40, number 1) describes the emerging theory and practices. This commentary considers how regenerative design and development needs to engage with some broader topics of sustainability and the quest for knowledge. The papers in the special issue raise many matters, but this commentary will concentrate on three of them: (1) issues of scale, in space, time and the system level; (2) holism versus reductionism; and (3) monitoring, evaluation and intervention. Although they must be discussed individually, these topics overlap to a great degree. Challenges are posed on whether professionals and community stakeholders are empowered to intervene at appropriate scales, over sustained periods of time, to monitor operation over the longer term and, if needed, to make further interventions if the design goes awry. Although authors in the special issue question the role of reductionism in favour of a holistic view, there are merits for the use of reductionism, particularly for assisting with uncertainties or identifying constituent parts. A key challenge now will be to explore what practices and operations could provide solutions.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | built environment; design framework; design practices; regenerative design; sustainable building; sustainable development |
| Index terms: | building research, sustainable building, sustainable development, science, regenerative design, monitoring, society, design framework, built environment, design practice |
| Subjects: | sustainable construction, control systems, design process, health safety and environment, specialized education, design practice, communities and social development, research management, sustainability and energy, infrastructure and transport systems |
| Topics: | Design Practice, Sustainability, Stakeholder Management, Research Practice, Urban Studies, Education, Health and Safety, Site Management |
| Descriptive scope: | 2 PC |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here