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.
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Created by members of the Centre 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 making change.
‘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,’ said Professor Sukumar Natarajan, director of RENEW (pictured above, centre). ‘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.’
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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.
‘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,’ said Juliana Calabria-Holley, co-director of RENEW (pictured above, left). ‘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.
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‘At the core of regenerative design and engineering is the understanding that complex problems require a multidisciplinary approach,’ she continued. ‘Our manifesto provides a clear definition along with practical guidance on how to begin this multifaceted journey.’
‘A recent University of Bath study interviewing 10,000 children from across the world found that 75 per cent think the future is frightening,’ added Emma Emanuelsson, also a co-director of the centre (pictured above, right). ‘Eighty-three percent 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:
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1. Reflective governance: Establish continuously evolving metrics and monitoring practices to track progress and impact.
2. Embrace interconnectivity: Recognise that the world is intricate and interdependent. Take a holistic view that accounts for the dynamic relationships between ecosystems and communities.
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3. Work as nature: Work harmoniously with and as nature. Design systems that work as part of species and ecosystem patterns, processes and cycles.
4. Prioritise net positive: Prioritise 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.
5. Cultivate resilience: Systems should be designed with a capacity to adapt, diversify and self-renew even in the face of uncertainty, change and disturbances.
6. Transmit: Document, curate and publicise to help proliferate best practice through active discourse on a global scale.
You can download the manifesto here.