As a result of complex converging drivers of change such as climate change, biodiversity loss, urbanisation, and human population growth, cities require redesign and retrofit so they can become complex systems that create rather than diminish ecological and societal health. This can be termed regenerative design. One way to do this is to strategically design buildings and cities to generate and provide ecosystem services. This is an aspect of biomimicry, where whole ecosystems and their functions are emulated, in order to positively shift the ecological performance of buildings and urban settings. Ecosystem-level biomimicry for regenerative urban design employs an understanding of ecosystem patterns, processes, and functions as models for architectural and urban design. It relies on ecosystem metrics and ecosystem services assessments as inputs into the design process.
More about Regenerative design and ecosystem biomimicry: Regenerative Urban Design and Ecosystem Biomimicry
REDLab Regenerative design and ecosystem-based biomimicry publications
Journal articles and conference papers:
- 2023, MacKinnon, M.; Pedersen Zari, M.; Brown, D.K.; Benavidez, R.; Jackson, B. ‘Urban Biomimicry for Flood Mitigation Using an Ecosystem Service Assessment Tool in Central Wellington, New Zealand’.Biomimetics, Special Issue: Biomimetic Architectural and Urban Design 2.0. Vol. 8, No. 9, https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics8010009
- Ecosystem Services Assessment Tools for Regenerative Urban Design in Oceania
Sustainability. Vol. 13, No. 5 pg 2825, 2021.
Delpy, F., Pedersen Zari, M., Jackson, B., Benavidez, R. and Westend, T. - 2021, Blanco, E., Pedersen Zari, M., Raskin, K. and Clergeau, P. ‘Urban Ecosystem-Level Biomimicry and Regenerative Design: Linking Ecosystem Functioning and Urban Built Environments’.Sustainability. Vol. 13, No. 1 pg 404.
- 2020, MacKinnon, R., Oomen, J., and Pedersen Zari, M. ‘Promises and presuppositions of biomimicry’. Biomimetics Vol.5, No. 3, pg 33.
- 2020, Pedersen Zari, M. and Hecht, K. ‘Biomimicry for regenerative built environments: mapping design strategies for producing ecosystem services’. Biomimetics Vol.5, No. 2, pg 1-18.
Theses:
- Wellington’s Lost Streams: Ecosystem Regeneration Supporting Urban Agriculture Using Architecture. Master of Architecture thesis by Thomas Westend, 2021.
- A Spatial Approach to Bio-remediation, Master of Architecture thesis by Lewis Ellison 2021.
- Eco-Urban Nexus, Master of Architecture thesis by Sarah Burns, 2021.
- Biodiver_cities, Master of Architecture thesis by Jennifer Koats , 2020.
- Public Space Event Space: Re-imagining the Stadium Typology for a City in Need of Revitalisation, Master of Architecture thesis by Yang Hou (Nathan) Kim, 2016.
- Reactive River Realms: Architecture Designed as a Regenerative Tool for the Biological and Ecological Remediation of Urban Rivers, Master of Architecture thesis by Tymara Oberdries, 2016.
Image by Thomas Westend
Pedersen Zari Regenerative design and ecosystem-based biomimicry publications:
Abstracts and links to these publications
- Regenerative Urban Design and Ecosystem Biomimicry, Routledge, 2018
- Biomimetic Urban and Architectural Design: Illustrating and Leveraging Relationships between Ecosystem Services
Biomimetics. Vol. 6, No. 1. Pg 1-16. 2021 - Ecosystem services impacts as part of building materials selection criteria
Materials Today Sustainability. Vol. 3-4, 2019 - 2017, Pedersen Zari, M. ‘Biomimetic urban design: ecosystem service provision of water and energy’. Buildings. Special Issue: Biomimetics in Sustainable Architectural and Urban Design, Vol. 7, No. 1 pages 21.
- Mimicking ecosystems for bio-inspired regenerative built environments. Journal of Intelligent Buildings International (IBI). Special Issue: Biomimetic Building Design. Vol. 8, No 2, pages 57-77. 2016.
- 2015, Pedersen Zari, M. ‘Ecosystem processes for biomimetic architectural design’ Architectural Science Review (ASR).Vol. 58, No. 2, pages 106-119.
- Ecosystem services analysis: Mimicking ecosystem services for regenerative urban design. International Journal of Sustainable Built Environment (IJSBE). Vol. 4, No. 1, pages 145–157. 2015.
- 2012, Pedersen Zari, M. ‘Ecosystem services analysis for the design of regenerative built environments’. Building Research and Information (BRI), Vol. 40, No. 1, pages 54-64. Special Issue: Regenerative Design and Development.
- 2010, Pedersen Zari, M. ‘Biomimetic design for climate change adaptation and mitigation’. Architectural Science Review (ASR), Vol. 53, No. 2, pages 172-183.
Current Collaborators:
- Kamiya Varshney (PhD candidate, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington)
- Maggie MacKinnon (PhD candidate, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington)
- Katharina Hecht (PhD candidate, Utrecht University)
Past Collaborators:
- Eduardo Blanco (PhD candidate, Centre d’Écologie et des Sciences de la Conservation)
- Oluwatobi Oyefusi (PhD candidate, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington)
- Fabian Delpy (Master of Bio-inspired Design, Utrecht University)
- Lewis Ellison (Master of Architecture, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington)
- Thomas Westend (Master of Architecture, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington)
- Jennifer Koat (Master of Architecture, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington)
- Tymara Oberdries (Master of Architecture, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington)
- Yang Hou Kim (Master of Architecture, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington)