Designing Ecological Habitats - Gaia Education

integral ecology: Design principles for sustainable Human Habitats 245
C O L L E C T I V E I N D I V I D U A L
I N T E R I O R E X T E R I O R
TERRAIN OF EXPERIENCES
Shape form to
ENGENDER EXPERIENCE
• Environmental Phenomenology
• Experience of natural cycles,
processes, forces
• Green design aesthetics
TERRAIN OF CULTURES
Shape form to
MANIFEST MEANING
• Relationships to Nature
• Green design ethics
• Green building cultures
• Myths & rituals
TERRAIN OF BEHAVIORS
Shape form to
MAXIMIZE PERFORMANCE
• Energy, water, materials efficiency
• Zero energy & emissions buildings
• LEED rating system
• High performance buildings
TERRAIN OF SYSTEMS
Shape form to
GUIDE FLOW
• Fitness to site & content
• Buildings as ecosystems
• Living buildings
Figure 11.3: The Four Terrains of Sustainable Design
rich experiential, ethical, moral, and social implications of light”. 5 After
presenting an overview of the Twelve Niches of Daylighting (see figure
below) they apply them to daylighting at the United Theological Seminary’s
Bigelow Chapel in New Brighton, Minnesota.
DeKay is also using integral design principles to guide the Beaver Creek
Watershed Green Infrastructure Plan. 6 This project is connected to the Green
Vision Studio at the University of Tennessee’s College of Architecture and
Design. DeKay and his colleague, Tracy Moir-McClean, are the principle
investigators. The project is a visionary exercise with the goal of creating a
document that can be used by various individuals and institutions to support
their decision making process around issues of preservation, conservation,
and land use development. According to DeKay, “This is probably the most
integrally-informed project we have. Our use of integral theory and integral
ecology shows up in various places in the language of the report and in the
issues we chose to address and the methods we used to address them. While
the integral model is not overt it nevertheless is the guiding framework.” 7
While the details of the project extend beyond the scope of this article, the
following quadrant chart provides good overview of how DeKay and his
colleagues are using the Integral Model in the context of this project:
Conclusion
In summary, there are numerous approaches to the environment and ecological
design: philosophical, spiritual, religious, social, political, cultural,
behavioral, scientific, and psychological. Each highlights an essential
The four terrains of
sustainable design.