Regional | Local | Desirability | Physicality | Code & Sensitivity

What it is:

Broad ecological patterns occurring in differing landscapes are what I will refer to as an ecoregion. Ecoregions are comprised of distinctive plant and animal distribution patterns. Varying abiotic factors like climate, geology, soil, and hydrology, are key factors in ecosystem development; thus these factors naturally lend themselves to the defining of unique ecoregions.

Analysis Function:

Ecoregions provide a categorization system for the complex and diverse landscapes and climates occurring across the state of Washington. They have helped provide this project a foundational frame work to responsive predesign planning.

Scope & Purpose:

In focus for this project is the East Cascade ecoregion, Okanogan ecoregion, as well as the Columbia Plateau ecoregion. While ‘technically’ within the bounds of the East Cascade ecoregion, Lake Chelan is situated along the far northwest border edge abutting both the Okanogan and Columbia Plateau ecoregions. Because nature and the systems within it occur as a gradient, the graphics createdtodemarcateecoregionsinthisbooklet are not hard-line boundaries; which lead to the logical investigation of the Lake Chelan area as a convergence of all three ecoregions. The following section on these ecoregions is centered on information as it relates to Lake Chelan and its surrounding area.

Comprehension of natural systems occurring on a given site at a micro-level is increased with a more thorough understanding of the natural systems occurring at an expanded macro-level. Designing for integrated systems and energy efficiency logically calls one to seek understanding the systems within local, regional, micro and macro contexts.