Beyond Sustainability: Exploring Regenerative Design Principles
Regenerative design takes us beyond previous strategies for “doing less harm” and into the realm of actively healing ecosystems through our work. LS3P Senior Project Manager Cynthia Turner recently completed the intensive five-month Regenerative Practitioner Series through the ReGenesis Institute. We sat down to talk with her about the curriculum, the experiences, and the opportunities to integrate this mindset into architectural practice.
Senior Project Manager
Most people probably have some ideas about what sustainable design means. What’s different about regenerative design?
For many, there is a perception that sustainable design decisions are intended to avoid making things worse. Regenerative practice means thinking beyond limiting harm. We have the opportunity to help places not only survive, but thrive. Our work can help to repair ecosystems and build resilience by thoughtfully designing places where environmental and human systems can work together. It’s a different way of thinking from what most of us learned in school. The process involves thinking about where a site fits into the larger ecosystem beyond the project boundary, and requires authentic engagement with a wide circle of stakeholders to determine the best course of action.
So, you recently completed a pretty intense course that allowed you to become a Regenerative Practitioner. Tell us about that process
It was intense, and very rewarding. The ReGenesis Institute offers a five-month course culminating in a three-day intensive workshop via Zoom or in-
person in Santa Fe, NM. The curriculum steeps practitioners in new ways of thinking about design while asking them to engage in deep reflection about their impact on the world. In between sessions we met with small study and support groups, and we also developed a case study project on a real site. The process requires five to ten hours a week, in addition to the immersive three-day workshop. At the end, however, I walked away with a rich understanding of regenerative practice. I am inspired to incorporate this practice into my projects and share ideas across the firm.
You talk about some key principles – what are they?
The coursework was extensive, but a few big ideas are helpful for structuring complex project details into frameworks to help reveal patterns. A key initial principle is understanding the value-added role you bring to a project. Other concepts include gaining a deep understanding of place, a collective vocation, then something we call “co-evolving mutualism,” and finally site potential. Exploration of these concepts helps in building frameworks for developing unique design strategies appropriate to each place.
Unpacking these a bit — how do you find your own distinctive, value-added role?
We all start our work on projects with individual internal mindsets and assumptions. These mindsets can hinder our ability to be present and open to the perspectives of others. We can cultivate openness with personal practices that nurture our well-being, creativity and spirit. In this way we develop a distinctive, value-added role we bring to our work. When we do the work to understand what motivates us and what unique traits we bring to the table, it’s easier for us to look for the same in others.
Most architectural projects start with a site, real or theoretical. What does it mean to you as a Regenerative Practitioner to develop an understanding of place?
The uniqueness of place is critical to regenerative development. We have to understand from the beginning that there is no “plug and play” formula or checklist for regenerative development. “The essence of place, rooted in its physical, biological, and human organizing, must be central for projects to reach an elevated potential,” as ReGenesis Institute says. For my regenerative practitioner
course, I worked with a study group on a Wellness Center project at Coler Rehabilitation Hospital on Roosevelt Island, NYC. The deep study of the history, biology, geology, sociology, and politics of the site revealed such uniqueness of place that brought a new perspective to the project. This is true for every community and every project.
RALEIGH IRON WORKS
WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY APODACA SCIENCE BUILDING
You talk about a “collective vocation” – something that unites a team around a common goal. Can you tell us more about that idea?
The “collective vocation” serves as the “north star” of the project. It’s not always obvious from the beginning what that will be. It involves embracing change and building dynamic relationships that will influence the direction. It’s more than goal setting. We want to identify a direction that elevates, inspires and offers meaning beyond the project itself. This direction
goes beyond the project boundary to the proximate and greater wholes. This elevated meaning across nested systems is the collective vocation. Think of a tiny pebble in the water making rings grow outward with larger and larger impact.
My cohort studied Coler Hospital’s wellness center with a goal of revealing the collective vocation of the facility. Analyzing the Roosevelt Island, NY location brought a greater understanding of the project’s potential. Engaging with the site, ecosystems, and history revealed a network of
relationships that had been forgotten over time. Ideas to bolster those relationships embodied a “shared remembrance” as the project’s driving theme. This became the touchstone for our team and impacted our design decisions.
This one’s a mouthful, but can you unpack the phrase “coEvolving mutualism?” How do you think about it in your work?
It’s a wordy way of saying that regenerative design requires authentic engagement with
stakeholders. Deeply understanding a place informs who or what the stakeholders may be. It is vital to provide room at the table for all stakeholders who may give or receive benefit from the project. ReGenesis talks about “cooperative guilds” and “co-creativity,” which is a nice way of getting to the idea that when diverse stakeholder perspectives guide the project, the shared investment creates conditions for long-term stewardship of the site. Everyone wins.
NORTH CAROLINA COASTAL FEDERATION HEADQUARTERS & EDUCATION CENTER
This is a great one – “work from potential, not problems.” How do we cultivate that mindset?
The idea here is that, when we approach a site with a “fixing problems” mindset, we’re already looking backwards. We’re already constraining ourselves. When we start by zooming way out and looking at a site and its place in the wider local and regional ecosystems, then we’re thinking bigger. We’re looking at all the things the site could be. When we eventually zoom back in, chances are high that we’ll still be fixing problems, but we’re not limited to fixing problems. Regenerative design is much bigger than that.
The Southeast is facing significant challenges right now. Your Asheville community, for examples, is in the early stages of rebuilding after catastrophic flooding from Hurricane Helene. How can we think about regenerative design as part of the solution to problems for natural disaster?
There has been so much activism in our region around recovery and resilience in the aftermath of Helene. The problems are immense, complex, and seem overwhelming. Building back better must include everyone in the community having a say in how that is done. Regenerative practice is the perfect lens to apply to recovery plans and projects. Applying regenerative principles allows us to organize overwhelming complexity into frameworks, revealing patterns and direction reaching a higher potential.
Meet Cynthia
Cynthia Turner, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, is a Senior Project Manager and Associate Principal in LS3P’s Asheville office. During her 35 years in the profession, Cynthia has managed many public and private commercial projects through all phases of design and construction.
Cynthia is recently trained as a Regenerative Design Practitioner, and this is her new passion. With this training, she will work to enable her projects and their communities to thrive in the context of evolving sustainability. The valueadded role that she brings to projects is “energetic, passionate grandma.” Her world view revolves around this role and fiercely working to leave our earth a better place for all grandchildren. Her next goal is to complete her Living Futures Accreditation by the summer of 2025.
Concepts from Regenerative Development and Design: A Framework for Evolving Sustainability by Pamela Mang, Ben Haggard, Regenesis.