Principles and practice of ecological design

Introduction:

The planet earth is facing challenges that affects Humans today; therefore, detecting the problem for
solutions is important. For instance, population growth, use of renewable and non-renewable resources,
and damages that caused biodiversity are challenges Earth faces.

The miss-understanding of design had lead to environmental issues such as massive amounts of
discarded materials that cloud be hard to recycle and waisted in a garbage area. Harmful chemicals are
transmitted through the air, water, and soil which are quality of Earth. Materials that are produced in a
harmful way that causes illness at the end. Regulations that doesn’t protect humans are environmental
extiution of several species and of human culture.

Origins of eco design:

Many of the eco-design ideas are originated through different ancient roots; for example, it was used in
agriculture where many societies grew up raising different types of species who then provided
predictable yield due to the agroecosystem. As an example, the Yanomamo of Amazonia usedx their
knowledge of the local ecosystem and used the plants for different purposes such as foods, medicines,
and materials. In China, due to the circumstances of wanting to yield the best crops without harming the
land and while getting the best yield possible the “organic” agriculture was introduced. Eco-design could
also be seen in many traditional buildings where the local materials used were to insure the getting the
optimum heating and cooling; examples of such material are adobe, animal hides, or living areas made
from soft rock. Ecological design had extended to food fiber and energy to small villages to production
and transportation fore trade.

Materials like animal hides, adobe, and soft rook for the interiors has been used as a traditional building
material and was known as (local materials) which supports the concept of Eco-design.

Moreover, ancient ecological design depended on small villages which was based on food, fiber, and
energy as extra production to trade.

Ebenzer Howard wrote about Green Cities in 1898, which supported some themes such as decency of
surroundings, ample space “clean health house”, green spaces, natural landscape, pollution free. Jane
Jacobs in 1960s had took these principles for urban areas such as houses, shopping, employment,
schools by using less materials and energy saving.

Moving forward Frank Lloyd Wright in the 20s followed the principle of organic architecture. He used
local stone, wood, natural elements, indirect relation of heating and light to support organic
architecture.