INTEGRATED REGENERATIVE DESIGN
LECTURE 1: INTRODUCTION – DEFINITION IRD
1. Introduction course – context, learning objective, schedule, evaluation
2. What is regenerative design?
What is regeneration?
o A living organism: full renewal/ restoration of a body, bodily part, or biological system after injury or as a
normal process (biologisch herstel)
o A place: the act of improving a place or urban system, especially by making it more active, inclusive and
thriving (nieuw leven inblazen van stedelijke/ sociale systemin)
o An ecosystem: full renewal or restoration of the ecological health of an ecosystem such as a forest, marsh
etc. (herstel ecologische gezondheid)
Context of evolving discourse: What is sustainable vs regenerative?
Sustainable: “less bad” Regenerative “doing good”
o Aiming to minimize negative impacts o Aiming to achieve net-positive benefits by
o Minimizing resource consumption, waste and restoring and enriching the environment
pollution o Replenishing natural resources
o Prevent further ecological damage o Regenerating the health of our ecosystems
o Net-zero o Net-positive
, 3. Why does it matter? Planetary context
Our Planet: to design for all life on the planet
The 9 planetary boundaries
o Climate Change: increased greenhouse gases raise global temperatures and alter climate patterns. CO2
concentrations are rising, surpassing the boundary
o Novel Entities: technological advancements release synthetic chemicals into the environment, changing
Earth’s systems. The release of untested substances places this boundary in high-risk zone
o Stratospheric Ozone Depletion: thinning of the ozone layer, due to human-made chemicals, increases
harmful UV radiation. However, it is recovering due to international efforts
o Atmospheric Aerosol Loading: airborne particles alter temperature and precipitation patterns, with air
pollution affecting ecosystems. It’s within the Safe Operating Space
o Ocean Acidification: increased CO2 in oceans lowers pH, harming marine life. It is within the Safe Operating
Space but close to crossing the boundary.
o Modification of Biogeochemical Flows: disruptions in nitrogen and phosphorus cycles through human
activity have exceeded safe levels.
o Freshwater change: alteration of freshwater cycles affects ecosystems and precipitation, surpassing the
planetary boundary?
o Land System Change: deforestation and urbanization disrupt habitats, impacting biodiversity and ecological
functions. Forest areas are below
safe levels.
o Biosphere Integrity: loss of
biodiversity and ecosystem health
threaten Earth’s systems, with
genetic diversity and functional
integrity outside safe levels
,The Antropocence
o 1.2 billion people globally lack access to regular
waste collection services, leading to uncontrolled
disposal methodes like open burning
o Cities use 2% of our land surface but currently consume over 70% of our resources
o 1.6 billion people around the world lack access to affordable, adequate and secure housing
o Agriculture accounts for about 70% of global freshwater usage, consuming more than any other sector,
leading to severe water scarcity in traditionally fertile regions
o Only 15% of coastal areas are ecologically intact
o Wildlife population sizes (mammals, birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians) have declined by 73% over the last
50 years
o Global carbon emissions were in 2024 at a record high with ca 38 billion tonnes
o 500 000 tons of plastic microfibers released to ocean every year
o 1 ton of lithium production consumes 500 000 liters of water
o High-income countries consume 27 tons of materials per capita, low-income countries only 2 tons per
capita annually
Introduction: global embodied impacts construction
o 50% of all extracted materials
o 30% water consumption
o 30% waste generation
o 12% of GHG emissions
Our material economy
o Growth of GDP
o Limits to growth
, o Material effectiveness: focus on human needs, and not GPD growth through systems change
o Material effectiveness: Doughnut economics as a lens for business transformation
o Drivers of change towards regenerative design
4. How to approach?
o Regenerative design principles: scales
LECTURE 1: INTRODUCTION – DEFINITION IRD
1. Introduction course – context, learning objective, schedule, evaluation
2. What is regenerative design?
What is regeneration?
o A living organism: full renewal/ restoration of a body, bodily part, or biological system after injury or as a
normal process (biologisch herstel)
o A place: the act of improving a place or urban system, especially by making it more active, inclusive and
thriving (nieuw leven inblazen van stedelijke/ sociale systemin)
o An ecosystem: full renewal or restoration of the ecological health of an ecosystem such as a forest, marsh
etc. (herstel ecologische gezondheid)
Context of evolving discourse: What is sustainable vs regenerative?
Sustainable: “less bad” Regenerative “doing good”
o Aiming to minimize negative impacts o Aiming to achieve net-positive benefits by
o Minimizing resource consumption, waste and restoring and enriching the environment
pollution o Replenishing natural resources
o Prevent further ecological damage o Regenerating the health of our ecosystems
o Net-zero o Net-positive
, 3. Why does it matter? Planetary context
Our Planet: to design for all life on the planet
The 9 planetary boundaries
o Climate Change: increased greenhouse gases raise global temperatures and alter climate patterns. CO2
concentrations are rising, surpassing the boundary
o Novel Entities: technological advancements release synthetic chemicals into the environment, changing
Earth’s systems. The release of untested substances places this boundary in high-risk zone
o Stratospheric Ozone Depletion: thinning of the ozone layer, due to human-made chemicals, increases
harmful UV radiation. However, it is recovering due to international efforts
o Atmospheric Aerosol Loading: airborne particles alter temperature and precipitation patterns, with air
pollution affecting ecosystems. It’s within the Safe Operating Space
o Ocean Acidification: increased CO2 in oceans lowers pH, harming marine life. It is within the Safe Operating
Space but close to crossing the boundary.
o Modification of Biogeochemical Flows: disruptions in nitrogen and phosphorus cycles through human
activity have exceeded safe levels.
o Freshwater change: alteration of freshwater cycles affects ecosystems and precipitation, surpassing the
planetary boundary?
o Land System Change: deforestation and urbanization disrupt habitats, impacting biodiversity and ecological
functions. Forest areas are below
safe levels.
o Biosphere Integrity: loss of
biodiversity and ecosystem health
threaten Earth’s systems, with
genetic diversity and functional
integrity outside safe levels
,The Antropocence
o 1.2 billion people globally lack access to regular
waste collection services, leading to uncontrolled
disposal methodes like open burning
o Cities use 2% of our land surface but currently consume over 70% of our resources
o 1.6 billion people around the world lack access to affordable, adequate and secure housing
o Agriculture accounts for about 70% of global freshwater usage, consuming more than any other sector,
leading to severe water scarcity in traditionally fertile regions
o Only 15% of coastal areas are ecologically intact
o Wildlife population sizes (mammals, birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians) have declined by 73% over the last
50 years
o Global carbon emissions were in 2024 at a record high with ca 38 billion tonnes
o 500 000 tons of plastic microfibers released to ocean every year
o 1 ton of lithium production consumes 500 000 liters of water
o High-income countries consume 27 tons of materials per capita, low-income countries only 2 tons per
capita annually
Introduction: global embodied impacts construction
o 50% of all extracted materials
o 30% water consumption
o 30% waste generation
o 12% of GHG emissions
Our material economy
o Growth of GDP
o Limits to growth
, o Material effectiveness: focus on human needs, and not GPD growth through systems change
o Material effectiveness: Doughnut economics as a lens for business transformation
o Drivers of change towards regenerative design
4. How to approach?
o Regenerative design principles: scales
