Generation three starts with the question: “What would nature do?” Third generation hones in on local eco systems, 18 economies and values to craft an integrated design, all while including the concepts learned from generations one and two. Biomimicry — the act of designing as nature might — is a key aspect of the third generation. Biomimicry inspires urban designs that leverage natural processes, reducing the strain on resources. The convergence of biomimicry across water and energy enables a symbiotic relationship that promotes sustainability, resilience and harmonious coexistence with each other and with nature. Why build a concrete tank or basin to detain water when you could construct a wetland that can detail and treat water, provide a habitat and offer recreational opportunities for communities? For instance, in Zimbabwe, the Eastgate centre uses a passive cooling design 19 based on termite mounds. Or a new wind farm might use turbine blades designed after a Humpback whale’s fins with bumps 20 to reduce drag. Designs are tailored to work with the immediate environment.
Our community centre plans in this era include eco- friendly appliances and materials, but designers would dive even deeper, guided not just by environmental considerations but also by social responsibility. Questions to consider include: – Where are these products and materials produced? – Do they come from a factory that pays a livable wage? – Do they pollute or preserve local water supplies? – Do they comply with Health Safety and Environment (HSE) standards 14 and local climate or sustainability regulations? Project managers make sure design companies, construction firms and their subcontractors share these ethics and practise them. Generation three (2000s and beyond) As the internet arrives in the 2000s, so do the beginnings of third-generation design. Global connection fosters idea exchange, which spurs innovation. 15 More resources are available 16 than ever before. Brainstorming across cultures and ideas accelerates. Whereas generations one and two focused on mitigating impacts on the environment less bad, generation three design begins to ask how we can actually do good instead. 17
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