Regenerative Architecture

Shifting our time horizon.

Every building we build exists in physical space, time and unfolds in a cultural context.

Every home lives to serve their inhabitants.

It serves those who built them and models the public environment.

Yet we increasingly value the market value the home builds.

We ignore its lifespan, not even the timespan of a mortgage,

and create little to no value while borrowing heavily from the future.

Just like industrial agriculture does with cows and grains.

There should be a regenerative approach to architecture that takes us back to a more intentional and nourishing building culture.

First we should shift our time focus to thinking over decades and generations. If we cannot imagine living in a place 15+ years, we’d better not build.

Thinking in longer time horizons helps us build the best - not the most - we can, with what we have today.

Forever homes are the future.

Even if we live somewhere briefly we should make it better and more beautiful - for ourselves and for those who will use it after us.

5-7 years is a short time to rent yet it can be more than 10% of our active adult lives.

Market value x size x speed forges an extractive attitude in construction: Build something cheap and fast, overblown in size, then forget what will it do to its inhabitants.

When we design, build or buy something, the intention should be to nourish ourselves, our community and the common good - the public space.

Again, it is next to impossible if we don’t think in generations.

It might not even be our own family who benefits long term but everyone does if we let go of the extractive attitude.

The first principle is key - thinking long term, shifting our time horizon.

This way we can convince ourselves that is better to build the smallest and best cottage, home, villa, estate, condominium, nursery, school, street, park, pub we can that first nourishes us by being functional and healthy.

This way we can convince ourselves that is better to build the smallest and best cottage, home, villa, estate, condominium, nursery, school, street, park, pub we can,

that nourishes us by being functional and healthy.

It will be functional.

It will make our lives easier and give a flow to everyday activities. It will serve us and will not make us a house servant.

It will be healthy, filled with fresh air, enough sunlight and shade, space to eat, sleep, work and play!

Loving it, we can nourish it, we can make it endure many decades. It will thank us and give us back wealth. We can build it step by step, adapted to our needs and possibilities.

It does not have to happen all at once. It should evolve with us.

At the end it will enrich the street, the neighbourhood, the town - everyone will benefit for a long long time,

Loved for centuries.

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This post was inspired by this Podcast about Regenerative Ranching by UntappedGrowth