Defining Regenerative Design

In recent years, HDR and the architecture, engineering and construction industry as a whole have used many different terms to describe practical design approaches that have measurable outcomes and move us towards a regenerative future. These terms can sometimes be confusing, so we've provided short descriptions below to hopefully bring some clarity.

BIOPHILIA: humankind’s innate tendency to seek connections with nature and other forms of life
BIOMIMICRY: the design and production of materials, structures, and systems that are modeled on biological entities and processes
CARBON BALANCING: the ability of a project to achieve net positive carbon emissions for both operational and embodied carbon due to the project sequestering more carbon than it emits over its lifecycle
DESIGN FOR DECONSTRUCTION: strategies that allow a structure to be deconstructed at the end of its life in a way that allows for the re-use of certain building components, extending the life cycle of the building and in turn, its long-term carbon sequestration
LIVING BUILDING: regenerative buildings with net-zero or net-positive resource impacts that support health and well-being and connect occupants to light, air, food, nature, and community
NET-ZERO ENERGY BUILDING: a building that produces enough renewable energy to meet its own annual energy consumption requirements, thereby reducing the use of nonrenewable energy in the building sector
NET-ZERO EMISSIONS BUILDING: a building that produces at least as much emissions-free renewable energy as it uses from emissions-producing energy sources
REGENERATIVE DESIGN: design that reconnects humans and nature through the continuous renewal of evolving socio-ecological systems
RESTORATIVE DESIGN: design that reverses damage that has been caused to a particular site by either nature or humans
RESILIENCY: the capacity to adapt to changing conditions and to maintain or regain functionality and vitality in the face of stress or disturbance
(TRIPLE) NET-ZERO: a project that achieves net-zero energy, net-zero water and net-zero waste at the site level