Oliver’s daily(ish) blog on creativity, regenerative design and practical philosophy drawn from across my teaching, writing and collaborations. Sign up for his weekly digest by clicking here and choosing the appropriate button.
- Six foot slugsI get asked this question all the time. I present an example of a scheme or an initiative in which engineers have developed a glimpse of the future — a …
- A wobbly table on the non-flat surface of the realityThe faster trees grow, the straighter they tend to be. Compare the straight spears of fast-growing bamboo with the twisting boughs of old oak in ancient woodland. The former grows …
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- The circumference of a circle of infinite radiusI rounded off last week’s posts with a number of questions for investigating systems in the living world. Answering these questions can help us develop a palette of systemic design …
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- Building my regenerative professional paletteI don’t really have a professional palette for regenerative design like I do for structural design. Or at least I don’t think I do. But what I realise is that …
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- Compound aggregating regenerative food extrusion device — for 25 pence.The device comes in a tiny package, no more than 1cm long and less than that wide — a hundredth of its final size. No buttons. No charging ports. No …
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- In the interests of health and safety…That’s how the sign started its instruction. But health and safety is not a person. It has no interests. But people do. They have interests. They are interested in staying …
- Unlocking thinking – try out all the colours in your paletteThis week I’ve been writing about how artists, engineers (and other humans) build up a professional palette of techniques and forms from which they can develop new ideas. These are …
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- Structural poemsWe’re going on a bear hunt I’m not scared, etc.* Oh no — a gap. We can’t go around it. We can’t go under it. We’ll have to… Build a …
- The interface between our inner and outer worldsIf we use the professional palette as a metaphor for the collection of tools and colours we use to interpret the world, then we can see it as more than …
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- Cobalt blue and cadmium yellowOne of my highlights of my year studying engineering in France was a module I did on Impressionist painting and engineering. We explored how the artists of that period were …
- Tools for telling the futureWhat began as a conversation this week on the blog about how designers predict the future has unlocked some deeper reflections on how we approach regenerative design. Let’s rewind. As …
- Lead indicators for heat stress resilienceUp until now, my discussion about lead and lag indicators has focused on classic building performance factors. But regenerative designers are concerned with creating wider system thriving. So we need …
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- Crowd-sourced building-performance dataHere’s an idea that I would like to throw out into the solar systems and see if anyone can do something with it. I was writing yesterday about post-occupancy amnesia …
- Post-occupancy amnesiaThis week, I’ve been thinking about lead and lag indicators. About how a designer’s job is essentially to predict the future. And about what factors we choose to use when …
- Designers tell the future (part 2)Yesterday, we looked at how the Gothic cathedral architects of northern France used precedent to guide what could be built next. But what happens when there’s no precedent? When Antoni …
- Designers tell the futureYes, it’s true, designers tell the future. At least that’s what people employ a designer to do when they take them on. Design takes existing situations and turns them into …
- Lead and lag indicators in designThis week I’ve been thinking a lot about lead and lag indicators in design. Whether you floss is a good lead indicator of the health of your teeth. How many …
- A book of emergenceThe word emergence has an almost quixotic feel for engineers. We are usually employed to maintain control over situations. But if we go back to the old definition of civil …
- A book of abundanceAbundance is one of the three regenerative mindsets we explore in the Pattern Book for Regenerative Design. It’s the capacity to see the potential for plenty in the world. It …
- A book of interdependenceThe Pattern Book for Regenerative Design is built around three mindset shifts: interdependence, abundance, and emergence. These are foundational to regenerative design and my aim in writing this book has been …
- How do you write a book for ten different audiences?You start by imagining the people who are going to read it. Some readers will be interested in exploring regenerative design for themselves. Others will be looking for ways to …
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- Find the pattern of practice for your audienceDesigners are teachers. We take people on a journey that gets them to say, “Yes, that’s what I want.” Good teaching is rarely about setting out the whole picture. It’s about …
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- Why a book about patterns?We see patterns, We think in patterns, We create patterns. A pattern is something that repeats, A drum beat, An oscillation. Patterns make things regular and therefore intelligible, Patterns help …
- I’m back (with a book)
It’s been 47 days since my last entry on For Engineers and Other Humans, and since then I’ve been working on something that feels pretty big. So here’s the announcement: …