Category: Design theory
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Naturelike Construction in the Altai Mountains
This is an implementation brief for a large site we’re designing in the Altai Republic. Our goals The plans for the Altai site require the team’s attention to these main success factors: In permaculture design, we integrate all information about the land and environment, and make recommendations that allow developers to make the best possible…
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The concept of zones in design
In permaculture, when we go to design a site, one of the most important things we use to organize our design process is a the concept of zones. The zones are numbered from 0 to 5, where 0 is inside a residence, and 5 is untouched natural landscape. Each zone requires its own design approach.…
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Edge effect
In the study of law, there is the concept of the loophole. Lawyers may spend a long time studying legal loopholes and finding ways to exploit them. Loopholes also exist in the laws of nature. Much of engineering and design work consists of discovering new ways to exploit these loopholes. In permaculture design, one of…
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Guilds
In permaculture, there is an important concept known as guilds. A guild, in permaculture terminology, is a group of different organisms that are mutually beneficial to one another. Each member, or element in the guild fulfills certain functions. We call that filling a niche. One (simplified) example that we can often see in nature is…