‘This is a wonderful book that should be on the desk of every architect and planner. It shows how

Box 27 Spectrum of Design Approaches
The following table suggests some distinctions that can be made as we progress along the 
evolution from conventional to eco-logical design.
Conventional
Impact reduction
Positive Development
Fossil fuel dependency
Fossil fuel reduction
Uses only ‘solar resources’
Depends on established pro-
cesses in spite of risks
Minimizes known risks and 
impacts
Applies precautionary prin-
ciple regarding unknowns
Locks in future choices in 
non-adaptable urban forms
Aims for permanency, despite 
changing contextual forces
Proactively creates and 
expands future social options
Limited recycling or reuse 
encouraged
Closed-loop systems (recy-
cling) – waste as resource
Creation of no-loop and 
regenerative systems
Prioritizes operational 
energy but not whole 
systems
Counts embodied energy 
and water in materials
Compensation for ecological 
as well as embodied waste
Substitutes ecosystems 
with industrial engineering 
systems
Emulates ecosystem func-
tions in building design
Provides context and condi-
tions for (living) eco-services
Analyses predict (untested)
impacts of proposed 
buildings
Analyses relative impact of 
alternative components
Analyses system
performance (adaptation, 
reversibility)
Performs rating calculations 
for compliance, not design
Makes tradeoffs between 
various forms of impacts
Seeks design innovations that 
increase positive impacts 
Assumes activity can expand 
up to limits of nature’s 
thresholds
Reduces the relative ecologi-
cal footprint 
Expands ecosystems and 
hence ecosystem resilience
Looks at engineering
efficiency of components
Looks at efficiency of 
systems in whole building
Looks at contribution of 
building to bioregional 
systems
Looks at inputs and outputs 
of sequential steps in process
Looks at whole supply chain 
to find efficiencies 
Looks at equity in resource 
transfers (ie who gets what 
where)
Self-regulation of process by 
developer or designer
Approved assessment via 
independent consultant
Accessible and assessable by 
general public
Reduces space for people 
and each building function 
Minimizes land coverage of 
development
Seeks to increase ecological 
space (per person or area)
Uses ‘negative’ incentives (eg 
less approval time or fees)
Gives awards or credits that 
increase the market value
Gives credit for off-site 
impact reduction or positive 
impacts
Applies (hence reinforces) 
standard design templates
Encourages passive solar 
design principles
Avoids all fossil fuel and
improves basic systems 
health 
Data collection required is 
disproportionate to value
Data collection is tailored to 
relevant impacts
Data collection is subsidiary 
to a design framework
Draws from list of green 
materials
Selects materials with low 
life-cycle costs
Seeks to utilize surplus 
wastes available in region 
Leaves performance to 
future owners
Post-occupancy evaluation 
included
Promotes continuous
improvement of building life
Focuses on building style and 
received ‘consumer demand’
Focuses on environmental 
controls in façade and shape
Integrates ecology in living 
building skin and interior

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Boxes