Synthegrative Blog

This "word" synthegrative reflects our approach. It combines real words, synthesis – "a combination of ideas to form a theory or system", and integrative – "serving or intending to unify separate things"; to create a systemic vision of wholes which are greater than the sum of their parts, reminding us that our work in regenerative design must begin with working on whole living systems and not just the parts and pieces. Our synthegrative posts explore the intersection of green building design, regenerative practice and personal development. We will tell our story and the stories we find along the way.

Learning
Process
Project

Regenerating Place: Whole-Systems Design and Planning

Spillian Workshop #2: Goal-Setting and Initial Concept 30 April – 02 May 2018 Spillian is a 33 acre historic estate, built by the Fleischmanns Yeast Family in the 1880’s as part of a summer retreat. Crowned by a museum-quality stick style mansion, embraced by the Catskills Forest, it now is the home of a center created to help people imagine past what they think is possible.
Read More
Tools

ASHRAE 90.1 Appendix G Fan Power Calculator

7group has released an updated version of its well-known (at least within the energy modeling community) ASHRAE 90.1 Appendix G Fan Power Calculator. This tool has been used by countless energy modelers to aid in the development of their Baseline energy models, often for projects pursuing LEED certification.
Read More
Process
Project
Story

Creating Regenerative Processes

This post is an excerpt from the book Regenerative Development and Design: A Framework for Evolving Sustainability by our friends and colleagues at Regenesis Group. The book presents a coherent process for applying regenerative thinking to any project through a series of principles and premises you can use to evolve your work.
Read More
Learning
Project

Regenerating a Sense of Place

Every place on Earth is unique. Every cubic meter on Earth shares no more than 30% of the same biology with any other cubic meter on Earth. To most of us, it all looks pretty much the same one to the next. In our rush to get where we are going, we don't take the time to notice the subtle differences.
Read More
Learning
Thinking

The Evolution of Ecological Design – GreenCon 2018

How has your thinking about what constitutes a green building changed over time? Is a green building a collection of components with green attributes? Is simply doing less harm good enough? Are we slowing down our impacts fast enough? Can doing good offset the damage we have caused? Can humanity shift from degrading living systems to helping all beings thrive?
Read More
Learning

Don’t Forget the Sun – GreenCon 2018

Large expanses of windows do not mean that a space is well daylit. In fact, daylighting in such spaces is often poor resulting in huge lighting contrasts and general discomfort. Properly daylighting your renovation project uses the same method, rules and tools used when designing a new building with a few added items to consider.
Read More
Learning

What Your LEED Reviewer is Looking For? – GreenCon 2018

Have you ever received a review comment from GBCI and wished you could just talk to the reviewer! Well now you can! A panel of GBCI LEED Project Reviewers will discuss common errors and provide helpful tips for documentation and calculations during a session at this year's GreenCon.
Read More
Story
Thinking

Telling Your Story

The most powerful person in the world is the story teller. The storyteller sets the vision, values and agenda of an entire generation that is to come. – Steve Jobs For thousands of years, since the first cave paintings were discovered, telling stories has been one of our most fundamental communication methods.
Read More
Learning
Organism

Transforming Your Learning

Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever. ― Mahatma Gandhi Learning is far more than an accumulation of knowledge and information. The most effective learning is that which is not treated as something separate from our lives, it is basically what we learn along the way if we remain open to doing so.
Read More
How can every project and person involved contribute to the vitality of their unique place?
Let's Engage