The need for regenerative design in architecture

The goalposts are always moving in architecture, a profession whose potential and impact affect human health and well-being, community dynamics, economic prosperity, biodiversity, climate change, and more. Recently, the term “regenerative” has emerged in the industry lexicon, raising questions on its meaning and longevity as part of a line of other movements, such as sustainability, net zero, and social equity.

Regenerative design is a natural evolution of those movements and more, says AIA 2026 President Illya Azaroff, FAIA. “It asks, ‘Can a project actively improve the living systems that it touches?’ It asks us to move beyond the framework of mitigation and more into the idea of restoration and healing in a holistic way.” 

The ideal outcome of regenerative design sounds simple, but achieving it is complex. Successful projects look past their site boundaries to uplift surrounding areas, natural ecosystems, local workforces, supply chains, and more. As such, International Living Future Institute CEO Lindsay Baker considers “regenerative” more as an act than a modifier. 

“To understand regeneration, or regenerative design, is to remember that to have no impact on a person is more straightforward than to heal a person,” she says. The latter takes thorough understanding, commitment, and follow-through—and the results are open-ended. “You are engaged in regeneration when it starts to work outside of your intentions.”

Regenerative design on paper

This year, AIA is developing educational resources on regenerative design and updating its Framework for Design Excellence to reference the topic directly. The process is ongoing, but Paolo Campos, AIA, tentatively sees five pillars in a regenerative project. The AIA Strategic Council member is also chair of the AIA’s regenerative design workgroup and a principal at Patriquin Architects.

Regarding the first and second pillars, Campos says a regenerative project is “place-based but also considers far-reaching outcomes.” He continues: “The key recognition is that the planet, ecosystems, and human communities are linked together.” Its design is driven by what exists in the unique “spirit of a place,” including ecological and cultural conditions.

Third, Campos says, a project should maximize its carrying capacity, or ability to support its site and beyond in a sustainable manner. For example, it might produce renewable energy through photovoltaic panels or capture and treat stormwater.

Next, a project should renew natural processes rather than interrupt or displace them. “What are ways that we can enhance natural water cycles and enrich biodiversity?” Campos says. “Again, it’s about generation of more than what is consumed.”

Lastly, a project should spark continued discussion on its impact and areas for improvement. Technology is readily available to collect post-occupancy data and information from myriad sources. “Buildings have a long lifespan, but they can be flexible and [serve] as laboratories for improving design practice, construction practice, and end user practice,” Campos says.

Regeneration in practice

As with sustainability, many firms have been practicing regenerative design before the term was trending. Brooklyn, New York–based +LAB Architect, led by founding director Azaroff, and a team of multidisciplinary experts are creating a resilience hub for indigenous community members on the north shore of Oahu, Hawaii, a geographically isolated area prone to climate change–related flooding and storm surges.

The team approached the five-acre site with the goal of restoring a larger ecosystem. Agroforestry practices implemented in the surrounding watershed and upland forest will help address food shortages. A portion of the land will be replanted with native species to support a culture steeped in traditional medicine knowledge. After learning that many younger residents leave the area for educational and employment opportunities, the team partnered with a nearby university to add vocational and after-school training programs in the hub to bolster the local workforce.

In Portland, Ore., Bora Architects has embarked on several regenerative projects, such as the Vernier Science Center at Portland State University, says sustainability director Corey Squire, AIA. (Squire is also an AIA Strategic Council at-large representative working on updating the Framework for Design Excellence to highlight regenerative strategies.) The team took care to minimize the embodied and operational carbon of the additive reuse project, improve accessibility for the campus community, and integrate design elements from historically underrepresented cultures to attract more students into the STEM fields.

Regenerative design teams often include experts not traditionally involved in the design process. Azaroff has brought community leaders, historians, archaeologists, reef restorers, and fishing industry retirees to project meetings. “That local knowledge has to become part of your team,” he says. Architects can use their listening superpowers to guide stakeholders with differing priorities, such as developers and end users, to co-author ideas.

Having multiple perspectives at the table also helps validate project objectives, Squire says. “When we do set goals, we do have to go back to see how we did … and make sure that we’re continuing to improve.” For example, Bora collects two years’ worth of utility bills from completed projects and conducts post-occupancy surveys. “We’re able to get a lot of information for a pretty minimal time investment.”

Proactive, not reactive

Before firms rush to adopt “regenerative design” into their marketing materials, they should consider their intention and capabilities. “It’s OK to say that your firm is enthusiastic about the idea of regenerative design and that you want to learn and engage more,” Baker says. “That in and of itself has value. But then to say that you are a regenerative firm or that you rename your sustainability team ‘regenerative’—that’s really [saying] you are going out there and regenerating things. That’s a bolder statement.”

A good way to assess credibility is to ask who in the firm has been trained in aspects of regeneration, Baker recommends. Azaroff suggests reviewing whether an organization’s projects have not only reduced their environmental impact but also restored their place, ecology, culture, and community.

If the answer is yes, Campos wants to hear about it: “Case studies of what people have done before are one of the best ways for us to learn.”

Actionable guidance

In its current form, the AIA Framework for Design Excellence offers a stepping stone toward regenerative design, which extends the framework’s principles “toward a logical conclusion that incorporates people, communities, and ecology,” Squire notes. “The framework will continue to be the gold standard of what good design looks like from the perspective of the AIA [and offer] a great way of incorporating these ideas into their practice.”

In June, the AIA Conference on Architecture in San Diego will offer educational sessions on regeneration and feature experts active in its practice, Azaroff says. AIA is also developing a webinar series on regenerative design fundamentals, practices, and conversations with clients, and it is planning an industry summit on the topic this fall.

Azaroff highlights resources from other countries and sectors, including Singapore’s Green Plan, the Capital Institute’s publications on regenerative economics, and Living Future’s continuing education courses and accreditation program. “Our daily work is to try and support people in their regenerative design journey,” Baker says. “We do that in a variety of ways, from education to events to community, to interventions around how we make products, and interventions in terms of how we make buildings.”

Advancements in technology can help communicate the benefits of regenerative design to clients and anyone interested, Campos says. For example, architects can point to how much carbon is sequestered in mass-timber construction. “Now more than ever, we are positioned as an industry to speak intelligently—and with the evidence behind it,” he says.

The timing couldn’t be better. “We are seriously in trouble as a planet,” Azaroff says, and every industry has to do more than be neutral in its actions. “Banking and finance recognize it. Governing bodies are recognizing it. We as architects need to take a leadership role to say we do recognize it.”

Wanda Lau is a freelance writer covering architecture and design and a former editor of ARCHITECT magazine. She lives outside Chicago.