At the core of Chrisna du Plessis’s research is the question of how a degenerative system can be changed into a regenerative system where catalytic interventions allow different processes to emerge. Associate Professor and Head of Department in Architecture, her work is situated in the built environment, particularly architecture and urban design and planning, and the complex social-ecological system within which these disciplines are located.
Strategies for regenerative sustainability include the principles of giving back more than what is taken out; creating conditions for emergence and evolution; and making decisions from a value system, based on how nature works. In the built environment, this includes biomimicry, biophilia and bio-based technologies that offer a variety of solutions, from the very simple to the complex. Her book, Designing for Hope, co-authored with Dr Dominique Hes of the University of Melbourne (2015), cites case studies that ground ideas of regenerative development in physical form. Two examples stand out: the Highline in New York City that has transformed a disused railroad spur into an urban park, now a catalyst in the area for small business development, cultural activities and investment in building upgrades. Another is the Koo Teck Puat Hospital in Yishun, Singapore, built on what used to be a community allotment vegetable garden. It is a vivid illustration of the notion of giving back more than what is taken out of the system. The vegetable garden is recreated on the roof and surplus organic food is sold to the hospital canteen. In addition to the use of advanced sustainable built systems, the hospital also offers programmes that teach health and well-being, thus contributing to the health of the community and to social cohesion.*
The book is the only shortlisted entry in the research category of the AfriSam-SAIA (the South African Institute of Architecture) 2015/16 Awards for Sustainable Architecture and Innovation that focuses on the recognition of contributions to sustainable human living environments.
This ‘rooted wall’ at the Durban International Convention Centre symbolises the symbiotic intertwining of organism and structure in an urban environment.
