EPD 2 M1: Ecological Foundations and the Urban Context

Focal Question: What distinguishes a “built environment” from a functioning ecosystem, and why does that distinction matter for the architect?

Ecosystem

interacting biotic and abiotic components and flows of energy and matter

Built Environment

human-dominated modification of biotic and abiotic relationships

Ecology

Architecture students often treat ___ as external to the building (false)

Building and its site

Systems thinking requires recognising the ___ as part of a modified urban ecosystem

Solar (in situ)

primary energy source of natural ecosystems

Mostly imported (fossil, grid)

primary energy source of built environments

Largely closed / cyclic

material cycles of natural ecosystems

Predominantly linear

material cycles of built environments

High, functionally diverse

biodiversity of natural ecosystems

Low, simplified, human-dominated

biodiversity of built environments

Infiltration, storage, slow release

hydrology of natural ecosystems

Rapid runoff, reduced reharge

hydrology of built environments

Local, relatively rapid

feedbacks of natural ecosystems

Often delayed, displaced, social

feedbacks of built environments

High within limits

self-organization of natural ecosystems

Dependent on continuous human input

self-organization of built environments

linearisation and simplification

Every design decision can intensify ___

circularity and resilience

Every design decision can work toward greater ___

urban design and land conversion

cumulative ecological modification in Philippine coastal and peri-urban landscapes arre driven by ___

Ecological footprint

quantifies the biologically productive area required to support consumption and absorb waste

global hectares

unit of ecological footprint

ecological deficit

demand exceeds domestic biocapacity

carbon, food, and materials

often dominate total footprint components

True

Density alone does not guarantee a smaller footprint

project-scale design choices

affects planetary regenerative capacity (based on footprint analysis)

Urban metabolism

analyzes the flows of energy, water, materials, and waste through urban systems

extract–use–dispose

linear model

linear model

Most cities still operate on a ___ model

circular metabolism

seeks to close loops and reduce virgin throughput

Buildings

nodes within larger metabolic networks

design decisions

aggregate into city-scale profiles

Metabolic thinking

connects project design to footprint reduction and natural capital conservation

Natural capital

stock of ecosystems and resources that generate flows of ecosystem services essential to human well-being

expendable

conventional development has often treated natural capital as ___

long-term resilience

conventional development results to depletion that undermines ___

National Adaptation Plan 2023–2050

frames ecosystems and biodiversity as central to climate adaptation and sustainable development

site selection, land conversion, and ecological performance

Architects and urban designers influence natural capital through ___ of projects.

Global assessments

established the scientific and policy foundations for ecosystem service and natural capital thinking

site analysis and design justification

key global frameworks supply a shared vocabulary and analytical structure for ___

integrated socio-ecological approaches and nature-based solutions

growing trend in urban contexts

Biocapacity

capacity of ecosystems to produce useful biological materials and absorb waste under current management; measured in global hectares

Circular metabolism

urban or industrial system designed to maximise recovery, reuse, and regeneration of materials and energy, minimising virgin extraction and residual waste

Ecological footprint (EF)

biologically productive area required to support a population’s consumption and absorb its waste; expressed in global hectares

Ecological overshoot

condition in which demand on ecosystems exceeds their regenerative capacity within a given period

Ecosystem

dynamic complex of plant, animal, and microorganism communities and the non-living environment interacting as a functional unit

Ecosystem services

benefits people obtain from ecosystems, commonly classified as provisioning, regulating, supporting, and cultural

Global hectare (gha)

A hectare of biologically productive land or water normalised to world-average productivity (unit)

Linear (throughput) metabolism

system that extracts resources, uses them, and discards residues as waste, with limited recovery or cycling

Natural capital

stock of natural assets that yield flows of ecosystem services to people

Urban metabolism

study of energy, water, material, and waste flows into, through, and out of urban systems

Modified ecosystem

An ecosystem in which human design and management have become dominant drivers of structure and function; the built environment is treated as such