Stories about Sustainability presents ideas inspired by architecture, materials and history from around the world.
For the third event in the series Ken Yeang will present his work developed from an ecology-based architecture designed through the biomimicry of ecosystems, and presented in his recent books: Saving the Planet by Design : Reinventing our Cities through Ecomimesis (Routledge Taylor & Francis, UK), and At One With Nature : Recent advances in Ecological Architecture in the Work of Ken Yeang (John Wiley & Sons, UK).
Ken Yeang will present how designing architecture through the biomimicry of attributes of ecosystems in order to recreate human-made ecosystems can enable the built environment to seamlessly and benignly integrate with the Planet’s natural environment and its biochemical cycles.
He will be joined in conversation with Sarah Akigbogun to talk about how we can approach designing for humanity’s sustainable future.
Ken Yeang is an architect and ecologist who trained at the AA. He received his doctorate from Cambridge University on the topic of ecological design and planning. His firm delivers signature hyper-green architecture, a field he has pioneered since 1971. The work is differentiated by an approach based on the science of ecology that performs beyond conventional green-rating systems. The work has been recognised by numerous awards and the Guardian newspaper named him ‘one of the 50 people who could save the Planet’.
The fundamental premise of his work is that the ecology of the planet is the originating context and baseline upon which all human action, and activities, technologies and its built environment takes place. The clean state of health of the planet’s ecology determines the future viability of human life on Earth. Ecology’s ‘ecosystem’ concept is adopted as the central basis for designing, effected through the emulation, replication and augmentation of ecosystem properties. Ecosystem biomimicry requires the repurposing and remaking of the built environment to become human-made constructed ecosystems.
Sarah Akigbogun is the founder of Studio aki. She is a passionate designer, filmmaker and photographer, using these skills to improve and create spaces and to help others communicate their own vision. Sarah studied Architecture at the AA and Architectural Engineering at The University of Westminster. Following this she worked for several years, firstly as an engineer and then at leading, international, architecture practices including Alsop Architects and Foster and Partners.
Sarah is committed to improving minority representation in architecture. In 2017 she directed the film She Draws:She Builds. She is the current Vice chair of Women In Architecture UK, and she is the founder of the XXAOC project which seeks to uncover the untold stories of female architects of colour.
Stories about Sustainability is a lecture series that accompanies the exhibition The Future is a Journey to the Past: Stories about Sustainability curated by Mario Cucinella Architects, which will be held in the AA Gallery from 23 September until 29 October.
Image: Sketch of Editt Tower, Ken Yeang
