Mission
BOARD OF DIRECTORS LARRY LEVENSON / President JIM STUCKEY / Treasurer SARAH BOWERS / Secretary BARNABAS KANE BENJAMIN MANCINI THOMAS REILLY DAN FAIRBANK BOARD OF ADVISORS Dr. J. DOUGLAS BALCOMB National Renewable Energy Lab WILLIAM P. BRUDER Architect PLINY FISK Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems EDDIE JONES Architect ALEXIS KAROLIDES Rocky Mountain Institute ANTOINE PREDOCK Architect Dr. DAVID ORR Oberlin College ANTIONE PREDOCK Architect Dr. JOHN TODD Ocean Arks International SIM VAN DER RYN Architect JAMES WINES Architect
The mission of the Ecosa Institute is to restore health to the natural environment, and thus the human environment, through education in design. Our vision is based on synthesizing the ethical and ecological values critical to the health of the environment, with the vitality and dynamism of the design arts.
The Ecosa Institute was founded in the belief that a new design philosophy informed by the natural world is critical to the future survival of our species. The design of human environments has always had a transformative impact on human societies and the natural systems on which we depend; the environments we create change the way our societies perceive the world.
While this is a radical view, there are many historical precedents for this position, both positive and negative, from the deadening effects of identical ‘McMansions' to the enlivening effects of the downtown revitalization of places like Portland, Oregon. By using a ‘naturocentric' ethic as the model for an integrated, complex, interactive approach to design, we are adding a unique perspective to the environmental debate.
Read about our academic program offerings
View a paper on the Ecosa Institute Educational Philosophy
View an article on Ecosa from Metropolis magazine
View an article on Ecosa from ArchitectureWeek.com
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