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 mission of the Ecosa Institute is to restore health to the natural environment, and thus the human environment, through education in design.


"I came to Ecosa to learn the technical aspects of sustainable design and got much more. I found out what really needs to be done in order to obtain an alternative future."

— ALUMNUS


 

Passsive and active heating diagram

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