Designing from Patterns to Details
The permaculture principles 'designing from patterns to details' can be seen as, "By stepping back, we can observe patterns in nature and society. These can form the backbone of our designs, with the details filled in as we go" (wikipedia). Through the Brook End design process I have identified broader patterns which affect the whole site and have adopted 'designs within designs' to help make the design process more manageable.
Patterns - elements that are a 'whole farm' approach:
- Water management
- Zone analysis
- Access
- Boundaries
- Sector planning
- Tree lines
- Whole nutrient planning
- Political, social and economic factors (PESTE analysis)
Details - subsystem elements:
- Planting systems
- Element placement
- Detailed building specifications
- Path layouts
- Materials & costings
- Detailed business & financial planning
In order to make the design manageable and to truly enhance the opportunities I have identified areas for more focused design work as systems within the system. These are explore in the following pages and are listed below:
- Home garden
- Kitchen garden
- Herb garden
- Orchard
- Indoor ecosystems
- Field
- Stream
- Pond
- Woodland
- Business plans