permaculture - nature is the best design teacher!

One of the principles of permaculture is that good design of buildings, infrastructure and so forth will mimic the patterns of nature.


To get us attuned to the patterns of the natural world, we were sent out at sunset to collect natural items with a pattern that appealed to us. I picked two beautiful pink petals with a burgundy splodge in the middle of them and a hint of sunshine yellow. Their texture was the kind of silk you want next to your skin when you sleep.. and they reminded me of butterflies' wings. "Nothing in nature is similar randomly," says our teacher Benjamin. "It's all for a reason". Pressed to think harder I realise that the butterfly and the flower petals are both trying to do the same job - to attract, so that they can reproduce themselves. I wonder if I doll up in a bright pink garment with a silky texture whether it will have the same effect?? I catch myself smiling as I see what t-shirt I have on today - it is bright pink and depicts 3 butterflies. There are no accidents in nature ...

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So, back to the patterns of nature .. we have many patterns going on within our human bodies. When these are reflected in the external world, they are soothing to us (eg - the drumbeat is like a heartbeat, wallowing in a hot tub is womb-like and so on ..).

It was pointed out that we are 80 percent water, so it's good to look at the patterns of water flow..and mimic these when we design environments for ourselves. Water meanders when it cuts a path across land. It doesn't go in a straight line from A to B. For that reason, when creating a garden path, it will feel much more pleasing to us if it curves and meanders in the way that a river does. This made me think of feng shui, where angles and points are "bad' and curves are "good". I'm very excited to observe more about the overlap between feng shui and permaculture and to see how nature is replicated in architecture. The artist in me looks forward to learning more about people-friendly interior and exterior design tips..