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LENSES

LENSES (Living Environments in Natural, Social, & Economic Systems)

Background

As advocates for a living earth community, and more specifically as practitioners in the green building movement, we are seeking solutions to overwhelming social and environmental concerns. We are part of a global awakening that is moving away from means and methods that erode our capacity to survive and toward a balanced and life-sustaining model. In response to this awakening, the Institute for the Built Environment assembled a group of regional professionals and faculty from Colorado State University to embark on a research project that would uncover a model for regenerative locally-appropriate environments. The group has been working with the vision of shifting mindsets toward valuing and developing a healthy and regenerative world that fosters living environments in natural, social, and economic systems.

In the fall of 2008 a regional charrette was facilitated that included participation from over 60 leading professionals and researchers in the fields of literature, education, energy, natural resources and green building. The focus of the charrette was on the development and implementation of a process and metrics guide called LENSES (Living Environments in Natural, Social and Economic Systems). Since that time, the steering committee has worked to refine the vision, strategy, content and core concepts for the group as an organization and for LENSES as a process and metrics guide.

LENSES (Living Environments in Natural, Social, and Economic Systems), is a process and metrics tool that will encourage teams to look at each element of a design from several vantage points. When complete, LENSES will explicitly address elements that are often missing in other tools used for green buildings, such as social equity, financing, education and local economies. It is built on the key notions that the process is as important as product, both qualitative and quantitative metrics are valuable, and the built environment becomes "living" by actively engaging the elements that flow through it. LENSES will be available to pilot projects in 2010.

Our vision…

• to guide dialogue and redefine success for the built environment
• to be replicable across cultures and eco-regions
• to cultivate restoration of biological performance, green collar job creation, greenhouse gas sequestration, sustainability education, community building and strengthened local economies.

Key concepts…

• requires a shift in worldview and underlying assumptions
• process is as important as product
• qualitative and quantitative metrics are valuable
• solutions must come from a deep understanding of place
• the built environment becomes “living” by actively engaging the elements that flow through it

How it works
The users of LENSES will view the built environment through a series of 3 interactive 'lenses'.

The first layer, the Foundational Lens, represents the overarching philosophy of sustainability, which includes guiding principles that have been articulated by leaders within the sustainability movement and the integrated or nested bottom line. This nested view provides an accurate perspective of the relationship between the environment, equity, and economy and illustrates this definition of sustainability: humans living equitably within the means of nature. Ultimately, the Foundational Lens will serve as the process component of the tool, which provide facilitators with activities and dialogue guides for establishing shared vision and understanding between team members.

The next layer is the Built Environment Lens. The term “built environment” refers to human settlement within an ecosystem and includes buildings, roads, infrastructure, parks, etc. The Built Environment Lens is divided into 12 aspects (e.g. energy, water, land use, transportation, financing, education) and is placed on top of the Foundational Lens. Users see that each aspect has environmental, social equity, and economic components. The Built Environment Lens will serve as the metrics component of LENSES and will be populated with quantitative and qualitative metrics that are measured on a gradient scale of success.

The Flows Lens is a rotating and transparent lens that is placed on top of the Built Environment Lens. The Flows Lens shows resources that flow into and out of a built environment (e.g. air, light, food, money, people, and waste). These flows are the dynamic influencing factors that bring a built environment to life. The characteristics and patterns of these flows vary by region. Through exploring the flows of a particular place, built environments will become responsive and appropriate for their particular location and function in a community. The Flows Lens will serve to integrate concepts of design and operations and will explore interdependent relationships between the building, site, users, community, and beyond.

Together, the three lenses form graphic representation of the LENSES tool.

A diverse group of professionals and researchers are working together to create the content and substance for LENSES through focus groups, dialogue and application.

For more information on becoming a pilot project, supporting LENSES development, or becoming a volunteer please contact April Wackerman, Projects Manager, aprilew@rams.colostate.edu

Last updated on November 11, 2009