All living and man-made features have their place in Earth’s web of living systems. Thinking in terms of design and positioning social, environmental, ecological, and economic systems as interconnected parts of a whole, regenerative design seeks to give back more than it takes from the environment; surpassing present sustainable design initiatives to foster holistic solutions which have the capacity to transform wicked problems into positive outcomes. This method utilizes a systems thinking approach by connecting various scales to the benefit of ecological, environmental, economic, and social organizations. Systems thinking can be defined broadly as “an approach to integration that is based on the belief that the component parts of a system will act differently when isolated from the system’s environment or other parts of the system” (Principal 2021). Thus, systems are nested within one another and cannot be properly examined without considering the other elements they impact. It is then pertinent to work within the interconnectedness of elements and account for these relationships since “the sustainability of a living system is tied directly to its beneficial integration into a larger system” (Regenerative Development and Design: A Framework for Evolving Sustainability 2016). Regenerative design builds upon this by striving to create a unified whole where the co-evolution of humans and natural systems support one another through design (Regenerative Development and Design: A Framework for Evolving Sustainability 2016). Serving as a framework for regenerative design, the Living Building Challenge creates a unified building standard with the goal of enriching architectural and interior environments to positively impact social, environmental, economic, and ecological systems. To implement these principles, the aim of this creative project will be to attain Living Building Challenge Interior CORE certification in the context of a post-pandemic workplace design project.

With its goals, methods, and standards, sustainability has gained a lot of traction. Nevertheless, there is still room for improvement in terms of sustainability. Professionals and academics attempted to meet these demands by developing and implementing new substantial strategies for accelerating the transition to a more sustainable future. Culture is a crucial factor in evolution because it is the primary means by which our forefathers adapted to their surroundings. Resistance movements such as critical regionalism theory, resisting placelessness, and whimsical individualism arose as a result of the uncritical acceptance of the International Movement's principles and later post-modern languages. Considering all these, critical regionalism, biophilic design, regenerative design, and tourism are all investigated in this thesis. The goal is to investigate the relationship between these design approaches: critical regionalism, biophilic design, and regenerative design, and experiential hotels. A comprehensive literature review and the optimization of a collective case study are part of the methodology.By and large, critical regionalism creates autonomy and elevates its construction to an art form by providing functionally acceptable forms that are adapted to nature and the region. By translating the site's environmental characteristics within the hotel, biophilic design emulates nature through visual signs and a dramatic sense of place. By creating a design system, regenerative design aims to preserve hotel resources while also reducing carbon footprint and CO2 emissions. This study demonstrates the positive impact of combining sustainability methods and has provided individuals with a rich experience while minimizing environmental impact. Finally, based on the findings of the data and combining the three design approaches of critical regionalism, biophilic design, and regenerative design, this thesis proposes guidelines for designing experiential hotels.

This research aims to investigate the effect of campus courtyards on students’ satisfaction with education. It will look into two different types of courtyard within the Arizona State University. One courtyard space has more elements and attributes of biophilic design and the other has less. In addition, this paper will provide guidelines for designing courtyards that would improve student’s satisfaction with education. The Methodology used is survey handouts to students after the researcher selects the two types of courtyards by observation. The participant in this study are randomly picked young adult college students (n=60). The results indicate a positive effect of biophilic design on student’s satisfaction with education in courtyards. Furthermore, guidelines for designing courtyards based on biophilic design elements and attributes are suggested.

Our current water usage practices and consumption have run us into dire need for change: our over-usage from the Colorado River and depletion of groundwater resources have led us to draw out more than we can replenish, and this cycle is becoming increasingly more expensive.A solution to this from an architectural standpoint is to have the building work with the natural hydrological cycle of its respective site. In doing so, the building will not only benefit the environment of its site, but will provide the public with education on the need for greater
conservation.
This thesis project first looks to the Living Building Challenge’s Water Petal framework as standards for this building to follow. The framework outlines that the building needs to be water positive, meaning all the water needs to be taken from the environment, run through the building, and discharged back out into the environment in a safe manner that benefits the local environment. To begin my research, I first looked to case studies of buildings that incorporate elements of the hydrological cycles of their sites, studying how these buildings function
efficiently without causing damage or depleting resources. The project then goes onto analyze the site on which the building will sit. The prototype building is located in Papago Park, facing the Papago Buttes. The building itself is a meditation pavilion, providing a place for visitors to rest and enjoy the beauty of the natural landscape.
In terms of the water systems at work in the building, the project acquires water through several means. The first is through rain, in which the building catches rainwater on slanted planes of the roof as well as through a ground filtration system within the landscaped zones surrounding the building. The water filters through the soil, through multiple filters and eventually to a large storage tank below. Water is also collected using existing bioswales lining the nearby canal to harness water as part of the building system. This water is also filtered and sent to the storage tank. Because of the weather patterns we have here in Arizona, the storage tank is very large, needing to hold about 3,000 gallons of water. This water is then ready to be used by toilets or irrigation, or treated one step further through the process of ozonation to be used for sinks and drinking fountains. The blackwater, or sewage water, then gets pumped through a
membrane bioreactor in which sludge is sent to an anearobic digester and the remaining water continues to a constructed wetland where it ends its journey. Along the way, this water is pumped through a shallow channel in the ground in which people within the building can view as it makes its way out to the wetland. Upon reaching the wetland, the water will eventually seep back into the ground, replenishing the natural water table and thus completing the full loop cycle
of the project.