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The George Brown College Master Plan uniquely combined biomimicry, Indigenous Knowledge, and sustainability. Together, these three groups developed principles and visions that guided the master plan, finding synergies around locally attuned design that honoured the past but used innovation to design for the future. The principles and visions inspired a new relationship to a densely urban environment, elevating the importance of water and the spirit of water to bring life back to the city. It also honoured the traditional routes of the First Nations People in how these dispersed campuses could be connected to each other.
Drawing on biomimicry designs, the exercise also included partnerships with Harvard University, where scientists have developed an algorithm that emulates slime mould for creating more efficient and resilient transportation routes between campuses.
The outcomes of this nature-led master plan were to regenerate a degraded landscape, build resilience by learning to dance with the land in the face of increasing climate change and create conditions for both the people and the ecology to generate more life-affirming educational practices. This was crafted through the unique combination of lenses from Two Row Architects, Atelier Ten sustainability experts, and B+H Biomimicry.