Core Principles
of Supernature
Supernature’s set of ethical principles is motivated by the preservation of natural systems and the enhancement of human development. The principles represent the team’s core values and provide a critical lens through which our work is carried out.
The Vision of a Supernature City embodies:
Oneness
At the core of the SuperNature approach, Oneness represents harmony, respect for all life and the pursuit of positively impacting the environment, nurturing life, and restoring the earth – preserving and regenerating resources and energy, reducing and reusing waste, and counteracting climate change.
‘Oneness’ is concerned with planetary health and global resources. It involves strategies for protecting the environment such as circular economy, clean energy, it infrastructure, software, hardware and global networks.
Grounding
Inspired by our fundamental connection to the Earth, Grounding represents being and building with nature – integrating consistent touchpoints with vegetation and earth-based materials and harmonizing human development with natural ecosystems.
‘Grounding’ Is About Merging Our Experiences And The Urban Form With Nature And Biophilic Spaces. It Involves Bioutilization And Biomaterials, And The Connection Between Nature And Its Benefits To Human Health And Wellbeing.
Flowing
Stemming from the phenomena of natural streams and cycles, Flowing represents the optimization of resource flows and benefits of building like nature – taking inspiration from natural systems to facilitate balanced and efficient infrastructure systems.
‘Flowing’ is about learning from nature’s hyper-efficient structures and patterns to better manage water, waste and transportation flows. It involves embracing the genius of nature across scales to increase resiliency in the built environment, and creating infrastructure designed to support the sustainable function of ecosystems.
Belonging
Rooted in the ideas of local identity and connection to place, Belonging is centered around human interaction, community and inclusivity, and strives to interweave the built environment with its surroundings – fostering meaningful social relationships, diversity and community identity.
‘Belonging’ Is About Local Context Both Cultural And Architectural, Involving Strategies To Foster Face-to-face Interaction Among Diverse Individuals And Groups, And Design From A Collective Perspective. It Is Also Concerned With Being Locally-attuned To The Particulars Of Site, Optimizing For Local Geographic And Climatic Conditions (Like Darwin’s Finches!) And Adapting Based On Local Response. It Includes Strategies For Addressing Drought And Desertification, Local Food Production, And Vernacular Architecture.
Flourishing
Arising from the desire to advance human development through collaboration, Flourishing seeks to create open access to opportunities for growth and actualization – prioritizing co-creation and decentralization of information.
‘Flourishing’ is about empowering people to create and use tools in an open ecosystem, where equality, affordability, accessibility and authenticity are embedded in technological and urban innovation, and digital and social systems operate symbiotically. The community acts as a service platform, where locals feel a sense of ownership for the community’s present, and optimism for its future.