Main author
Michael BrooksFutuREstorative - review
Martin Brown – ‘FutuREstorative: Working towards a new sustainability’
Published by RIBA Publishing (2016)
FutuREstorative: Working towards a new sustainability, written by the consultant Martin Brown, is a worthy addition to the growing corpus of texts debating the problems and solutions facing the built environment and sustainability.
Where this book differs somewhat is in its inclusion of blog-style contributions from a collection of business leaders, advocates and practitioners, from construction and beyond.
Running through the book is the idea that respect and intolerance for causing damage to nature has been lost, as the built environment has gradually eroded our real connection to nature. Key to the book’s theme is the idea of shifting the sustainability debate from focusing simply on energy performance on to a more holistic view of social performance, wellness, health and healthy buildings.
The book posits the concept of ‘net-positive construction’, which asks the question ‘what if every construction site made the world a better place?’; that, instead of being wasteful and emissions-heavy, the construction sector could generate more energy, water and reusable resources than it consumes.
The concepts and benefits of biophilia and biomimicry are explored as methods of learning from and adapting natural processes. It makes the case that best practice and established sustainability standards have all-too-often fallen into the box-ticking ‘doing less bad’ trap, rather than aiming to do good. Innovations such as BIM, the internet of things and social media are seen as new tools in the ‘sustainability toolbox’, providing opportunities to advance the development of, and action on sustainability.
While some may come away frustrated with the solutions on offer, the book serves as a challenge to the limited orthodoxies of contemporary thinking rather than attempting to provide a prescriptive road-map to definite answers.
Students, practitioners and policy makers in the built environment would do well to engage with the challenges and ideas raised by this book, as it is this kind of creative and forward thinking response that will be essential in adapting the built environment to prevent and respond to the uncertainties of climate change.
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings
- An Introduction to Passive House - review.
- Better Buildings: Learning from buildings in use - review.
- Bill Gething and Katie Puckett - Design for Climate Change.
- Biomimicry in Architecture - review.
- Building Revolutions - review.
- Climate change science.
- Ecological impact assessment.
- Environmental policy.
- Green building.
- How Buildings Work - review.
- Retrofit.
- Sustainability.
Featured articles and news
Shading for housing, a design guide
A look back at embedding a new culture of shading.
The Architectural Technology Awards
The AT Awards 2025 are open for entries!
ECA Blueprint for Electrification
The 'mosaic of interconnected challenges' and how to deliver the UK’s Transition to Clean Power.
Grenfell Tower Principal Contractor Award notice
Tower repair and maintenance contractor announced as demolition contractor.
Passivhaus social homes benefit from heat pump service
Sixteen new homes designed and built to achieve Passivhaus constructed in Dumfries & Galloway.
CABE Publishes Results of 2025 Building Control Survey
Concern over lack of understanding of how roles have changed since the introduction of the BSA 2022.
British Architectural Sculpture 1851-1951
A rich heritage of decorative and figurative sculpture. Book review.
A programme to tackle the lack of diversity.
Independent Building Control review panel
Five members of the newly established, Grenfell Tower Inquiry recommended, panel appointed.
Welsh Recharging Electrical Skills Charter progresses
ECA progressing on the ‘asks’ of the Recharging Electrical Skills Charter at the Senedd in Wales.
A brief history from 1890s to 2020s.
CIOB and CORBON combine forces
To elevate professional standards in Nigeria’s construction industry.
Amendment to the GB Energy Bill welcomed by ECA
Move prevents nationally-owned energy company from investing in solar panels produced by modern slavery.
Gregor Harvie argues that AI is state-sanctioned theft of IP.
Experimental AI housing target help for councils
Experimental AI could help councils meet housing targets by digitising records.
BSRIA Occupant Wellbeing survey BOW
Occupant satisfaction and wellbeing tool inc. physical environment, indoor facilities, functionality and accessibility.