"Nature's Geometry"

"Nature's Geometries reflect and enhance underlying processes."

"Paul Mankiewitz discusses the ability of the fractal root systems of plants to purify water."

p. 38

In contrast, ecological wastewater treatment systems facilitate rich chemical exchanges on the surfaces of the roots. The roots actively order the flow of chemical energy, facilitating the work of microorganisms that inhabit them."

p. 39

"Nature's Geometry is an important organizing principle for ecological design. It determines the context for design --the intentional shaping of materials-- , whether at the scale of a root system or an entire watershed."

"Over a century ago, Major John Wesley Powell, head of the U. S. Geological Survey, explicitly recognized this organizing principle in his suggestion to settle the arid West in a way that matched land allocations to the availability of water."

"Natural geographical and topographical unities" from the land and watershed.

Such as a 70 acre marsh in San Francisco Bay

p. 39

Engineers "have been able to partially restore the original fit between the geometry of the marsh's drainage fingers and the character of the tidal flux. The new system is working well, an the marsh not only is mosquito free but also is attracting shorebirds previously unknown at the site."

pp. 39-41.

"By matching the flows on a landscape to its inherent geometry, we allow ecological patterns to work for us. We can use natural drainage instead of storm drains, wetlands in stead of sewage treatment plants, . . . We can work for a steady convergence of dwelling, design, and the geometry of place."

p. 44.

Sym Van der Ryn, Ecological Design.