Conceptual Planning Phase - Permaculture Design Course Handbook

Conceptual Planning: Quick Summary

7. SWOT Analysis – Create a list of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities & Threats of the site. This reflects on previous analysis tools and highlights factors of development such as social and economic conditions.

8. Elements & Functions Mind Map – Mind Maps track the brainstorming process while creating a visual representation of what would otherwise be invisible interrelationships.

Elements & Functions Mind Map – Functions for header bubbles include: Water, Soil Fertility, Energy, Structures, Access, Food Production, Cottage Industry, Animal Husbandry, and Other Important Functions. Create a mind map that spells out how the important functions will be supported by many elements. It is a step that will allow you to envision the project as a whole and see how the connections bring redundancy..

9. Schematic Design(s) – These are sketch orientated, big picture, pattern based thinking of how the development may unfold in an informal drawing.

Schematic Design Map = Write the list of elements on cards and use random assembly to see how elements will interconnect. A quick functional analysis of each element will help. Use arrows to indicate the matching of inputs and outputs. The mind map should help you to create the elements cards. Remember to lean on your PC principles list. Remember to time it, that this is not the final design, to be creative, and to stay pattern based rather than detail orientated.

Conceptual Planning: Detailed Description and Examples

During this phase you will be taking the first two phases and beginning to generate design ideas. Do your last analysis step but bring more detail to it in a summary called a SWOT analysis, which is a common planning tool in many businesses. You will then next use a highly creative phase that interprets the assessment and begins to generate patterns of design. You will use the information of your analysis to alter flows, deal with sectors, create functional interconnections. Applications of the principles as well as meeting prime directives of the client and Permaculture philosophy are overarching goals.

Local city market
Constraints of a budget
Catchment from a road
Invasive species abound
Strong coastal winds

8. Elements & Functions Mind Map – Mind Maps track the brainstorming process while creating a visual representation of what would otherwise be invisible interrelationships.

Elements & Functions Mind Map – Functions for header bubbles include: Water, Soil Fertility, Energy, Structures, Access, Food Production, Cottage Industry, Animal Husbandry, and Other Important Functions. Create a mind map that spells out how the important functions will be supported by many elements. It is a step that will allow you to envision the project as a whole and see how the connections bring redundancy.

9. Schematic Design(s) – These are sketch orientated, big picture, pattern based thinking of how the development may unfold in an informal drawing.

Schematic Design Map = Write the list of elements on cards and use random assembly to see how elements will interconnect. A quick functional analysis of each element will help. Use arrows to indicate the matching of inputs and outputs. The mind map should help you to create the elements cards. Remember to lean on your PC principles list. Remember to time it, that this is not the final design, to be creative, and to stay pattern based rather than detail orientated.

Guidance:

Write a list of elements on cards and use random assembly all the while using functional analysis to see how elements will interconnect.
Make a bullet list of the Principles and ethics and have it laying next to you as you do your schematic design.
As you go along, examine how are you using biological resources or small scale intensive stacking in space and time as an example. Understand where the gaps are using the principles as an evaluation tool.
Use the ethics as a sieve for ideas as well as on-site and off-site resources, obstacles of social, environmental, and financial factors for the site.

Thus you should try to do this exercise in an hour or just slightly more. Come prepared with cards of elements that you ahve been doing functional analysis of and others that meet the clients wish’s and desires. Just like in the class where we did a schematic, make sure your sectors and flows are understood from your Assessment phase. From there lay the cards down and shift them around and feel free to add more elements in as you go along (worm bin UNDER the rabbit cage). Begin to draw on the elements and use bubbles to represent rather than signs for individual trees. You will use cards like Nut trees and have chickens running through there with Nitrogen fixing trees interspersed all the while being sheltered by a multifunctional hedgerow. This really is meant to be quick, generate a heap of ideas quickly which then can be refined in the next phases. You can do more than one of thse but make sure you do at least one.