What if we could design buildings that produce their own oxygen, distill water, accrue solar energy, change with the seasons and produce no waste? What if we used biomimicry to foster development of sustainable homes and communities? What if the strategies of conservation, stewardship, regeneration, health and ethics were applied to building both the home and the city? What if we could design living environments to be usable by as many people as possible regardless of age, ability or situation? What if buildings could interact, think, grow and change as we do over time?

BAC Tufts

“The structure will simultaneously provide a framework that supports effective: communication, planning, financial management, accountability, implementation, decision-making, problem-solving, production and research; and offer a “container” that fosters exploration, experimentation, creativity, participation of multiple stakeholders and thinkers, individual and collective growth, generation of ideas, collaboration, risk-taking and dialoguing.” Preliminary Management Structure Ideas The goal of the organizational structure is to enable the full potential of collaboration and participation while providing a clear hierarchy of responsibilities and accountability. The structure will simultaneously provide a framework that supports effective communication, planning, financial management, accountability, implementation, decision-making, problem-solving, production and research; and offer a “container” that fosters exploration, experimentation, creativity, participation of multiple stakeholders and thinkers, individual and collective growth, generation of ideas, collaboration, risk-taking and dialoguing.

…a sustainable, accessible, flexible ‘living” machine, maximizing use of technology, partnerships, resources, and research, including, but not limited to, Building Integrated photovoltaics (BIPV); …in integrated building design processes by integrating environmental studies, the sciences, humanities, architecture, engineering, landscape architecture, interior design, policy and advocacy, and universal design; …all aspects of sustainability - social, environmental, and economic – in the design of a prototype so that it can be reused, recycled, and adapted for a variety of users who live in diverse climates and landscapes and who have access to vastly different resources; …to the development and supply of net-zero energy, carbon-neutral homes that are easily replicable, as well as marketable, desirable, and affordable to a wide range of consumers; Developing Mission

We are attempting to solve a “wicked problem”: “Wicked problems have incomplete, contradictory, and changing requirements; and solutions to them are often difficult to recognize as such because of complex interdependencies. While attempting to solve a wicked problem, the solution of one of its aspects may reveal or create another, even more complex problem.” As a consortium we have the resources to tackle it through integrated design processes. To find answers to these complex problems will require the efforts of top thinkers and experts in all fields and develop a system.