COTE: 2022 AIA Architecture Firm of the Year Mass Design Group presents Seeking Abundance

We are at a turning point in our relationship to nature - up until now, we have perceived nature as an abundant and boundless resource. As our populations grow globally, we have come to a point where nature is being limited by its proximity to urbanization, and where nature’s bounty is being exhausted by generations of harvest and extraction without attending to how we replenish what we reap. When biodiversity is threatened, the resulting imbalances yield catastrophic results: plague, famine, and fire. When in balance biodiversity can heal and nourish. What is the role of design in preventing the former and nurturing the latter?

Our work over the last decade, predominately in East Africa, has taught us that it is possible to design for a flourishing people and planet. The principle of One Health is premised upon the understanding that human, animal, and ecological health are inextricably intertwined. It recognizes that one system’s health directly affects all other systems. And work across a range of projects in conservation, health, and agriculture has led us to a philosophy of practice which transcends geography.