The Regenerative Rebuilding Strategy For Sustainable Coastal Communities. An Architectural Thesis and Case Study Of Rebuilding Post-Tsunami Sri Lanka. An architectural thesis and case study of rebuilding post-tsunami Sri Lanka

Developments are occurring at a rapid pace along coastlines all over the world. In fact a full two-thirds of the world’s population, or 4 billion people, live within 250 miles of a coast1. In the United States architects have recognized the negative effects of existing building practices on beaches. In fact, designers have eagerly adopted methods of “sustainable design” to band-aid the problem. While seemingly an improvement upon past building practices, current movements in sustainable design focus on slowing down the degradation to the beach environment instead of encouraging healing practices. If we are to sustain the existence of both mankind and the planet then just slowing down the damage is not enough. To restore beach ecosystems a regenerative architecture must replace exploitative architecture. In order to heal our beaches architecture must integrate regenerative cyclic processes which develop over time and which are found already existing in beach ecosystems. Regenerative architecture must promote co-evolution and interdependency of both land and humankind together, sustain existing ecosystems and natural materials, and re-establish the relationship between human and water.