Ecosa’s History & Mission
“The significant problems we face can not be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them.”
— Albert Einstein
With climate change threatening extraordinary impacts on our planet Earth, the role of the designer has become one of the most critical in the 21st century.
History of Ecosa
The Ecosa Institute was founded in the belief that a new design philosophy informed by the natural world is critical to the future survival of our species. The design of human environments has always had a transformative impact on human societies and the natural systems on which we depend; the environments we create change the way our societies perceive the world.
Ecosa was started in 1996 by renowned architect Tony Brown whose career has been on the forefront of responsible architecture and sustainable design for over 40 years. In Brown’s early career, he worked along side his mentor, Paolo Soleri. Paolo Soleri (21 June 1919 – 9 April 2013) was an American architect and urban planner. He established the educational Cosanti Foundation and Arcosanti along with being a National Design Award recipient in 2006.
Tony’s tenure at Arcosanti lasted 13-years as he served as the architect-in-residence where he supervised design and construction. Based on his time at Arcosanti and his travels around the world, he later began to foster a new type of design education. “It became clear,” said Brown, “that only a design program that is interactive, multi-disciplinary, and encourages complex systems thinking, can bring any understanding to the subject of ecological design.”
Tony comes from an impressive lineage as Soleri was a student of the architect, Frank Lloyd Wright (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959). In December 1946, Soleri spent a year and a half in fellowship with Wright at Taliesin West in Arizona, and at Taliesin in Spring Green, Wisconsin.
Ecosa’s is built on the foundations that Soleri and Wright practiced which meant that the human design world should learn from and live with the natural world.
Mission & Philosophy
The Ecosa Institute’s mission is to advance ecological design—a design philosophy that recognizes the interconnectedness of human activities and the natural environment. The institute seeks to provide an educational framework where design solutions not only meet human needs, but also restore ecosystems, minimize environmental impact, and create regenerative systems.
Key elements of the Ecosa Institute’s philosophy include:
Sustainability: Creating design solutions that can sustain themselves over the long term without depleting natural resources.
Regenerative Design: Moving beyond sustainability to design systems that actively restore and regenerate the environment.
Systems Thinking: Viewing design as part of a larger ecological and social system, where each component influences the whole.
Interdisciplinary Approach: Incorporating architecture, urban planning, landscape design, and environmental science into a holistic approach to design.
Influence & Impact
The Ecosa Institute has played a significant role in advancing ecological design education in the U.S., particularly by promoting a systems-thinking approach to design. It has been a leader in integrating architecture and ecology, helping designers and architects consider not just how buildings are made, but how they affect the ecosystems around them. The institute has influenced a generation of designers to think beyond the traditional limits of architecture and consider the larger environmental context.
Ecosa and the Broader Ecological Design Movement
The work of the Ecosa Institute aligns with the broader movement toward regenerative design, which seeks to create systems that restore, renew, and revitalize their own sources of energy and materials. This approach is increasingly seen as a necessary evolution from sustainable design, which focuses on minimizing harm, to regenerative systems, which aim to leave the environment better than it was before. The institute’s philosophy and curriculum reflect these trends and contribute to global discussions on how to design for a more resilient and regenerative future.
Key Contributions
Educational Innovation: Ecosa's interdisciplinary curriculum has influenced other educational institutions to adopt similar holistic design approaches that integrate environmental, social, and economic concerns.
Sustainable Architecture and Green Building: The institute’s focus on green building practices has contributed to the growing awareness of the environmental impact of construction and the importance of energy-efficient and low-impact building techniques.
Ecological Design Advocacy: Through its programs and outreach, Ecosa has become a prominent advocate for ecological design, influencing both professionals and the general public to think about design as a tool for environmental stewardship.
More about Tony Brown
Brown has taught sustainable design and planning at the college level and has lectured at universities around the United States and abroad. As the Founder and former Program Director of ECOSA Institute, Tony developed an innovative new approach to educating students and graduates in the role of sustainability in design. Tony has worked as an architect in London, Boston, and San Francisco.
He was a magazine editor and writer of articles for which he has won press club awards, and his illustrations in “Nature Notes” and “The Ecology of the Grand Canyon” were also singled out for awards. Tony founded an award-winning graphic design company as well as an architectural practice in Prescott.
