Whole systems design

Why do we need to think in systems?
Much design involves solving one problem at the cost of creating another one. A road-widening scheme to relieve traffic jams might simply move the jam to another place, as well as having a negative effect on the local ecosystem. The surge of biofuels prompted by our need to cut emissions from fossil fuels has contributed to food scarcity  in some countries, as land is given over to growing sugar cane or maize for ethanol production. Antibiotics used in agriculture can develop resistance to antibiotics in people.

If we begin to think in systems we can see how we can be much more effective in our use of resources. A building might have a central heating plant and air conditioning in the computer area both running at the same time. We use drinking quality water to flush toilets when we could be using rainwater. The pulp from coffee beans can be used to grow mushrooms and the waste fed to goats who can provide protein. The used grounds can also be used for recovering biodiesel. This can create jobs and increase prosperity. The aim of whole systems design is to look for multiple benefits for a wide range of stakeholders.

Case study: Able Fish Farm
The Able Fish Farm in Wakefield started out as a social project to help young people into work. The project acquired some land from Yorkshire Water and the young people involved began to collect old cardboard boxes from local shops. They cut this up to make litter for hamsters and rabbits which they sold to pet shops. They soon had too much cardboard and when some got wet worms began to flourish in the damp, warm environment. They realised that they could sell all these worms to fishermen and a new business was developed, supplying a chain of angling shops with bait. Unfortunately, the chain went bankrupt. Once again the project was left with worms on their hands, so they started up their own fish farm, growing carp and speciality fish for local ethnic communities, and sturgeon to produce caviar. Tanks were heated from solar sources, including coppiced willow grown on site. But as the fish farm expanded there was a ‘problem’ of fish excrement in the water. Rather than seeing this as ‘waste’ that had to be disposed of, it was viewed as a biological nutrient. Watercress thrives on it and in due course a salad business developed.

The enterprise has expanded, all the while creating jobs as well as food, all out of what originally had been seen as ‘waste’.

Whole systems design – key principles

 * 1) Design for the whole system – optimise not maximise. Rather than focusing on how to get the maximum efficiency from one element of a system, try to redesign the whole system to make it more effective. If you want dryer washing you could increase the efficiency of the tumble dryer, but by looking at the whole system you may discover that it is more effective to increase the speed of the spin of the washing machine.
 * 2) Look for multiple benefits. In the fish farm example, above, the young people set up a highly profitable business using ‘waste’ cardboard to feed worms, ‘waste’ worms to feed fish and ‘waste’ fish excrement to grow salad, creating ‘products’ and employment along the way. They literally turned waste into food.
 * 3) Collaborate across disciplines. No one specialist has all the answers. Indeed specialists are trained to think within their specialism and find it hard to see the wood for the trees.

Approaches to whole systems design
There are a number of models available. In Factor Ten Engineering Design Principles Amory Lovins, at the Rocky Mountain Institute, identifies 17 basic principles of integrative design. Autodesk clearly expesses a simpler algorithm in this seven-minute video. Here are the key points:
 * 1) Define the problem by looking at the whole system. Get multiple perspectives early on from a wide range of stakeholders. Since everything is interconnected you need to choose the boundaries of the system that you want to optimise.
 * 2) Prioritise objectives – they may be as diverse as energy efficiency, closing the loops for biological and technical nutrients, maximising workforce satisfaction.
 * 3) Brainstorm solutions by looking at the whole system – start with a blank slate – think broadly – look for relationships.
 * 4) Use metrics to evaluate solutions and choose between them; go back to your original goals.
 * 5) Repeat the process by focusing on the next priority – recognising the whole time that the solution in one priority area will impact on the other priority areas.
 * 6) At some stage (often determined by external factors) you will need to call a halt and put together all aspects.