9. Living Structures: The Fundamental Properties of Wholeness

 In ecological design and planning, as well as in regenerative design, the consideration of the whole is paramount, as indicated in the literature that were reviewed and in the previous chapters. If we are to shift from our current mechanical ‘set of parts’ thinking, to a holistic, integral based systems thinking, we must understand the nature of the change required. The foundation for the evolution of understanding, and thereby of the way we participate as part of nature, is through understanding the patterns of the whole. Wholeness thinking recognizes that the entirety is interconnected, and moves us beyond mechanics into a world activated by complex interrelationships such as natural systems, human social systems, and the conscious forces behind their actions (Seamon, Christopher Alexander and a phenomenology of wholeness. In EDRA – Environmental Design Research Association, Architecture Department. Manhattan, KS: Kansas State University, 2007). It is thus appropriate to introduce the concept of wholeness as a fundamental entity of nature, and in this chapter, we investigate the phenomena of the unfolding of the whole which creates living structures, and group these emergent characteristics as the 15 fundamental properties of wholeness. The chapter further discuss the generative processes of design, including patterns and pattern languages, morphogenetic sequences, and the generative code. The chapter concludes with the fundamental pattern Transformations Of Wholeness [9], providing guidance on an all-encompassing philosophy.