Permaculture Pattern Literacy Courses

Below is a list of Permaculture Pattern Literacy courses offered at Pacific Rim College.

Pattern Literacy (PLPD102)

This portion of the program focuses on Pattern Literacy and is broken down into 3 Primary Topics: design process, tools & frameworks, mapping & site surveys and pattern understanding.

Design Processes, Tools and Frameworks:
In this part of the course features more of the core concepts of Permaculture. We learn that slowing down, taking a step back and observing are important aspects of Permaculture designing. Using all senses, participants explore the natural world and awaken new lenses for viewing and interacting with the world around them.

Through a diversity of enjoyable exercises, participants explore a multitude of design processes, frameworks and tools that start building a toolkit for becoming successful designers.

Beyond land design, the application of the tools discussed are applied to participant’s own lives and livelihoods through an interactive “out of the box” design process.

Mapping and Site Surveys:
In this part of the Pattern Literacy course, students further apply their learning by exploring the fundamentals of hand drawn and digital map making. In depth site surveying using a diversity of surveying tools are explored. Measuring, basic drafting, sourcing existing maps, creating to scale base maps, overlays and applying design elements are covered. A deepened understanding of the lay of the land and how to further read the landscape are acquired. Participants learn to start creating visually appealing, professional renderings that can be presented to clients or organizations.

Pattern Understanding:
Exploring patterns in a fun way, participants get a deeper glimpse into how nature works, why it is designed the way it is and how to apply its design to gardens and lives. Become a more resilient and creative designer with an understanding of broad scale climatological factors and how they impact sites. From rain, wind, water and light, this section will help participants get a sense of how climate works as well as cover an array of techniques and strategies for working in harmony with natural forces. Microclimates will also be discussed. Human cultural patterns as well as patterns of the social world are discussed with a focus on conscious communication and creating healthy groups.

Prerequisites: – –    Credits: 4    Hours: 65