Functional organization analysis for the design of sustainable engineering systems

Sustainable engineering design requires consideration of technical and ecosystem structures and processes. Even though the concepts of ecosystem services and natural infrastructure are maturing, their application in concrete engineering design is currently lacking due to their ambiguous definitions and a lack of methods that allow for the combined consideration of ecosystem and technical approaches in engineering design. This article proposes and discusses a new functional organization analysis (FOA) method for the comparative analysis and design of supply systems for basic needs (i.e., water, energy or food). This method allows for the analysis of the organization of system functions as well as underlying technical and ecosystem structures and associated processes. On this basis the method allows one to gather data, information, and knowledge about alternative system designs, and analyze their synergies. The theoretical and conceptual background of the proposed FOA method is presented, along with a case study regarding sustainable food supply systems in Southwestern Ontario.