Permaculture Design

Certification Course
Join us for this 2-week intensive journey into permaculture
design presented through a curriculum specifically created for
professional designers. The course meets all requirements for
the internationally recognized 72-hour PDC certification.

The internationally-recognized Permaculture

Design Certification (PDC) course has been
taught around the world for almost four de-
cades. Given permaculture’s early emphasis on
agriculture, most of these courses have been
oriented primarily towards an audience inter-
ested in homestead and farm design.

But as permaculture has been applied to an in-

creasingly wide array of problems, the demand
for PDC’s tailored to other audiences has also
exploded.

One of the key emerging challenges is how to

apply permaculture’s regenerative design tools
in professional design contexts. To meet this
need, Wheaton Labs has teamed up with Alan
Booker from the Institute of Integrated Regen-
erative Design to present a PDC specifically
targeted for design professionals such as en-
gineers, architects, urban planners, landscape
architects, and those interested in pursuing
permaculture design at larger scales.
The course is presented at a graduate school
The 2023 Wheaton Labs PDC is structured to
level, meaning that students are expected to
meet all of the requirements for the 72-hour
already have undergraduate-level knowledge
Permaculture Design Certification while also
of physics, chemistry, and biology.
being aimed at a professional audience.
Many of the permaculture concepts have been
updated and expanded using the latest in
peer-reviewed science and professional prac-
tice.

Since this is a design course, students will be

assigned to small design teams and start work-
ing on design exercises on the first day. During
the second week, students will transition over
to working on their final design projects indi-
vidually. The capstone of the course involves
each student individually presenting their de-
sign project to the class.
 The PDC consists of 48 main sessions of 90-minute each, along with daily design sessions,
hands-on experiences, group exercises, and a final design project prepared and presented
indivually. Students must complete all assignments in order to achieve certification.

Day One Day Two

M01 – Introduction and Overview M05 – Methods of Design Part 1
• Welcome and introductions • Definition of Design
• Overview of course and course require- • Definition of Permaculture Design
ments • Stacking Functions (Prime Directive of
• Definition of Permaculture Function)
• Basic History and Goals of Permaculture • Principle of Self-Regulation
• Permaculture as Design Science • Bottom-up vs. Top-down Design
• High Tech vs. Low Tech • Fabrication vs. Generation
• Wholeness-Extending Transformations
M02 – Ethics in Design • Observation in Design
• The Rules of Three and the Purpose of De- • Element Analysis: Properties and Behaviors
sign • Sun Movement throughout the Day & Sea-
• The Permaculture Prime Directive sons
• The Principle of Cooperation
• The Three Ethics M06 – Methods of Design Part 2
• The Fractal Nature of the Three Ethics • Defining Zones and Sectors
• Applying Ethics to Design • Sectors, Flows, and Gradients
• The Precautionary Principle • SFG Maps
• Designing for Positive Outcomes • Zones
• Applying Zones and Sectors and Varying
M03 – Design Concepts 1 Scales
• The Earth-Space Battery
• Basic Thermodynamics M07 – Methods of Design Part 3
• Systems & Boundaries • Ecological Succession
• Mechanistic vs. Complex vs. Ecological Sys- • Annuals, Biennials, and Perennials
tems • R-Selected vs K-Selected Species
• The Burden Shifts to the Intervener • The Successional Mosaic
• Mollisonian Design Principles • Bacterial and Fungal Balance through Suc-
• Resources & Yields cession
• Birch’s Six Principles of Natural Systems • Ecotones and Edge Effect
• Be Careful What You Incentivize • Successional Edges

M04 – Design Concepts 2 M08 – Methods of Design Part 4

• Holmgren’s Permaculture Flower • Definition of Polyculture, Guilds, and Com-
• Holmgren’s 12 Design Principles panion Planting
• Yeoman’s Scale of Permanence • Tree Guilds
• Diversity, Stability, Resilience, & Intercon- • Creating Microclimates
nection of Elements • Base Maps & Flow Diagrams
• “It Depends” • Articulation from Observed Pattern
• Random Assembly
• Incremental Design
• Design for Catastrophe
• Wheaton’s Law of Human Factors
• Risk Management
• Troubleshooting and Root-Cause Analysis
• A Caution on Powerful Tools
Day Three
M09 – Pattern Understanding Part 1
• Introduction to Patterns and Complexity
• The Biophilia Hypothesis
• General Model of a System
• Definition of Pattern
• The General Pattern Model of Events
• Chaos, Complexity, and Strange Attractors
• Pattern Languages
• Defining Anti-pattern
• A Taxonomy of Patterns
• A Pattern Definition of Sustainable and Re- Day Four
generative
M13 – Climate Factors 1
M10 – Pattern Understanding Part 2 • Introduction to Climate
• The Fractal Structure of Nature • Classification of Climate Zones
• Defining Fractals • Climate Analogues
• Fractal Dimension • Biomass Above/Below Ground in Various
• Emergent Properties Climate Zones
• Orders of Scale & Relative Abundance • USDA Hardiness Zones
• Properties of Media • Heat Zones
• Surface Area and Interactions at the Edges • Climate’s Effects on Terrestrial Biomass
• Boundary Conditions and Harmonics • What to Consider When Designing for a
• Tessellations and Tiling Specific Region
• Voronoi Tessellations • Evaporation vs. Precipitation
• Savory Brittleness Scale
M11 – Pattern Understanding Part 3 • Effective Rain, Condensation & Dew
• Compatible and Incompatible Borders and • Orographic Effects, Physical Geography,
Components and Bodies of Water
• Radials • Urban Heat Island Effect
• Branching & Spirals • Climate Change
• Meshes & Nets
• Graphs M14 – Climate Factors 2
• Small World Networks • Climate and Topography
• The Network Effect • Solar Radiation
• Flow over Landscapes & Objects • Heat Transfer – Conduction, Convection,
• Accretion and Expulsion and Radiation
• The Time-Sequencing of Patterns • Density vs. Temperature
• Albedo & Absorption
M12 – Pattern Understanding Part 4 • Solar Reflectance Index (SRI)
• Patterns in Human Thought: Schema vs. • Frost
Procedural Thinking • Seasonal Winds and Prevailing Winds
• Examples of Tribal Uses of Patterns • Wind, Windbreaks, and Shelter Belts
• Patterning to Encode and Transmit Informa- • Continental vs. Maritime Climates
tion • Valley Climates
• Patterns in Human Society & Settlements • Latitude and Altitude
• Human Scale & Dunbar’s Number
• The W.E.I.R.D. Problem
M15 – Trees & Their Energy Transactions 1
• The Place of Trees in Ecosystems
• The Biomass of Trees
• Pollination and Genetic Variability in Pro-
ductive Trees
• Growing Trees from Seed vs. Transplanting
• Rootstock
• Planting and Transplanting Trees
• Protecting the Root Zone
• Non-photochemical Quenching
• Wind Effects on Trees

M16 – Trees & Their Energy Transactions 2

• The Time Scale of Trees
• The Ecological Importance of Fire
• Prescribed Burning
• Wood Vinegar
• Trees and Precipitation
• Evapotranspiration
• Rain Nucleation by Trees Day Five
• The Tree’s Interaction with Rain
• The Dynamics of Rain Landing on Bare Soil M17 – Water Part 1
• Trees and Grasses • Introduction to Water
• The Unique Properties of Water
• The Four Phases of Water
• The Duties of Water
• The Large and Small Hydrological Cycles
• Acid Rain
• Watersheds
• Flood Plains
• The Ecological Effects of Dams
• Water Flow through Soils and Rock
• Aquifers
• Springs and Springlines
• Drinking Water Sources
• Water Storages
• Water Conservation
• Trompes
• Ram Pumps

M18 – Water Part 2

• Roof Catchment of Rain Water & Storage
Tanks
• Definition of Swales and Diversion Drains
• The Problems of Irrigation & Aquifer Pump-
ing
• Water for Irrigation
• Irrigation Methods
• Purification of Polluted Waters & Reduction
of Waste Water
• Natural Swimming Pools
• Flow Forms & Aeration
 Day Six
M21 – Soils Part 3: Soil Biology
• Strategy for Healthy Plants and Animals
• The Soil-Food Web & Soil Biota
• Soil Life: Good Guys vs. Bad Guys
• Korean Natural Farming
• Difficult Soils
• Soil Erosion & Preventing Erosion
• Soil Remediation

M22 – Compost & Aerated Compost Tea

• Types of Compost
• Thermophilic Compost
• Aerated Static Pile Compost
• Anaerobic Composting
• Bokashi
• Applying Compost
• Making Thermophilic Compost
• Sheet Mulching
M19 – Soils Part 1: Physical Characteristics • Vermicomposting
• The Importance of Soil • Aerated Compost Teas
• Soil Composition: Inorganic, Organic, Gas, • Biochar
and Soil Life • Using Black Soldier Fly Larvae
• Soil Horizons
• Soil Types
M23 – Annual Crop Gardening
• The Inorganic Constituents of Soil
• Introduction to Annual Crop Gardens
• Flocculation of Clay Soils
• Biological vs. Chemical Cultivation of Crops
• Measuring Soil Composition with the Jar
• Brix & Brix Measurement
Test
• The Kitchen Garden and the Production
• Estimating Soil Composition by Hand Feel
Garden
• Soil Tilth, Pore and Crumb Structure
• Common Vegetable Families
• Atterberg Limits & the 4 Phases of Soil Dy-
• Bio-intensive Gardening
namics
• Shade Cloth and Hardening Off Plants
• Very Dry and Non-wetting Soils
• The Double-digging Method
• Gaseous Content and Processes in the Soil
• Soil Compaction, Causes of Compaction,
M24 – Seeds & Seed Saving
Measuring Compaction
• The Critical Importance of Seed
• Angle of Repose
• Propagation by Seed vs. Propagation by
• Soils in Building Foundations
Cuttings
• Heirloom Seeds & Open Pollinated Seeds
M20 – Soils Part 2: Soil Chemistry • Cross-pollination
• Important Elements for Life in Soil and Wa-
• Choosing Seed to Save
ter
• Saving & Storing Seed
• Soil Elements Critical for Plant Life
• Germination Rates and Germination Testing
• Macronutrients &Micronutrients
• The Importance of Careful Genetic Selec-
• How Plants Uptake Nutrients
tion
• Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC)
• Breeding Locally Adapted Varieties
• pH and Soils
• Local Seed Sharing & Seed Libraries
• The Biological Dimension of pH
• Seed Balls (Seed Pelleting)
• Soil Testing
• Methods to Re-mineralize Soils
• The Structural and Biological Effects of
Plowing
 Day Eight
M29 – Humid Tropics Part 1
• Introduction to Major Climate Zones for
Design
• Wet Tropics, Wet-Dry Tropics, & Monsoon
Tropics
• Soils in Tropical Climates
• Earth Shaping for the Tropics
• Building Design Strategies for Tropical Cli-
mates
• Gardening in the Tropics

M30 – Humid Tropics Part 2

Day Seven • Integrated Land Management and the Oha-
na System of Hawaii
M25 – Earthworks Part 1 • Village Organization in the Tropics
• Introduction to Earthworks
• Developing Polycultures in Tropical Systems
• The Energy Audit of Earthworks
• Coconut and Palm Polycultures
• Planning Earthworks
• Rehabilitation of Degraded Tropical Sys-
• Types of Earthworks & Earth Constructs
tems via Pioneering
• Types of Earthwork Equipment
• Restoring Topsoil & Planting after Earth-
M31 – Dryland Strategies Part 1
works
• Definition and Characteristics of Drylands
• Precipitation & Temperature Variation in
M26 – Earthworks Part 2 Arid Environments
• Calculating Slope
• Dryland Soils
• Contour & Contour Lines
• Features of Desert Landscapes
• A-frame Levels, Water Levels, Transit Levels,
• Harvesting & Storing Water in Arid Lands
and Laser Levels
• Marking Sites using Flags and Paint
M32 – Dryland Strategies Part 2
• Working with Equipment Operators
• Broad Strategies for Desert Settlements
• Terms to Include in Contracts
• Houses for Desert Conditions
• Erosion Control Strategies
• Desert Gardens
• Establishing Trees in Deserts
M27 – Earthworks Part 3
• Designing Swales & Diversion Drains
• Berms and Basins
• Level-Sill Spillways & Designing Overflows
• Pond Types and Locations
• Designing Ponds & Dams
• Keyway Construction for Dam Walls
• Sealing Ponds & Dams
• Methods of Tapping and Draining Ponds
• The 3-D Topology of the Soil Strata
• Hyporheic Zones in Stream Beds

M28 – Earthworks Part 4

• Overview of Keyline Design
• Definition of Key Point and Key Line
• The Keyline Plough
• Patterns of Keyline Ploughing
• Siting Roads
Day Nine
M33 – Temperate Climates Part 1
• Introduction to Humid Cool & Cold Climates
• Characteristics of Temperate Climates
• Soils in Temperate Climate Areas
• The General Landscape Profile of a Temper-
ate Climate Site
• Attributes of Settlements & Buildings for
Temperate Climates

M34 – Temperate Climates Part 2

• The Lawn
• Gardens for Temperate Climates
• The Hunger Gap Day Ten
• Timber Production Forests
• Hedge Rows M37 – Working with Energy Flows
• Coppicing & Pollarding • Definition of Energy
• Strategies for Colder Climates • Embodied Energy and Emergy
• Hugelkultur Beds • Energy Returned on Energy Invested
• Krater Gardens (EROEI)
• Dealing with Wildfire Risks • Sustainable Energy Systems – Biogas, Solar,
Wind, Hydro-power
M35 – Pasture Systems • Energy Conservation
• The Problem of Continuous Grazing Sys- • Energy Use Intensity (EUI) for Buildings
tems • Managing Heat Flows
• Rotational Grazing & the Holistic Manage- • Designing for Passive Solar Gain
ment System • Calculating Sun Angle
• Simulating Predator/Grazer Interaction • The Energy and Environmental Audit of
• Using Chickens and Dung Beetles to Help Burning Wood
Manage Fertility • Rocket Mass Stoves and Masonry Fireplaces
• Managing Perennial Polyculture Pastures for Heating
• Electric Fencing & Cell Size • High-value Uses of Electricity
• Over-wintering Livestock • The Energy Audit of Tools
• Savanna Landscapes, Silvopasture & Al-
ley-cropping M38 – Natural Building Methods
• Providing Water for Livestock • Introduction to Natural and Non-toxic
• Mineral Supplements Buildings
• Livestock Protection Animals • Insulation vs Thermal Mass
• Building with Cob
M36 – Food Forests & Perennial Systems • Straw bale Buildings – In-Fill and
• Introduction to Food Forests Load-Bearing Systems
• Using Swales in Food Forests • Earth Bags
• Food Forest Layers in Tropical & Temperate • Natural Plasters & Natural Paints
Climates • Natural Flooring Systems
• Establishing Food Forests – Creating Peren- • Roof Types – Thatch Roofs, Metal Roofs,
nial Polycultures Tiled Roofs, Living Roofs
• The Time-Sequencing of a Food Forest – • Greenhouses & Thermal Batteries
Accelerating Succession • The Walipini
• Animal Systems in Food Forests
• Using Chickens, Goats, and Pigs to Prepare
the Ground
• Selecting Species & Cultivars
M39 – The Permaculture Kitchen
• Introduction to the Permaculture Kitchen
• The Garden Sink
• Cooking with the Sun – Solar Stoves & Solar
Ovens
• Cooking with Wood & Methane
• Cob Ovens
• Barrel Ovens & Rocket Ovens
• Rocket Stoves
• Cooking with Retained Heat
• The Zeer and Other Evaporative Coolers
• The Fermentation Station
• Outdoor Kitchens
• Cast Iron and Food-Safe Surfaces
• About Microwave Ovens and Unique Radio-
lytic Products (URPs)

M40 – Sanitation & Health

• Maintaining Optimal Human Health
• Sanitation in the Kitchen
• The 4-Bucket System for Sanitizing Dishes Day Eleven
• Composting Toilets
• Waste Disposal & Waste Elimination M41 – Aquaculture
• Types of Medical Care & the Medicine Pyra- • Introduction to Aquaculture
mid • Aquaculture Approaches for Different Cli-
• Hunting & Wildcrafting mate Zones
• Industrial vs Ecological Aquaculture Sys-
tems
• Lake and Pond Zones
• Aerobic vs Anaerobic Conditions in Aquatic
Systems
• The Nitrogen Cycle in Aquatic Ecosystems
• Thermoclines and Turn-over: Holomictic
and Meromictic Lakes
• Trophic Layers of Aquatic Ecosystems
• Species for Aquaculture Systems
• Configuration of Fish Ponds
• Growing Food for Aquaculture Systems
• Canals & Chinampas
• Aquaponic Systems

M42 – Animal Systems Part 1

• Introduction to Animal Systems
• Gestation Periods for Common Farm Ani-
mals
• Dairy Animals – Using Cows, Sheep, and
Goats for Dairy
• Using Goats and Sheep for Meat and Fiber
• Pigs: Paddock-shift Systems, Forest Graz-
ing, & Pigs as Cultivators
• Rabbits
• Ducks, Geese, & Turkeys
 Day Twelve
M45 – Designing Invisible Structures
• Types of Invisible Structures
• Shared Stories & Social Cohesion
• Narratives as Drivers of World View
• Patterns of Change and the S-Curve of
Adoption
• Local Production & Exchange as a Center of
Mass for Community

M46 – Legal Structures

• Trusts and Corporations (LLC’s)
• Managing Liability
• Land Access Strategies (co-housing,
co-farming, intentional community, urban
community block)
• Land Lease and Intergenerational Farming

M47 – Economics & Money Systems

• An Ecologically-Based Economic Model
• Forms of Capital
M43 – Animal Systems Part 2 • Procreative, Generative, and Degenerative
• Using Animals for Land Clearing & Tilling Assets
• Chickens in the Annual Production Garden • Triple Bottom Line Accounting
• Chicken Tractors, Egg-Mobiles & Feath- • Formal and Informal Complementary Cur-
er-net rencies
• Chickens Paddock Shift Systems in Food • Household and Community Economies
Forest, Soil Preparation • Community Lending and Banking
• Pollinators – Honey Bees, Mason Bees, & • Entrepreneurship
Native Pollinators • Right Livelihood
• Pigeons and Bats
• Guinea Fowl M48 – Village Development & Human Scale
• Restoring Trophic Layers & Working with • Defining Human Scale
Predators • Community Governance at Human Scale
• Mentoring and Apprenticeship
M44 – Food Storage & Seasonal Eating • Intergenerational Connections
• Introduction to Food Storage • Creating and Maintaining Social Fabric
• Lacto-Fermentation • The Local & Global Permaculture Commu-
• Drying & Smoking nity
• Bulk Grain Storage
• Dairy Ferments
• Root Cellars Day Thirteen
• Growing Season Extension Techniques
Design Presentations
• Morning Design Workshop
• Afternoon Design Presentations
• Celebration Dinner & Talent Show
 The final design project unfolds as a series of small group design exercises
followed by individual design work to finish the design concept. A series of 16
design modules guides students through the process over the 2-week course.

Design Project Sessions

D01 – Design Project Overview D09 – Designing Water & Access

D02 - Property Tour D10 - Mainframe Forestry & Siting Buildings

D03 - How to Conduct a Client Interview D11 - Zones & Permanent Fencing

D04 - The Client Interview D12 - The In-Fill Mosaic

D05 - Softward Design Tools D13 - Aquaculture

D06 - Gathering Climate & Landform Data D14 - Preparing the Presentation

D07 - Building a Base Map D15 - Design Project Workshop

D08 - SFG Maps and Zonal Analysis D16 - Presentation of the Design Projects

Curriculum Developer & Lead Instructor:

Alan Booker
LEED AP BD+C, WELL AP, LFA, GRP

Alan is the founder and executive director of the Institute of Integrated Regen-
erative Design, the creator of the Integrated Regenerative Design Framework,
and the lead author of the Biocompatible Design Standards. He has over three
decades of experience in systems engineering and sustainable design, consult-
ing on large-scale regenerative design projects world-wide.

For more information about this course or about the IRD Framework, visit i2rd.co.