Imagine a house that heats and cools itself and filters its own air. Or a future where raw sewer­age is treated through a combination of pools containing fish and plants. In this engrossing tour of the future, the possibilities of an ecologically sustainable built environment seem not only achievable but essential to a better quality of life.

This treatise on the emergence of ecological design in the twentieth century is a comprehen­sive and fascinating exploration of the challenges to city planning and architecture posed by the environmental crisis. Filmed over five years in North America and Brazil, Ecological Design employs computer simulation location shots, time-lapse photography and NASA footage in the exploration of themes such as creating new forms of wealth and the biosphere.

This film is an inspiration to designers, its views are as controversial as they are deep and it never fails to be intellectually challenging.