Listening to Your Land with Jo Petroni
“The way we build our homes is a mirror of our perceived relationship with nature. Our homes today are an embodiment of separation. The first step on a path of reconnection is to find nature and tune into the elements of sun, wind, and rain.”
When it comes to designing homes, French architect Jo Petroni believes that the necessary first step is observation. Jo is the founder of Permarchitecture, a firm that blends biophilic and bioclimatic principals with regenerative and circular design for homes and communities that wish to express the essence of place.
The architecture profession was a calling for Jo from a young age. You might say that she was born into it as she grew up with her dad being an influential architect in her life. But after school Jo found the conventional world of architecture stifling and transactionally driven.
Jo’s coming of age happened when her father passed away. It was a time that forced her to step back from her career to recalibrate. It was during this time that she became deeply influenced by the emergent field of permaculture that focuses on designing for the whole with observation guiding the design process.
She went on to found the firm Permarchicture that blends her two passions—nature and human habitat. She works with clients across the globe on a range of project sites such as single family residences, eco-villages, and retreat spaces.
Jo’s work in the sustainable and regenerative design fields helped land her a contributing role to Seth Godin’s project The Carbon Almanac. She also has a regular newsletter called Jo’s Epistolary where she writes letters to imaginary friends that is worth checking out.
