Host Mike O’Kane once again welcomes LDI founder and chair, Gord McKenna to the show. O’Kane, co-chair of the Institute’s technical advisors, discusses with McKenna four principles that put the “nitty-gritty” of landform design into practice.

These four principles cover: working at spatial and temporal scales simultaneously (Principle 5); building and reclaiming landforms and landscapes using existing technologies (Principle 6); using a risk-based approach that involves designing for the most likely case while embracing the observational method and adaptive management (Principle 7); and knowing your materials, including their properties, quantities, and locations (Principles 8).

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The 12 Principles of Landform Design

In the first episode of Season 3 of Getting Closure,” host Mike O’Kane sits down with LDI founder and chair, Gord McKenna, to characterize the first four principles of landform design.

O’Kane and McKenna describe what it means to “keep the land in mind” and how to create a vision for reclaimed land, which depends heavily on establishing trust between the mine, shareholders, and Indigenous peoples. They discuss next how to establish “governance” and assembling a multi-disciplinary team with a lead designer.

The conversation turns next to the development of the Design Basis Memorandum, guidance for which the LDI will be releasing this fall. A DBM sets out the vision for a particular project, large or small, and develops the goals, objectives, and design criteria to achieve that vision. Last, they talk about working collaboratively and embracing co-reclamation. Landscapes must be built with users, not for them.

In a preview of Season 3 of Getting Closure, host Mike O’Kane, Co-Chair of the LDI's Technical Advisors and a member of the Board, sits down with LDI Founder and Chair Gord McKenna to discuss why the 12 principles of landform design are so important.

The first episode of the new season will appear the week of August 19. The conversation will focus on the first 4 of the 12 principles.