Create buildings with ecological cover

Nature in a city environment has a positive impact on people’s well-being. At the same time, biodiversity in urban areas continues to shrink, for example, due to increasing construction density. In the Ecolopes project, researchers led by the Technical University of Munich (TUM) are looking for concrete solutions to help create green infrastructure with higher levels of biodiversity in urban areas. town.

As a core subject, architecture industry have a significant effect on built-up areas of cities and thus also on urban biodiversity. “In general, architects do not plan for biodiversity. At the same time, nature conservation efforts are often not focused on built-up areas of the city. The importance of architecture in creating green urban infrastructure is overlooked in this process,” said Wolfgang Weisser, Professor of Terrestrial Ecology at the Technical University of Munich (TUM).

“Today’s architecture is no longer content with creating buildings that impose the smallest possible burden on the environment. Instead, we must develop an architecture that contributes to environmental regeneration and conservation. biodiversity on our planet.At the same time, this architecture must promote contact between people and nature, not limit it by shutting down the environment,” said Prof. Weisser. And this is exactly the starting point of the ECOLOPES project (ECOLOPES enveLOPES).

New design model for architecture

Scientists argue that promoting biodiversity must become an important driving force in architectural design. This will require transforming previous design principles in architecture, aiming to address both human and non-human requirements.

“In addition to humans, architecture must also integrate the needs of other organisms such as animals, plants, and even microorganisms as additional clients,” said Ferdinand Ludwig, Professor of Technology. Green for Landscape Architecture at TUM said.

Multi-species design process

This new design approach poses challenges for both architecture and ecology, as multi-species design goes beyond existing approaches in architecture and ecology. New design approach now allows the integration of ecological knowledge in architecture design process.

To create multi-species habitats, the researchers propose to design buildings with Ecolope, a building shell designed according to a number of criteria that take into account the needs of different organisms. When designing an ecosystem like this in a multispecies design process, researchers use findings from ecology, architecture, and computer design.

Further develop the ecosystem after completing the buildings

As a result, the building envelope is no longer seen as the main level of separation between inside and outside, but as an innovative architectural space designed as a gradual transition between inside and outside. apart, shared by a large number of life forms. Ecoloope can be a planted facade or a planted roof that acts as part of the surrounding ecosystem and is a space shared by humans, animals, plants and microorganisms, therefore constantly changing.

“It allows processes such as the inheritance of plant and animal habitats as well as erosion and deposition of matter such as dust, to help form soil. These processes must be integrated,” said Professor Ludwig. during the design process”.

“Architectures designed with a multispecies approach, i.e. an approach that integrates several different species, can be an important step towards creating favorable relationships between humans and nature.” nature in cities. These structures increase the well-being of people in the city and help conserve biodiversity,” said Professor Weisser.

The study was published in the journal Humans and Nature.