What can you do in the urban lay-out and the landscape design in neighbourhoods to make space for wildlife? The Bundesamt für Naturshutz made a hands-on brochure. The brochure is filled with blueprints of neighbourhoods enriched with proposals. The proposals have been discussed with housing corporations and communities. The strategy named AAD – Animal Aided Design, is developed by Thomas Hauck (University Kassel) and Wolfgang Weisser (TU Munchen)

Brochure link: .https://www.bfn.de/fileadmin/BfN/planung/siedlung/Dokumente/AAD_Broschuere.pdf

New York has passed a bill that updates the city’s building code with requirements to make new glass structures safer for migratory birds.

New York City Council’s bill requires the surface of new glass buildings rising 75 feet (23 metres) or more – approximately seven storeys – to be patterned to make them more visible to birds.

New York’s chapter of the American Institute of Architects, the American Bird Conservancy, and New York City Audubon all supported the legislation, as reported by CityLab.

The bill includes a set of bird-friendly design and construction guidelines that advise the use of fritted glass – which features ceramic lines or dotted marks on the surface. This adaptation would reduce the transparency of clear glass buildings, making them more visible to birds.

Existing glazed towers are not affected by the new mandate but any renovations are required to comply. New structures built on top of a green roof, no matter the height, must meet new requirements. (21-12-19 Dezeen, Bridged Cogley)

link: https://www.dezeen.com/2019/12/20/new-york-city-bird-bill-glass-buildings/

bird friendly handbook: https://nextcity.nl/downloads/

Thanks to the ‘greenery facade’ of the Chicland Hotel, all rooms have a more attractive view in this hotel tower on the waterfront in the touristic city of Da Nang, Vietnam. Besides of aesthetics, the “greenery system also creates a micro climate for the building and makes interior space cooler.”claim the architects. “The plants used in the project are tropical plants and are suitable to marine climate such as: cymbidium hybrid, tournefortia argentea, ficus Superba, bougainvillea, pluchea indica…etc.”, explain VTN architects.

Source: Archdaily, Text and images (c) VTN architects (Vo Trong Nghia).

Since a couple of years the Berlin based Polinna Hauck Landscape + Urbanism deal with strategic questions of urban development at various scales. A central topic is including nature in cities, and AAD, animal aided design. Think of ‘Green Urban Knots’, Facade interventions or just a ‘Bat bench’ for a park.

Find out more about Polinna Hauck landscape and urbanism here.

As a follow up of the Congress ‘Natuurlijk!’ in November 2019 an inspiration magazine will be published on January 6: the Inspiration magazine Nature Inclusive Building.

The Inspiration magazine is a bundle of inspiring, enthusiastic but also concrete and practical developments in the field of nature-inclusive construction. The magazine also looks to the future: what will await us in 2020 in this area?

In the Inspiration magazine ‘Natuurinclusief Bouwen’ you can read about, among other things the vision behind the Nature Inclusive Building Toolbox and the top 11 inclusions for clients who want to integrate nature into their projects. Furthermore there is info on an evaluation model for ecosystem services, with which the value of green can also be translated financially.

You can request a free copy of the Inspiration magazine Nature Inclusive Building. Do this before Wednesday, December 18, and you will receive the edition on January 7, 2020.

“Saigon is a metropolitan city of Vietnam with the highest density of construction, vehicles andpopulation.With that, followed the blooming of urban infrastructure and traffic congestion. On the other hand, it causes the lack of green spaces, where people can seek tranquility and sit in harmony with nature to release stress. “

With this analysis MIA Studio designed a private home in 2019 that co-houses man together with flora in an almost 50-50 ratio of space. The metropolitan constraints have been turned into high quality living with using various plantings, bushes and up to 6 meter high trees. Horizontal and vertical connections (also with a patio op en to the sky – hence the name) make greenery ubiquitous and an essential part of the spatial experience – delicately designed to connect to nature in different weather condtions and at different moments of the day.

Source: “Sky House / MIA Design Studio” 02 Dec 2019. ArchDaily. Picture: (c) Trieu Chien.

Make “building with nature” the new standard, is the slogan of the makers of the toolbox launched the 20th of November on the congress Natuurlijk! in Olst. The Dutch toolbox for building with nature is there. Every developer, architect, city maker and housing association can find on the website all the information about species that like to live with us in urban areas. And the website will be improved daily by its users.

link website: https://bouwnatuurinclusief.nl/#

link congres Natuurlijk!: https://www.biind.nl/artikel/congres-natuurlijk-laaiend-succes-voor-mens-én-natuur?utm_source=Biind&utm_campaign=5bc688a59b-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_26_09_19_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_a6e3d8d2b6-5bc688a59b-227032101

Waternet and Amsterdam Municipality are joining forces to address the opportunities given now that many kilometers of quay walls need repair work. A new design of quays and banks can have a positive impact on safety, water quality, experience value, biodiversity and climate adaptation. In addition, many hard banks in the city can be transformed into more nature-friendly shorelines.

Aiming towards a manual for nature-inclusive quays, banks and water features and to exchange knowledge this day collects knowledge and challenges designers to work on a future-proof city.

Nextcity.nl presents the Bioloop that has recently been realized for the first time in Delft. The Bioloop brings water closer to the urban dwellers, while at the same time it helps animals to get out of the waters.

“In the future, the Netherlands will have set aside more space for nature, by more strongly integrating nature and landscape values with other developments. Within building and development tasks, nature inclusive development is the standard, both in urban and rural areas. Nature inclusion will become a standard element in design activities. The area of land under nature has been increased and water conditions and environmental conditions improved. Based on the European Birds Directive and the Habitat Directive, the Netherlands is responsible for guaranteeing the continued sustainable existence of species and ecosystems. This not only applies to land but also in the marine environment where we will strive to achieve a good environmental status and sustainable and responsible use. In urban areas, there is sufficient space for nature and green, by 2050, to allow insects a good chance of survival. Soil subsidence in weak soils has been massively reduced, at the latest by 2050.”

download here the english version of the NOVI: https://denationaleomgevingsvisie.nl/publicaties/english+versions/default.aspx#folder=1451456

The city is alive an kicking and prominently on the agenda. Also on yours? Join us on the Day of the City 2019 in The Hague. During this annual event, all urban professionals come together for inspiration and knowledge exchange for economically strong, sustainable, future-proof and liveable cities.

Themed “Who dares ?!” this year the stage is given to brave entrepreneurs, architects, theater makers, scientists, social organizations, residents and administrators. What unites them is their vision, bravery and guts.

Mathias Lehner of nextcity.nl is moderating a Design Atelier from 13 -14:30 hrs. Get inspired by Harry Boeschoten (Staatsbosbeheer) and wethouder Geertje Bos (gemeente Breda), discuss with us and create ideas and solutions for the centrally located Gasthuisvelden to contibute to the 2030 vision of ‘Breda, City in the Park’.

See the full programme and sign of for this ‘Ontwerpatelier’.