Green buildings reduce carbon footprints and foster ecological recovery by providing habitats for wildlife. What advantages should construction professionals, architects, engineers and other relevant parties expect from this approach?
Green buildings enable ecological restoration by providing what wildlife needs to survive amid human encroachment. Getting outstanding results is easier than many people think. It could be as simple as using a planter to create a miniature water source for wildlife and placing it in a prime position. Adding rocks and a few native plant species creates realistic results that can improve biodiversity and attract amphibians such as frogs and newts.
Pennsylvania’s Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens has become a Pittsburgh landmark highlighting urban rewilding potential. The site’s green roof includes more than 50 native plants, including those specifically chosen to increase biodiversity in the area. The hard work has paid off. People have recorded increased pollinator activity on the property and noticed foxes, deer, bullfrogs and many other species.
Additionally, experts overseeing maintenance identified methods to elevate ecological integrity while providing wildlife food, shelter and water. Plans included using rainwater for slow irrigation to minimize runoff.
Accommodating wildlife with less work
The above examples show how impactful strategic efforts can be for the area’s wildlife. However, those interested in urban rewilding should also explore converting existing structures into green buildings. Ecosystem and habitat restoration return affected areas to their predegradation states. However, if construction proceeds too quickly and without comprehensive planning, even the best-intentioned efforts could disrupt the environment and contradict the goals.
Creative-minded people are tackling this problem with solutions that add purposeful green infrastructure while reducing labour needs and shortening construction time frames. In one case, a British professional services firm collaborated with New York-based architects to create a prototype for a ceramic facade panel system that allows users to embrace biophilic design by incorporating native wildlife and vegetation into building edifices. These stacking modules become part of the built structures, and the developers identified opportunities to use them within roof modules or as decorative cladding.
The facade includes several pod options that can accommodate birds, bees or plants. Perforated materials also include openings large enough for insects, while the pod exteriors are porous, allowing water to enter for natural irrigation.
Designers are still exploring widespread applications for their innovation. However, the results show that urban rewilding with green building does not always require substantial modifications.
Encouraging humans and wildlife to share spaces
Conventional construction planning usually involves exploring possibilities that separate people from the local wildlife. However, some rewilding projects create places for both groups to safely and happily exist.
One example is the greenery-covered roof of an agriculture building on the University of Tennessee’s Knoxville campus. It looks like a vibrant oasis among the surrounding structures, but more importantly, it shows visitors what urban rewilding can look like in practice. An assistant professor involved with the project said the roof’s primary purpose was stormwater management. However, builders wanted to take things further by creating a glade ecosystem on the surface. Besides adding natural beauty, this decision allows native plants to thrive.
Native varieties do not need nutrients or water beyond what the environment naturally provides. Additionally, they provide nectar for bees and other pollinators while sheltering the area’s mammals. This green roof also gives educational opportunities to students, some of whom will use it as a living lab to learn about spontaneous vegetation and similar events. Visitors touring the UT Knoxville campus will see this building and get the impression that the university is at the forefront of sustainable construction choices.
Establishing new habits and perspectives
Because humans don’t usually mingle with wildlife, they may need to develop new habits after being in areas that nurture it. Checking for ticks attached to humans and dogs is a good example, since Lyme disease affects both. Ticks become infected by the bacteria after feeding on affected hosts. Though only 10 per cent of canines show obvious symptoms, the effects are more prominent in people.
Fortunately, Lyme disease is diagnosable and treatable in both groups, so people should not fear being closer to wildlife via urban rewilding projects. Still, it is wise to proactively check for ticks after spending time outdoors.
Similarly, parents bringing young kids to the area should consider teaching them to see the surrounding environment as something to enjoy in the moment, without tearing grass, picking flowers or otherwise adversely impacting the area for wildlife.
Professionals developing projects featuring green buildings can collaborate with city planners, parks department officials and others to create public awareness campaigns emphasizing the necessary stewardship to display while visiting.
An academic review of 2,800 papers about rewilding efforts showed only 17 were in urban settings. That suggests people involved in green projects must be open to shifting their perspectives.
The team spotlighted numerous worthy examples of favourable outcomes, including beavers swimming in a London wetland for the first time in several centuries and hornbills flying near Singaporean skyscrapers. Once industry professionals and the broader public see the results of urban rewilding projects, their growing enthusiasm will benefit local creatures even more.
Promoting ecological recovery with strategic buildings and features
These fascinating and hopeful examples show why construction professionals and other relevant entities can become directly involved in ecosystem recovery by using green buildings and wildlife-friendly characteristics in their projects. Future human-caused environmental effects can be deliberately beneficial instead of harming our planet.