Greening the City

Building with Nature

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Biodiversity loss has four main causes: artificial land-use, overexploitation of natural resources, climate change, and the introduction of invasive species. The building industry plays a large role in this, due to the influence of the real-estate industry, the exploitation of raw building materials, heating and air-conditioning of buildings, and the introduction of exotic plants to embellish gardens and balconies.
For instance, the production of concrete requires the quarrying of chalk in karst landscapes, which are natural environments rich in endemic species. Sometimes the materials used originate directly from overexploited species. This is the case, for example, for certain tropical hardwood species.
Energy-positive buildings now exist, producing more heat and electricity than they consume. But what would a ‘biodiversity-positive’ building be like? First of all, it would be pollution-free, right from the stage of extracting materials, and also while it was being built. On top of that, priority would be given to locally produced materials and to materials with a label that certifies them as being biodiversity-neutral, or even positive. Such labeling already exists for wood.
On the site itself, any available spaces that could serve as a refuge for wildlife could be used, including planted walls and roofs, balconies with flowers, gardens, etc. Cities like Berlin take into account the ecological role of the plants used, as well as their impact on the urban environment. In fact, biodiversity can help to mitigate the impact of a building on the environment, via such techniques as treating a building’s wastewater by plant purification, or improving rainwater management with planted roofs.
In France, HQE (High Environmental Quality) certification makes no explicit reference to the protection of living organisms. The only reference is the first requirement, which calls for ‘harmonious relationship of the building with its immediate environment’. Less well-known in France, the British BREEAM ecological label, one of the most widely used in the world, lays down clear constraints with regard to biodiversity, and makes it mandatory to have the building assessed by an independent ecologist. As part of the United Nation’s Sustainable Buildings and Construction Initiative (SBCI), thought is now being given to the unification of existing building certification throughout the world, on the basis of significant environmental impacts. It seems likely that the protection of species will be included. As for the phenomenon of urban sprawl and increasingly artificial land-use, the question is now in the hands of politicians and town-planners.


Source
Rodolphe Deborre, Associate Director at BeCitizen, a strategic and environmental finance consulting firm, is in charge of the Biodiversity module in the ENSAM/ESTP Specialized Masters Diploma in Sustainable Construction and Building.