Image Credit: Joyce Hwang
habitecture
Pattern Scale: Site
Description of the Pattern:
The ways in which our society can begin to challenge the ideology of anthropocentrism will continue to become more and more critical in the coming decades. Far too often, we are quick to separate the built environment from nature, when in reality the two can be married together quite beautifully. The benefits to brining the natural world into that of human architecture has profound benefits not only for humans but non-human actors as well. Gitta Gschwendtner’s Animal Wall is a powerful example of this very idea. The Animal Wall is a 50 meter long wall that runs alongside a new housing development in Century Wharf neighborhood in Cardiff. The habitecture contains nearly 1,000 boxes of varying sizes for different birds and bats in the region. This wall nestles between a public Riverwalk and a private building, challenging the idea of who gets to occupy different spaces. The biophilic reaches here are simply astounding. By serving as a bridge to bring the local wildlife into the community, not only do they provide refuge for these animals but also connect residents back with nature and the wildlife they had been previously removed from. When we allow nature and architecture to fuse, habitecture, we arrive at a crossroads that connects to many biophilic principles and practices. This Animal Wall will have a noticeable impact on the local environment as well as the positive attitudes of the residents and community that get to enjoy this fusion with nature.
More about this pattern:
Etherington, Rose. 2009. “Animal Wall by Gitta Gschwendtner.” dezeen.
Who Submitted this Pattern: Connor Burke
Animal Wall - By Gitta Gschwendtner