Why a competition on Architecture for wild animals?
It is time for an ecological paradigm shift. Cities must embrace wildness and place the urgent issue of biodiversity at the heart of our future. After all, if we never see the bees, hedgehogs, or ducks, how can we care about them?
Heading Towards Ecological Collapse?
Biodiversity is under immense pressure worldwide1 and here in Denmark2. This crisis arises from habitat destruction, overexploitation of organisms, human-induced climate change, invasive species, and pollution. In short, we are not giving nature the space it needs3.
This is a serious issue, as biodiversity is essential to our survival. Losing insects means losing the foundation of many food chains, including vital pollinators that enable crops to seed. Without them, fewer wildflowers, strawberries, tomatoes, apples, pumpkins, and no morning coffee. As a result: weakened food chains. The outcome of large-scale insect death will be serious ecosystem problems4. The already observed loss of insects5 is sad, but also a wake-up call. It is time for us to take better care of them.
Bats, too, play a vital role as pollinators in Mexico, for example, where they pollinate the agave plant6, used to produce tequila and mezcal. Imagine if bats disappeared—Denmark’s nightlife might suddenly turn more sober.
Ecosystems are not only crucial for survival7, but also enrich our world with beauty and wonder. Regardless of individual species’ roles or their popularity with humans, they all have an equal right to exist. This planetary perspective recognizes the equal rights of humans and non-humans (see Desire manifest).
Photo: Studio Marlene Huissoud. A home or habitat for London's wild insects. The project is called Please Stand By and was developed by the design studio Studio Marlene Huissoud.
Coexistence Between Humans and Animals in the Urban Narrative
The urban space is a designed space—shaped by and for humans. Very little is left for wildness. There is an urgent need to give nature more elbow room in cities. With urban areas being so heavily constructed and designed, we have the chance to integrate coexistence as a foundation.
The buildings that make up our cities reflect our cultural values and identity. They embody societal narratives about what we care about. On the other hand, it can also be understood as identity-shaping – meaning that a change in the physical environment can help shift the culture it frames.
By addressing the needs of swallows, hedgehogs, and bees in urban environments, we create a narrative of cities as places for coexistence. This affirms the equal place of wild animals in cities and the world. The competition aims to establish small architectural ‘lighthouses’ for this planetary perspective.
Why Should Our Cities Be Biodiverse
To address alarming biodiversity loss, much more land must be designated for wild and protected nature2 (see fact box). Although urban biodiversity potential is lower than in natural environments, it is still important to act here. The Desire project, for instance, seeks to reconcile cities with nature.
Partly because cities have the potential to act as stepping stones for the migration of wild animals from area to area8. Partly for the sake of urban (human) dwellers: for the positive impact it can have on the migratory biotopes that we humans actually are. For the beauty it brings into our lives and for the sake of our health9.
Partly for the sake of urban (human) dwellers: for the positive impact it can have on the migratory biotopes that we humans actually are. For the beauty it brings into our lives and for the sake of our health.
Photo: Torben Eskerod. Furniture by Teis Dich Abrahamsen. From the exhibition SUPERORGANISM by Morten Søndergaard, Anna Maria Orrù and Annesofie Becker.
Activist and Aesthetic Multi-Species Architecture
This competition seeks to contribute to an ecological paradigm shift by harnessing architecture’s potential to make urban spaces more welcoming for biodiversity. We invite proposals that provide functional habitats for one or more wild animals in cities. (see requirements).
In a city – a modified and human-dominated space – there is no nature untouched by culture. People cannot leave the city; it is their home. Thus, cities cannot be wholly dedicated to nature. However, we can foster coexistence and nurture a mindset that makes room for non-human life. This effort is both symbolically and biologically significant, offering space to the animals of the urban jungle.
The aesthetic treatment of proposals is crucial. Designs can be eye-catching, surprising, sophisticated, or discreet. By elevating urban animal habitats to architecture, we emphasize their value to society.
Moreover, the ambition is that, with their irresistible architecture, they can act as bridges for coexistence. That both humans and wild animals will appreciate them, creating a shared domain in the city. That their appealing architecture will make it more likely that more and more people will allocate a piece of their gable, front yard, or balcony for establishing homes for wild animals in the city.
Wildlife Villas, Parasitic Architecture, or Living Biotopes?
Proposals might include integrated elements in human architecture, freestanding and striking structures, or even living biotopes.
Ideas could involve co-creative designs enabling wild animals to build their own homes, parasitic architecture attached to facades or roofs, or other small urban niches for biodiversity.
Examples could be protective shelters where hedgehogs can nest with insulating plant material, structures offering solitary bees warm and dry tunnels for laying eggs, or undisturbed dark spaces for bats to hibernate. Simple designs might provide sunny surfaces for butterflies or crevices for small mammals to hide in.
Regardless of the form, placement, or target species, proposals should create functional habitats/homes while demonstrating compelling aesthetics. Participants are encouraged to explore the needs of one or more selected wild animals and also recommend the following literature and resources for exploration.
1 Miljø- og ligestillingsministeriet: Biodiversitet i EU og globalt
2 Biodiversitetsrådets årsrapport 2023
3 IPBES Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
4 Dave Goulson: Den Tavse Klode (book)
5 Institut for Biologi - Populationsgenetiske variationers rolle i leddyrdiversitet og økosystemtjenester
6 Bat conservation international - Bats & Agaves: A Love Story
7 WEF - The Global Risks Report 2023
8 Lotte Nystrup Lund: Urban nature and biodiversity
9 Videnskab.dk: En biodiversitetsbølge skyller ind over byerne
10 Our World in data: How many species are there?
11 IUCN Redlist: Background & History
12 WWF Living Planet Report 2024: A Planet in Crisis
Fakta om biodiversitet
- En million af verdens mange millioner arter af organismer (man kender ikke det præcise antal arter, da ikke alle er fundet og beskrevet endnu10) er truet på verdensplan ifølge Det Internationale Biodiversitetspanel IPBES1.
- Cirka hver tredje af de kendte arter på Jorden er truet af udryddelse11. Og der er en kraftig tilbagegang hos bestandene af de arter, vi holder øje med12.
- EU-kommissionens biodiversitetsstrategi for 2030 har som mål at beskytte 30 % af naturen i EU på land og i havet.
- En stor del af verdens lande – herunder Danmark – har ligeledes underskrevet den såkaldte ‘Montreal/Kunming-aftale’ under FN og har hermed forpligtet sig til, at 30 % af Jorden skal være beskyttet natur i 2030.
- Danmark er et af verdens hårdest opdyrkede lande13, og med kun omkring 2 % beskyttet landjord2 efterlades ikke stor mulighed for vild og upåvirket udfoldelse af en mangfoldighed af fauna, flora og fungi (dyr, planter og svampe).
- Flere end 1900 arter af dyr, planter og svampe er i risiko for at uddø i dansk natur14.
In collaboration with
Supported by
