BIODIVERSITY AND URBAN LANDSCAPES
YEAR | 2022
PARTNER | Municipality of Vaduz
LEAD | Anne Brandl | Luis Hilti
INSTITUTION | University of Liechtenstein
Biodiversity is not just neglected by architecture; it is a victim of most contemporary design practices. We believe that a paradigm shift is necessary and that this issue must become an integral part of architectural education and practice.
In this studio, students developed concepts for the ecological infrastructure of the village as a whole and for a specific plot, envisioned as a stepping stone for non-human beings within an overwhelmingly human-dominated environment.
Students presented conceptual maps and models highlighting the existing biodiversity in Vaduz, as well as areas where it is lacking.
Students proposed architectural and landscape designs, along with radical interventions such as “biodiversity bombs,” to counteract the ongoing degradation of life in urban areas.
As part of the semester, students learned to integrate participatory processes into their design projects. They designed and conducted workshops with the human users of the space: primary school children.
The research into the relationship between architecture and the spaces of non-human beings is still in its infancy. Biodiversity must become an integral part of the curriculum in every architectural education program of the future.
