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VIEWS
Nature is already repairing and preserving the planet; it’s time for the industry to join that effort and ensure that the homes and cities it builds support life, and don’t degrade it
through ancient means. L’Orangerie (pictured above) demonstrates that an offi ce building can be designed considering local ecosystems as suppliers, whom we care for in return.
On a very different frontier, in New Mexico, Earthship Biotecture has popularised autonomous homes built from society’s waste. Earthships are self- suffi cient houses made of recycled earth- fi lled tyres, bottles and cans. They generate their own energy, collect rainwater, reuse wastewater, and maintain comfortable indoor temperatures using sunlight instead of fuel. By working with sun, wind and soil, Earthship communities show that nature can be a partner we are working with. It also reminds us of the value of anthropology, as these communities are deeply infl uenced by the local Navajo culture, which treats nature as a respected living being. In Milan, the Bosco Verticale (“Vertical Forest”) integrates hundreds of trees and some 20,000 plants into two residential
towers. This ‘vertical forest’ absorbs CO2 and fi ne dust, produces oxygen, reduces noise and refreshes the ambient air. With more than 90 plant species on its facades, it has attracted birds and insects back to the city centre. Bosco Verticale shows that even high-density housing can nurture ecosystems. Although this example is not perfect, some argue that the CO2
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by its trees may be outweighed by the emissions from constructing a structure strong enough to support them. The Bosco Verticale could be considered as an example where nature is seen as a client, where the construction project delivers services to ecosystems.
These examples show that working with nature – not against it – is not a utopia: it is a concrete reality and already underway, as Gault also shows us in his book La nature au travail. Each project reduces the environmental footprint of construction while adding new value: cleaner air, energy savings, carbon storage and urban biodiversity. Furthermore, they represent a tangible step toward rethinking our relationship with nature in construction. Yet they remain rare exceptions.
absorbed
There are some clear recommendations if the construction sector is to operate a systemic shift from human-centred to multi-species design. First, adopt nature as a partner, not a mere commodity. Select materials for their ability to ‘work with’ local climates, humidity, and ecosystems, rather than forcing them into unsuitable conditions through high-energy processing. Favour reversible and adaptive construction methods that allow buildings to evolve alongside the changing needs of their ecosystems, designing for repair, disassembly, and reuse wherever possible.
Treat site features such as mature trees, natural watercourses, and microclimates as structural assets, not obstacles; they can guide building placement, orientation, and material choice. Second, establish project governance models where ‘nature’ is formally represented by appointing an independent ecological board with decision making power alongside architects, engineers, and developers. Involve ecologists, soil scientists, and local communities at the earliest design stages, ensuring that biodiversity and natural fl ows shape the project brief as much as engineering and budget constraints. Partner with young designers (like the French Zoepolis collective, who create design processes in order to take nonhuman life interests into account.) Imagine if every project team included an ecologist to speak on behalf of local soils, waters and wildlife. Imagine if nature were treated as a client to satisfy, as a decisive partner for the success of every project, and not as an obstacle to overcome. This may seem ambitious, but the construction industry must now choose: continue with business as usual, eroding the natural systems we rely on, or lead the shift toward regenerative design. By bringing it to the decision making table for every project, we can design buildings that respect ecosystems and generations to come. As philosopher Jostein Gaarder has argued, the principle of reciprocity should apply not only to space but also to time: we should do to the next generation what we would wish them to do for us. Nature is already at work, repairing and preserving the planet. It is time for the construction industry to join that effort and ensure that the homes and cities we build support life, not degrade it.
Rabia Charef is researcher, architect, and expert in circular economy at Lancaster University, and Frantz Gault is sociologist and author of ‘La Nature au travail’
ADF OCTOBER 2025
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