Biodiversity is under pressure worldwide and is therefore an extremely important issue for the construction industry. However, a real impact on biodiversity involves human behavior and our experience of nature. Therefore, it is crucial that "green" projects are of high quality, capable of contributing positively to people's experience of nature. Otherwise, the danger of "greenwashing" looms.

"If we solely maintain a biological/scientific perspective on biodiversity when we develop buildings land landscapes - in the eagerness to save animal and nature species - there's a real risk that urban nature projects end up being very uniform and messy in their expression. For instance, with small patches of 'wild' meadows and plant boxes crammed with as many species as possible in the same place - and precisely not fulfilling the purpose of being for both plants, animals, and humans. This happens because we miss the opportunity to develop a beautiful urban space where one desires to spend time," says Martin Hjerl, lead landscape architect from STED – a part of Vilhelm Lauritzen Architects, in an interview with Licitationen.

Human behaviour is key
Christine Mosbech, architect and sustainability specialist at Vilhelm Lauritzen Architects, adds that the danger also lies in the fact that with the 'compressed model,' there's a risk of losing the opportunity for green projects in the city to provide strong aesthetic experiences with a positive impact on our view of nature - and on our behavior.

"It's a significant transformation that is needed because a part of the solution to the biodiversity crisis involves human behavior. Over half of the world's population lives in cities - yet less than three percent of the globe is covered by cities. If we don't have nature in our daily lives, the chance diminishes that future generations will take care of the 'true' nature," says Christine Mosbech.

Martin Hjerl and Christine Mosbech are advocates for 'a new language' that aims to make it clearer for builders and developers why it is so important for people to be surrounded by architecturally/experientially rich green spaces and areas that consider significant biodiversity.

"It's important to rediscover a more nature-positive attitude, a love for nature, if you will. It is not enough, as the majority of builders still do, to aim for a high score in a measurement of biodiversity solely based on the number of plants in their project. We need to find genuine experienced natural value. Biodiversity should also be perceptible," says Martin Hjerl.

Pioneer project to enhance the quality of the measurement of biodiversity

Currently, in urban planning, measurements are based on a simple bio-factor, but the method is criticized for not capturing the quality of biodiversity in the measured area.

The project "Development of a national method for mapping urban nature" is a collaboration between ConTech Lab, SLA, Aarhus University, Aalborg University, STED - part of Vilhelm Lauritzen Architects, Natur360, WSP Denmark, Futurista, Rambøll, COWI, NIRAS, Oiko, and Habitats.

The project has entered its second phase, where the method and technology are being refined and further developed based on field tests conducted during the summer. Additionally, efforts are underway to find a method to qualify/measure the perceived natural value of areas.

The method is expected to be finalized by 2024, but it is already being utilized by more than 250 users with over 150 projects created.

The EU's Biodiversity strategy

The above is an excerpt from an article in Licitationen. The entire interview with Christine Mosbech and Martin Hjerl can be read here (in Danish)