Biophilic Urbanism & Green Architecture to combat Climate Change!

Biophilic Urbanism & Green Architecture: Potential Solutions to combat Climate Change!

KAKALI DAS

The future of our cities may depend on reconnecting with nature. As climate change continues to threaten the globe, concepts like Biophilic Urbanism and Green Architecture are emerging as potential solutions to address this crisis.

This article explores how integrating urban development with natural elements could enhance the quality of life for city residents.

Climate change is no longer a distant threat—it is unfolding before our eyes. Melting ice caps, shifting ecosystems, and unpredictable weather patterns are clear signs. While industries, greenhouse gas emissions, and deforestation are frequently held responsible, the energy-intensive building and construction sector is also a significant contributor to the crisis.

According to the International Energy Agency in 2022, buildings accounted for 34% of global energy demand and 37% of energy and process-related carbon dioxide emissions.

Two solutions to reduce the carbon footprint are Biophilic Design and Green Architecture—concepts that integrate nature into urban spaces, fostering environments where nature and architecture coexist harmoniously.

First introduced by American biologist Edward O. Wilson in 1984, ‘biophilia’ refers to humanity’s inherent connection to the natural world.

In London, living green walls are being introduced across the city to help clean the air, as toxic pollution levels are often extremely high in the city centre. These green walls have the ability to absorb harmful chemicals, releasing pure oxygen in return.

Green walls can also be installed indoors to boost internal oxygen levels. They are likely to become a key feature of future cities, as it is projected that 75% of the global population will reside in urban areas by 2050—an additional 3 billion people moving into cities. As a result, we must develop the right infrastructures to accommodate this growing demand.

In China, 4 out of every 2,000 people die prematurely each year due to dangerously high pollution levels, which can exceed 50 times the limit considered safe by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The primary focus should be addressing the source of pollution. Green architecture can play a crucial role in improving air quality in Asian cities. Plans are underway to develop entire forest cities in the Louisiana region, designed to absorb 10,000 tons of CO2 annually and produce 900 tons of oxygen.

Buildings with green walls not only benefit our physical health but also positively impact our psychological well-being.

For example, the demolition of an old building in a Barcelona neighbourhood left an unsightly dividing wall facing the streets, negatively affecting the city’s landscape due to its high visibility. Architect Capella Garcia proposed a solution: a vertical garden that wraps around and attaches to the sides of the existing building.

Vertical gardens soften the urban landscape and offer passers-by a connection to nature, reinforcing their bond with the environment. This, in turn, encourages greater awareness of their own ecological habits.

The vertical garden includes interior access for maintenance, allowing care to be performed from inside. It features a network of connected tubes that automatically delivers programmed doses of water and fertilizer to the plants.

This initiative has created a new ecosystem and fostered biodiversity, providing a natural habitat for various bird species whose environments were previously disrupted by urban development.

The Capella Garcia designed building is the first green building in Barcelona. Its plants provide shade from the intense sun, significantly reducing the air conditioning needs inside. The greenery wraps around the entire structure on each level, offering natural shade to the offices behind. Additionally, it can lower external temperatures by up to 7 degrees Celsius, a crucial benefit for large cities experiencing the heat island effect.

In India, where people are increasingly facing extreme heat conditions, Confluence Architecture is one of the few companies providing sustainable building designs to mitigate the effects of climate change.

“A horizontal village has been transformed into a vertical one, where each house features a small green patch with one or two trees. Now, these houses are stacked on top of one another, each with a large terrace connected to the outdoors. This design also creates a microclimate around the building, allowing residents to enjoy filtered sunlight through the greenery,” says Vineeta Singhania Sharma, Founder of Confluence.

Another city experiencing the heat island effect is Singapore, located near the equator. This city is taking green architecture to new heights, despite having one of the highest population densities in the world. Before the 19th century, Singapore was covered in lush rainforest, inhabited solely by animals that had perfectly adapted to the hot, humid climate.

In the 19th century, mass deforestation took place, with trees replaced by concrete, resulting in a drastic increase in the average temperature of the region.

However, in recent years, there has been a resurgence of greenery within the city as an effort to mitigate the heat island effect in the city centre. This initiative is especially important as overall temperatures continue to rise due to climate change.

Greenery has been integrated into the architectural designs of buildings throughout the city. The Parkroyal Collection Pickering was conceived as both a hotel and a garden. This project has received numerous awards for its sustainable and green initiatives, including the BCA Green Mark Platinum, Singapore’s highest green rating. The building further enhances Singapore’s tropical image.

It demonstrates that a sustainable future doesn’t have to be restrictive; in fact, it can enhance our quality of life.

While green architecture presents some challenges, all of them have solutions. It may lead to higher initial construction costs, but in the long run, it can result in significant savings due to greatly reduced air conditioning needs.

Vegetation does add extra weight to the structure; however, if incorporated into the original designs, this shouldn’t pose a problem.

Since it is organic matter, it can present a fire hazard. However, as long as the irrigation system keeps the vegetation adequately watered, this shouldn’t be an issue.

Takeaways:

Green architecture can be implemented in virtually any setting. I anticipate seeing its increased use in the future to address both pollution issues and climate change.

Climate change is an issue that will impact us all. However, we currently have the technology to prevent these dire scenarios from continuing. Therefore, we must urge our governments to act and ensure they implement technologies that are already making a positive difference worldwide.

Now it’s time to determine which aspects truly stand the test of time and which need to be adapted for different environments.

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