How This Engineer Is Bringing Biodiversity Back Into Our Cities

Nature is disappearing at an alarming fee, with the built environment acknowledged as a major contributor to the decline of biodiversity. Scientists are predicting that on our present trajectory of habitat loss and international warming, almost 40% of all species will face extinction by the tip of this century. It’s a scary prospect, one which prompted building engineer Alistair Legislation to plot an answer for returning nature and biodiversity to our largest cities.

As a facade engineer at international design agency Arup for a number of years, Legislation has labored on some thrilling design and building tasks, together with Google’s new London headquarters. However in 2013, whereas residing in Paris, he got here up with the thought for his enterprise Vertical Meadow, which creates native wildflower and grass meadow residing partitions designed to inexperienced buildings and improve metropolis biodiversity.

“The idea of residing partitions wasn’t new, however it was being finished in a really managed approach,” says Legislation. “Most suppliers have been pre-growing vegetation after which sticking them in pots on partitions, which appeared nice on day one however worse as time went on, with the vegetation typically dying. I used to be extra involved in how we might deliver greening into cities extra meaningfully and combine it with current constructed techniques?”

As a substitute of sourcing and transporting reside vegetation to the positioning, Legislation’s concept was to develop them from seed in place, decreasing prices and making the method extra sustainable. After experimenting with completely different supplies, he began testing in Paris and got here up with a system for rising grasses and clovers that would adorn scaffolding and different constructing buildings.

The corporate makes use of customizable, species-rich native wild grass and wildflower seed mixes that present a haven for pollinators, bugs, birds and butterflies, which it applies to its two residing wall options; a Vertical Meadow wrap designed for website hoardings and scaffolding and a Vertical Meadow cladding.

“We use 25 species of seed, and we by no means know what is going on to come back out,” says Legislation. “For me, the enjoyment lies in not having the ability to management whether or not you get a daisy, cornflower, or poppy or when they are going to seem. There’s pleasure about it, however it’s additionally a problem. It isn’t on the spot. We inform folks this may develop, however that is nature, which might look messy in winter. However messiness is sweet; it supplies a haven for all of the caterpillars and different bugs hibernating in these grasses.”

The system has been designed to be easy, with a plug-and-play method to enabling vegetation to develop in place from seed. A dry product is delivered to the positioning, related to an irrigation system, WIFI, energy and water provides, after which switched on to begin the germination course of. Over time the vegetation start to develop and flower, and progress is monitored through easy inspection and upkeep apps.

Vertical Meadow accomplished its first undertaking in 2016 for Grosvenor at Holbein Place in London’s Sloane Sq.. In November 2020, the corporate secured an Innovate UK grant for £100,000 for sustainable improvement, which was used to revamp its everlasting cladding answer.

“We’re simply finalizing our cladding system, which might then be utilized to current buildings, with nearly the whole lot made for non-combustible supplies, which is essential when coping with buildings,” says Legislation.

Together with his background in engineering, he admits that studying in regards to the nature and biodiversity aspect of what he’s doing now has been a steep studying curve, however he has been helped by working intently with consultants from Wildlife Trusts, universities, and main ecologists, equivalent to Nigel Dunnett.

Final September, it received the CIRIA BIG Biodiversity Problem Building Section Award for its set up on the development website of Holbein Gardens in central London. With additional tasks within the pipeline, plans embrace the set up of residing partitions below billboards. Following a small fundraiser final 12 months, the corporate, now a crew of three, will search a bigger exterior funding spherical later this 12 months.

The introduction of a compulsory Biodiversity Web Achieve of 10% on building tasks has raised consciousness in regards to the significance of nature within the constructed setting; nevertheless, as Legislation factors out, the development part continues to be largely ignored. He sees the position of Vertical Meadow as making a bridge between pre-and post-construction, introducing a haven for native invertebrates, bees, butterflies and birds to make use of to assist a extra everlasting reintroduction of biodiversity.

Legislation provides: “I’ve been fortunate; in my position as an engineer, I’ve labored on some iconic buildings everywhere in the world, however the work I’m doing with Vertical Meadow brings a really completely different kind of gratification. We’ve got to begin giving again. That is the message to get out. In the event you work with nature, then nature will do its factor.”