Our cities are growing. Yet as we build, nature is disappearing. The built environment has a significant impact on biodiversity: natural habitats often have to give way to new construction projects, while highly fragmented landscapes and the high proportion of paved surfaces in cities make it difficult for animals to move safely from one green space to another.

The city as an ecosystem

Nature-inclusive building directly addresses this challenge by contributing to local biodiversity through targeted interventions, expanding habitats for species and improving the permeability of the built environment. Working with nature is not only in the interest of plants and animals – it is above all in the interest of people themselves.

• Research shows that less access to greenery in residential environments is associated with poorer mental health and lower wellbeing.
• Studies often show higher levels of social interaction, neighbourhood cohesion and perceived safety in greener, better-maintained public spaces.
• Nature and biodiversity support carbon storage, air purification and wider health benefits.
• Nature in the city increases resilience to climate change, helping to combat urban heat islands, pollution and flooding.
• Nature-inclusive building increases the market value of real estate. A healthier living environment with greater comfort is more attractive in the rental and sales markets.

At Sweco, we believe that every building project is an opportunity: an opportunity to see buildings not as closed volumes, but as active contributors to a healthy living environment – for people and for nature.

From roof to surroundings: an integrated approach

Nature-inclusive building is not a series of isolated interventions.
It is an integrated approach in which the building and its surroundings are considered as one.
It starts with the right approach – and the right people around the table.

As an ecologist, I see that the best results are achieved when we are brought in from the very first sketches. This allows us to map the existing ecological value of a site and translate it directly into concrete design choices. Biodiversity is not an afterthought – it is a starting point.

Carmen Van Mechelen, ecologist at Sweco

What strikes me time and again is how much potential lies in the space around a building. A two-metre strip with native flowers, a small water feature, a row of shrubs creating a transition to the street – it may seem modest, but for insects, birds and small mammals it makes a world of difference. Urban green connections are the lifelines of our urban wildlife, and as designers we hold the key to creating or severing those connections.

Nina Wauters, ecologist at Sweco

Building a living city

A building must function on multiple levels. It can be a home for the house sparrow nesting in the façade, the bat sheltering in the cavity wall, or the bee foraging on the green roof. Buildings can and should coexist harmoniously with their surroundings — not by encroaching on nature, but by becoming part of a larger ecological story.

Biodiversity is not an optional extra.
It is a design principle.

Our consultants address pollution, resource management and climate change in the city by placing nature and biodiversity at the heart of the solution. Inclusive and sustainable cities offer benefits for health, economic vitality and social equity.

Our architects, landscape architects and ecologists bring their expertise together from the very first sketch.

Small interventions, big impact. Curious to find out how we can integrate biodiversity into your project?