Imagination is the creative force that through necessity yields solutions to resolve the issues that face us. -Steven Redhead
Creative Solutions for People and Planet
Ramps and Stairs, Enabling Village, WOHA
Singapore as a city itself is quite popularly known for being inclusive and citizen-friendly in terms of its designs as well as governance. The Enabling Village is a community center built as an adaptive reuse project of the fifty-year-old Bukit Merah Vocational Institute. Since its redevelopment, the property has added value to the neighborhood and its community. It has been integrated into the pedestrian network of the area with strategically placed entrances, ramps, and spacious passages and corridors, thus enabling easy movement and access for every type of user. (www.woha.net)
See
Creative problem-solving benefits ourselves and our planet. It can be aesthetically pleasing, too! So check out these innovative solutions and consider the impact of the designs!
Did you know that up to one billion birds die each year in the United States due to collisions with windows? Research shows that 54-76 percent of window collisions are fatal. (Audubon Portland)
Minneapolis Public Service Building, 2021
Henning Larsen Architects designed the new Minneapolis Public Service Building. Besides being an open, welcoming, and art-filled space, it is LEED certified, and its design warns birds to cut down on glass collisions! There are frit patterns for the building’s glazing that are based on avian migrations to create bird-safe glass. “Birds do not see the clear or reflective glass as a barrier. Glass creates a lethal illusion of clear airspace.“ Migratory Bird Program, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Green Rooftops that Beautify and Help the Planet
WOHA
There are so many reasons that creating a rooftop greenspace is a wise idea: happiness, improved air quality, impact on the Urban Heat Island (UHI), and energy efficiency, among others. Many cities worldwide now have requirements for the inclusion of rooftop gardens in new construction. (Benefits of Rooftop Gardens)
Cities Doing Their Part to Save the Bees!
Cities offer bees greater plant diversity and may help to solve the bee problem. Check out these unique solutions, from artful hives to luxury hotels keeping bees and featuring the honey in their restaurants.
Vulkan Beehive by Snøhetta, Oslo
Fairmont Waterfront Apiary
From May to September, guests at the Fairmont Waterfront can join a daily tour of the apiary and rooftop garden with a resident bee butler (and have a sneak peek at the bees from the observation hive). (5 Luxury Hotels That Do Beekeeping)
Say
Which of the ideas above was most interesting to you? Why?
If you were to build a new home, would you consider including a ramp, a green roof, bird-safe glass, or an apiary?
Do
Read about Seven Unique Urban Bee Shelters!
Make a Mason Bee Hotel
Sketch a visually appealing plan that helps humans or the environment. Bonus if it reduces building materials or energy!
Please share your reflections with me by replying to this post and tagging my Wonder Wander Facebook or Instagram pages!
