The world needs biodiversity. Everything in nature is connected, and the fine balance between species is essential for their, and our, survival. While the advantages of healthy ecosystems are numerous, landscapes and biodiversity in the Netherlands are under pressure. Together with VolkerWessels, the Province of South Holland and research institute Naturalis, we created a project to make biodiversity ‘the new normal’ in construction.

In collaboration with experts from various disciplines (builders, governments, ecologists, landscape architects, artists, marketers, etc.), we searched for solutions that could stimulate imagination within organisations. By having disciplines thinking together, cross-pollination happened between all parties, which led to new solutions.

We created a quick start guide for nature inclusive building and a prototype for maximum biodiversity. Together with the city of Rotterdam, VolkerWessels co-creatively developed a “Biotwin” of a large housing development project: A variant in which biodiversity is included as much as possible in the planning phase, setting an ambitious example for new projects.