Photo: Team AM-VenhoevenCS-DSL
A new housing development in Amsterdam will not only provide housing for humans, it will also address a housing shortage for non-human species. "We're aiming for a few species of animals that are now disappearing from the city, like sparrows or bats of some types of butterflies and tried to recreate their perfect habitat within this building," said Jos-Willem van Oorschot, architect. The site, on an island in a river near the city center, is being transformed into a car-free neighborhood. The new building uses a unique model that requires decision-making boards that include a voice representing nonhuman interests; as the architects worked on the design, a "speaker for life" advocated for nature as each decision was made. From roofs to exterior walls and the places where the building meets a river, the design anticipates the preferred habitats for a myriad of species. The ground floor of the building will house several organizations focused on nature. "They will use the building as a prototype that they will monitor over the next years to see if there is anything that we can improve on the design," said Oorschot.
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