Periodic Reporting for period 2 - ECOLOPES (ECOlogical building enveLOPES: a game-changing design approach for regenerative urban ecosystems)
Okres sprawozdawczy: 2022-04-01 do 2023-09-30
Urbanization constitutes a major environmental issue of the 21st century. Within cities, densification, a continued reliance on grey infrastructure approaches result in urban biodiversity loss, increasing the separation of people from nature. Current architectural approaches fall short in providing breakthrough solutions because they perpetuate the human-nature dichotomy due to anthropocentric design. In ECOLOPES we propose a radical change for city development: we aim at urbanization to be planned and designed such that nature elements - including humans - can co-evolve within the city. We envisage a radically new integrated ecosystem approach to architecture that focuses equally on humans, plants, animals, and associated organisms such as microbiota.
ECOLOPES will provide technology that will help to achieve this vision. In ECOLOPES, we focus on the envelope, the building enclosure. We will transform the envelope into an ecolope, a multi-species living space for four types of inhabitants, humans, plants, animals, and microbiota. ECOLOPES will develop core technologies for designing ecolopes in a systematic way, considering the needs of humans, plants, animals and beneficial microbes.
ECOLOPES is developing an ecological model has already been coupled to architectural design software. A prototype of this tool is close to completion and will be released as a plugin. This tool as well as other parts of the computational framework, in particular an information model and algorithmic processes will together form a data-driven architectural design recommendation system that is being developed by the consortium.
The breakthrough technology developed by ECOLOPES will make biological knowledge available for the architectural design process, to find architectural solutions that enable synergies and limit conflicts between the inhabitants. The ecolopes designed by this multi-species approach will support urban biodiversity and restore the beneficial human - nature relationships in cities.
ECOLOPES will provide technology that will help to achieve this vision. In ECOLOPES, we focus on the envelope, the building enclosure. We will transform the envelope into an ecolope, a multi-species living space for four types of inhabitants, humans, plants, animals, and microbiota. ECOLOPES will develop core technologies for designing ecolopes in a systematic way, considering the needs of humans, plants, animals and beneficial microbes.
ECOLOPES is developing an ecological model has already been coupled to architectural design software. A prototype of this tool is close to completion and will be released as a plugin. This tool as well as other parts of the computational framework, in particular an information model and algorithmic processes will together form a data-driven architectural design recommendation system that is being developed by the consortium.
The breakthrough technology developed by ECOLOPES will make biological knowledge available for the architectural design process, to find architectural solutions that enable synergies and limit conflicts between the inhabitants. The ecolopes designed by this multi-species approach will support urban biodiversity and restore the beneficial human - nature relationships in cities.
The ECOLOPES consortium has reached a number of major achievements until the end of the second reporting period.
The design workflow of ECOLOPES has been further developed. This workflow describes the steps in the design of an ecolope from the user perspective, e.g. a team of architects and ecologists. An important milestone was the completion of the “interim ECOLOPES platform architecture” deliverable where the computational workflow was introduced. A core achievement was the successful integration of a simplified ecological model in a 3D CAD system (Rhino/ Grasshopper). This allows to ecologically analysing 3D CAD models (building envelopes) and to output spatio-temporal metadata of species dynamics on a building, which is one of the objectives of WP3.
Another crucial element is to then to use this metadata to bridge the knowledge gap between ecological dynamics and architectural form. This is the purpose of the process referred to as the ECOLOPES Knowledge Generation Framework (KGF). It connects ecological dynamics with building geometry. The KGF uses metadata stored in the ECOLOPES database and analyses these big datasets to output correlation and patters between parameters, e.g. the configuration of a building and the potential distribution of plants on the building. Note that in contrast to all previous approaches, the integrated ecological model in CAD simulates the development of plant communities after the building has been completed, so that the ecological outcome of design decisions can be assessed in quantitative terms.
Further advances include the completion of an optimization workflow that is now ready for simulations. With respect to design generation, the design of a knowledge graph has been completed and it is ready to include relationships between architecture and ecology. In addition, design generation algorithms have been developed that are ready for simulations.
A validation framework has been developed that includes extensive human perception experiments, to address the question whether people will accept the novel ecolope design.
The ECOLOPES project has used its communication strategy and increased the efforts for dissemination. For example, the homepage has been completely revised. In addition, there is a series of “ECOLOPES talks” by internationally known experts that attract an increasing number of participants. Benchmarks for dissemination have largely been exceeded. The progress has been documented in two deliverables D2.4 the Second dissemination and exploitation plan (DEP), and D2.5 the Second report on dissemination and communication activities.
The design workflow of ECOLOPES has been further developed. This workflow describes the steps in the design of an ecolope from the user perspective, e.g. a team of architects and ecologists. An important milestone was the completion of the “interim ECOLOPES platform architecture” deliverable where the computational workflow was introduced. A core achievement was the successful integration of a simplified ecological model in a 3D CAD system (Rhino/ Grasshopper). This allows to ecologically analysing 3D CAD models (building envelopes) and to output spatio-temporal metadata of species dynamics on a building, which is one of the objectives of WP3.
Another crucial element is to then to use this metadata to bridge the knowledge gap between ecological dynamics and architectural form. This is the purpose of the process referred to as the ECOLOPES Knowledge Generation Framework (KGF). It connects ecological dynamics with building geometry. The KGF uses metadata stored in the ECOLOPES database and analyses these big datasets to output correlation and patters between parameters, e.g. the configuration of a building and the potential distribution of plants on the building. Note that in contrast to all previous approaches, the integrated ecological model in CAD simulates the development of plant communities after the building has been completed, so that the ecological outcome of design decisions can be assessed in quantitative terms.
Further advances include the completion of an optimization workflow that is now ready for simulations. With respect to design generation, the design of a knowledge graph has been completed and it is ready to include relationships between architecture and ecology. In addition, design generation algorithms have been developed that are ready for simulations.
A validation framework has been developed that includes extensive human perception experiments, to address the question whether people will accept the novel ecolope design.
The ECOLOPES project has used its communication strategy and increased the efforts for dissemination. For example, the homepage has been completely revised. In addition, there is a series of “ECOLOPES talks” by internationally known experts that attract an increasing number of participants. Benchmarks for dissemination have largely been exceeded. The progress has been documented in two deliverables D2.4 the Second dissemination and exploitation plan (DEP), and D2.5 the Second report on dissemination and communication activities.
In architectural practice examples exist that propose individual solutions to integrate nature into buildings (Ants of the Prairie, Biodiversity school by Chartier Dalix) or promote local biodiversity at the urban scale (Terreform), but there are no systematic approaches or design algorithms. Conversely, in natural sciences theoretical concepts exist, such as biodiversity-sensitive urban design, but these concepts lack the link to practical urban planning and architecture. Finally, there are also individual technical solutions to place plants or animals on buildings, but these have not been fully integrated in design strategies. Thus, while there is a worldwide movement for biophilic design , and green architecture, there is no underlying technology available to systematically design the new types of buildings required for the vision of a regenerative city and biophilic design. A systematic approach is needed to be able to consider the interactions between the abiotic environment including architecture and the biotic inhabitants of the ecolope, and between the different inhabitants themselves.
ECOLOPES tackles the challenge by simulating the ecolope ecosystem and its various sub-systems, in space and time, from the micro-scale (building blocks) to the macro-scale (urban quarter). ECOLOPES modelling includes the projection of ecolope development after initial building completion. This includes ecological succession, e.g. how soil microbiota will develop, generating positive feedback for plant development and colonization of animals. It also includes modelling the effects of human management, such as trimming of vegetation.
The ECOLOPES consortium pursues a twofold breakthrough: (1) the creation of a novel ECOLOPES Information Model (EIM Ontology) that is able to integrate ecological and architectural knowledge, data and models into a data-integrated design recommendation system, which will radically advance our understanding of the feedbacks between building design, the ecology of species in cities, and consequences for human well-being; (2) the creation of the ECOLOPES Computational Modelling and Simulation Environment, which will make knowledge available for design. The consortium will use the remaining project time to further develop, prototype and validate the different parts of the computational framework that has been developed.
The technology developed by ECOLOPES will facilitate a radically new level of interaction between architecture, urban planning, and ecology. The proposed data-driven design recommendation system will assist architects and planners in the design of ecolopes, aiding decision making and facilitating systemic coordinated action in the planning of multi-species environments for regenerative cities.
ECOLOPES tackles the challenge by simulating the ecolope ecosystem and its various sub-systems, in space and time, from the micro-scale (building blocks) to the macro-scale (urban quarter). ECOLOPES modelling includes the projection of ecolope development after initial building completion. This includes ecological succession, e.g. how soil microbiota will develop, generating positive feedback for plant development and colonization of animals. It also includes modelling the effects of human management, such as trimming of vegetation.
The ECOLOPES consortium pursues a twofold breakthrough: (1) the creation of a novel ECOLOPES Information Model (EIM Ontology) that is able to integrate ecological and architectural knowledge, data and models into a data-integrated design recommendation system, which will radically advance our understanding of the feedbacks between building design, the ecology of species in cities, and consequences for human well-being; (2) the creation of the ECOLOPES Computational Modelling and Simulation Environment, which will make knowledge available for design. The consortium will use the remaining project time to further develop, prototype and validate the different parts of the computational framework that has been developed.
The technology developed by ECOLOPES will facilitate a radically new level of interaction between architecture, urban planning, and ecology. The proposed data-driven design recommendation system will assist architects and planners in the design of ecolopes, aiding decision making and facilitating systemic coordinated action in the planning of multi-species environments for regenerative cities.