„Wo es sich besser lebt, zeigen ganz unabhängig von unseren Leitbildern oder Vorurteilen {…} die wild wachsenden Pflanzen mit ihren Vorkommen und ihren Häufigkeiten in aller Deutlichkeit. Ihr Urteil zu beachten, ist das Gebot der Zeit.“
Josef H. Reichholf

DIVERSITY
CREATES
DIVERSITY

Rendering by
Vít Kučerovský

Diversity Creates Diversity explores the hidden ecological potential of paving gaps as valuable microhabitats and their role in promoting urban biodiversity. Its core is a modular paving system that places the joint at the center of the design.

URBAN ECOLOGICAL STRUKTURES

Pavement joints and cracks in asphalt are underrated urban habitats. Thanks to their unique microclimate, they provide unobvious yet essential biotopes for numerous plant species in urban areas, including endangered specieson the Red List that depend on dry and nutrient-poor sites.

SPONTANEOUS FLORA

The vegetation found there is known as spontaneous urban vegetation/flora. It provides food and habitat for countless insects and thus contributes significantly to urban biodiversity. It also reduces the warming of sealed surfaces and acts as a bridging biotope to counteract habitat fragmentation.

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Spontaneous urban vegetation is often perceived as a sign of neglect, despite its ecological value. Diversity Creates Diversity challenges this perception by exploring how design can create space for wild vegetation within the structured urban landscape. The project investigates how the paving joint can become both an ecological habitat and a design element, bringing together the seemingly contradictory ideas of urban order and uncontrolled natural growth.

BIORECPTIVE PAVING STONE

BIORECEPTIVITY

CHOICE OF MATERIAL

High-fired clay, also known as clinker, was chosen for its high load-bearing capacity and weather resistance compared to concrete paving stones. Its light colour reduces solar heat absorption, while clay offers better conditions for biological growth than highly alkaline materials. The high chamotte content creates a rough, slip-resistant surface suitable for public spaces. In an unbound paving system, the stones can be removed and reused without further processing. Clay can also be sourced locally and potentially obtained from suitable excavated material, reducing the need for long transport routes.

The common basic shape of the equilateral triangle enables flexible adaptation
of the paving to various on-site requirements. Wild vegetation becomes visible
and acceptable through a thoughtfully designed paving system. It opens up new
possibilities for greening open spaces and can be integrated into urban planning
processes as a design tool for promoting biodiversity in cities.

Surface de-sealing is one of the most important climate adaptation strategies for cities. As the total de-sealing of urban areas is not always possible, partial de-sealing is becoming increasingly important. In particular, already vegetated road verges, niches, or unused corners hold great, hitherto underestimated potential for alternative design options to promote urban biodiversity.

Supervision
Prof. Stefan Diez (Industrialdesign, Univ. f. Angeandte Kunst Wien)
Prof. Dr. Petra Gruber (Baukonstruktion / Architektur Univ. f. Angeandte Kunst Wien)
Prof. Dr. Harald Zechmeister (Botanik und Biodiversitätsforschung Univ. Wien)

The stones have been designed to be bioreceptive. This means that their shape, their
surface structure, and clay, as a pH-neutral material, have been selected and designed
to provide microorganisms with optimal conditions for colonisation, which in turn creates
a suitable environment in which higher plantscan thrive and spread. The rough, chamotte
-enhanced surface and the grooved indentations encourage the adherence of seeds and
spores, which are dispersed by wind and pedestrian traffic in urban areas and even be-
yond national borders. At the same time, the indentations provide a protected environment
inwhich microorganisms can colonise. A slight slope in the grooves ensures continuous
drainage to prevent water logging and algae formation.

High-fired clay, also known as clinker, was chosen for its high load-bearing capacity and
weather resistance compared to concrete paving stones. Its light colour reduces solar heat
absorption, while clay offers better conditions for biological growth than highly alkaline ma-
terials. The high chamotte content creates a rough, slip-resistant surface suitable for public
spaces. In an unbound paving system, the stones can be removed and reused without
further processing. Clay can also be sourced locally and potentially obtained from suitable
excavated material, reducing the need for long transport routes.

Despite its ecological value, spontaneous vegetation is often rejected for
aesthetic reasons and regularly removed. The project brings together the
seemingly incompatible requirements of a well-curated urban landscape
with the need for ecologically valuable structures.

The result of this research is a modular paving stone system consisting of three types of stone,
in which the paving joint plays a central role. On the one hand, it creates ecologically valuable
structures and microhabitats; on the other, it is understood as a design element. Three different
types of stone allow for modular and targeted control of otherwise uncontrolled wild growth. The
common basic shape of the equilateral triangle enables flexible adaptation of the paving to various
on-site requirements. Wild nature can thrive within a planned framework, aiming to positively
reframe the widespread view of spontaneous vegetation as a result of neglect. It
becomes visible and acceptable through a thoughtfully designed paving system.The modular
system opens up new possibilities for greening open spaces and can be integrated into urban
planning processes as a design tool for promoting biodiversity in cities.

The result of this research is a modular paving stone system consisting of three types of stone, in which the paving joint plays a central role. On the one hand, it creates ecologically valuable structures and microhabitats; on the other, it is understood as a design element. Uncontrolled, wild nature can thrive within a planned framework, aiming to positively reframe the widespread view of spontaneous vegetation as a result of neglect. The modular system opens up new possibilities for greening open spaces and can be integrated into urban planning processes as a design tool. The paving system is understood as an instrument for promoting biodiversity in cities, making wild vegetation visible and acceptable through thoughtful design and integrating it into open-space planning processes.

Spontaneous urban vegetation is often perceived as a sign of neglect, despite
its ecological value. Diversity Creates Diversity challenges this perception by
exploring how design can create space for wild vegetation within the structured
urban landscape. The project investigates how the paving joint can become both
an ecological habitat and a design element, bringing together the seemingly
contradictory ideas of urban order and uncontrolled natural growth.

DIVERSITYCREATESDIVERSITY

DIVERSITY
CREATES
DIVERSITY