DIVERSITY
CREATES
DIVERSITY
Rendering by
Vít Kučerovský
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 species on the Red List that depend on dry and nutrient-poor sites.
The vegetation found there is known as spontaneous urban vegetation/flora. It provides food and habitat for countlessinsects 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.
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. 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.
Three different types of stones allow for modular and targeted control of what would otherwise be uncontrollable unruly growth. The common basic shape of the equilateral triangle enables flexible adaptation of the paving to various on-site requirements.
Wilde Natur kann innerhalb eines geplanten Rahmens gedeihen mit dem Ziel einen Paradigmenwechsel einzuleiten, der die weit verbreitete Sichtweise auf spontane Vegetation als Folge von Vernachlässigung positiv besetzt. Wild vegetation becomes visible and acceptable through a thoughtfully designed paving system. Es versteht sich als Instrument zur Förderung urbaner Biodiversität
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.
BIO-
RECEPTIVITY
The stones have been designed to be bioreceptive. This means that their shape, their surface structure, and the 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 plants can 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 beyond national borders. At the same time, the indentations provide a protected environment in which microorganisms can colonise. A slight slope in the grooves ensures continuous drainage to prevent water logging and algae formation.