Nature in the city

We look at the built environment as an urban eco-passage. Using this vision as our starting point, we design living environments where the built environment and nature are balanced and stimulate each other. Because we want to have ourselves and future generations surrounded by birds, insects, greenery and flowers, we add trees and nesting boxes, and find ways and opportunities to restore biodiversity with every project.

We want residents to feel the rhythm of nature and experience the seasons in all their glory. After all, nature in the Netherlands is just as distinctive as our bricks. Furthermore, adding greenery and trees is one of the most effective ways to counter overheating in urban areas during hot summers. Vegetation not only adds shade but trees and plants absorb heat and ensure evaporation, making summers feel significantly cooler.

As co-initiator of the Petition for Nature-Inclusive Building, we want to ensure that the concept of nature-inclusive building is scaled up to a much higher level and become the new norm in the Netherlands. Concrete measures can already be added to every project, whether it is inside the houses, on the outside, or as part of the environment. A legal anchoring of this initiative allows us to scale up and create a level playing field. A top-down and bottom-up system change may induce a mass movement to do good for our climate and increase biodiversity.