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The dev elopm ent tr end of conte m por a ry m etropolises is to incr ease the popul ation density. This leads to dev eloping cities v ertically instead of horizontally. Although incr easing the popul ation per u nit a r ea of the city m ay r educe the daily co m m utes, it r educes the daily inter action of people with gr een spaces, a nim als a nd insects. This cr eates a gr ay, dull city a nd m ay incr ease str ess a nd depr ession a m ong the inh a bita nts. M or eov er, the div ersity of a nim als a nd insects will be r educed significa ntly. On the other h a nd, building pa r ks, as a suita ble pl ace for a nim als, m ay not be econo mically feasible due to the l a nd price. In the er a of Gr een A rchitectur e, wher e building sustaina ble is beco ming co m m onpl ace, wh at if the collection of gr een buildings could go a step further a nd actually beco m e a fu nctional h a bitat for birds a nd wildlife?
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To addr ess all of these issues, w e dev eloped a new highrise typology which is essentially integr ating hu m a n a nd a nim al inh a bita nts in high-rise buildings. The desig n further el a bor ates a co m bination of r ational, m a n-m ade a pa rtm ents a nd natur al, orga nic-for m ed bird nests on the facade of a skyscr a per. Birds a nd insects a r e natur e’s pr e mier a rchitects, using a disa r r a nged for m to build fu nctional ho m es in which to liv e, r eproduce a nd ca r e for their you ng ones. R ecycling sticks, br a nches, gr ass a nd m ud to construct their shelters, they a r e u ndoubtedly the first cr eators of Gr een A rchitectur e.
Dow n tow n Sh a ngh ai was selected as the site of our proposed skyscr a per, due to the fact th at it is a suita ble r epr esentation of a conte m por a ry dense city. The tow er is desig ned to be inh a bited by hu m a ns as w ell as a nim als a nd insects, such as bees, birds a nd squir r els! It includes pa r king, co m m ercial a nd r esidential a r eas a nd gr een indoor spaces. The building provides flexible pl a ns by using a gener al m odule for w et zones, allowing the inh a bita nts to pa rt their a pa rtm ents to suit their specific needs. The outer skin is co m posed of a wide r a nge of natur al m aterials such as wicker, str aw cl ay a nd stone. They provide good insul ation a nd co mforta ble h a bitats for differ ent species. The cross section of the tow er consists of a centr al cor e which encloses circul ation as w ell as m ech a nical equipm ents. The skyscr a per’s low er lev els which a r e m ade of stone, m ud a nd str aw cl ay, provide m or e solid facade for the wild a nd birds to inh a bit;
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ther efor e, it is desig ned as a m ultistory pa r king. Top floors of the pa r king also provide spaces on the facade to be inh a bited by bees! The next l ayer of the proposal provides m or e co m m u nity oriented activities such as shopping center a nd public spaces. This l ayer h as a U-sh a ped pl a n to allow birds as w ell as natur al light to enter inside. Further m or e, it provides a gr een space for both hu m a ns a nd a nim als. Higher lev els a r e intended to be r esidential. The higher lev el floor pl a ns a r e m ade of sh a r p-edged a pa rtm ents, sur rou nded by a v entil ated faced m ade of wicker. The wicker facade sta rts fro m the co mm ercial a r ea to the top of the tow er, allowing a height dev elopm ent for the futur e. Wickers a r e br aided (wov en) in va rious ways, for ming the nests on the facade, allowing the window openings a nd ease of inter nal v entil ation.