From Architecture Design: Patterns of Biophilic Design

Happy to see architects debating the benefits of biophilic design!

From the Architecture Design website:

"American sustainability consulting and strategic planning firm Terrapin Bright Green has released a white paper that promises to guide building designers towards more environmentally connected outcomes...  The Terrapin document goes further than just abstract observations however, and offers 14 building design interventions that can be incorporated to facilitate this human connection to nature through built form."

The 14 interventions are:

Nature in the Space

1. Visual Connection to Nature
2. Non-Visual Connection to Nature
3. Non-Rhythmic Sensory Stimuli
4. Thermal & Airflow Variability
5. Presence of Water
6. Dynamic & Diffuse Light
7. Connection to Natural Systems

Natural Analogues

8. Biomorphic Forms & Patterns
9. Material Connection to Nature
10. Complexity & Order

Nature of the Space

11. Prospect
12. Refuge
13. Mystery
14. Risk/Peril

Read more here: Architecture Design.

Photos from Architecture Design

What The Robin Knows and Animal Orchestras!

Here are some books that are on my "To Read" list - some very interesting studies on bird and animal sounds!  I remember reading about how urban birds have been heard to sing at a different octave or range than their country "relatives" to be able to be heard through the urban noises!


"What the Robin Knows", Jon Young

This book describes a "deep bird language (which) is an ancient discipline, perfected by Native peoples the world over. Finally, science is catching up. This ground breaking book unites the indigenous knowledge, the latest research, and the author's own experience of four decades in the field to lead us toward a deeper connection to the animals and, in the end, a deeper connection to ourselves." (description from Amazon).

Great Animal Orchestra, Bernie Krause

"The acoustic scenarios of healthy habitats are celebrated through the poetic and proto-musical textures of its biophonic phrasing, represented by exquisite bandwidth and temporal organization -- aka the niche hypothesis -- an inherent yet ever-mutable font of knowledge. Nature, in the end, is the best and most prolific editor we know of -- always adjusting for ultimate performance and outcomes. From an emulation and expression of this resource we have acquired the basis of nearly every organic sound and cultural utterance we generate."  (description from Ear to Earth)

Roadside Field Notes also commented on some interesting bird interaction in their post: Cardinals countersing!

Urban Wildlife Resources (Maryland)

Urban Wildlife Resources was founded in 1995 to serve as an information source and clearinghouse for urban wildlife-related matters. A major objective is to facilitate interaction and cooperation among land managers and planners, biologists, and landscape architects in achieving better management of natural resources in urban and urbanizing areas through research, planning, design, and education.

The bookstore includes an "Urban Wildlife Manager's Notebook" - a set of information bulletins for homeowners, open space managers, wildlife biologists, and others interested in wildlife conservation in urban areas. Contents include:

- A Wildlife Plan for Small Properties
- A Simple Backyard Pond
- Feeding Birds in Winter
- Housing for Nesting Birds
- Natural Landscaping--Meadows
- Reptiles and Amphibians
- Birds That Attack Houses
- A Guide to Developing an Urban Wildlife Library
- Brushpiles and Rockpiles: Small Habitats for Backyard Wildlife
- Dragonflies and Damselflies in Your Backyard Pond
- Butterflies in Your Garden
- Saving Snags for Urban Wildlife
- You and Stinging Insects

There also are Conservation Education Packs for Teachers


URBAN WILDLIFE RESOURCES
Columbia, Maryland

"13 ways of seeing nature in L.A." (article)

I came across this article from The Believer magazine:

THIRTEEN WAYS OF SEEING NATURE IN L.A.

WE NEED TO REWRITE THE STORIES WE TELL ABOUT NATURE,
AND LOS ANGELES IS THE BEST PLACE TO DO IT.

APRIL 2006
JENNY PRICE

PART ONE:
The First Six Ways and a Trip to the River

DISCUSSED: Nathanael West, Mike Davis, Raymond Chandler, Temescal Canyon, Dolphins, Hawks, Ducks, Mango Body Whips, Coyotes as Urban Terrorists, Seismic Retrofitting, Feral Peacocks, Aaron Spelling, The Concrete Straitjacket

PART TWO:
Another Seven Ways and an Arrival At the Confluence

DISCUSSED: Urban Demographics, Consumerist Valhallas, Nature Writing, The American Eden, Claude Lévi-Strauss, Muggings, Suntan Lotion, Hydrology, The L.A. River Greenway, Clean Air Legislation, Nature’s Revenge

radio series on nature (colorado)

WildLives: Celebrating the World Around Us

by Susan J. Tweit (blog website)
CD Genre: Spoken Word: With Music
Release Date: 2010

From the website:

"This is WildLives from Salida, Colorado..." Enjoy 28 favorite commentaries from this popular weekly radio series that celebrates the world around us—the "community of the land." I hope they move you to get to know and find inspiration and sustenance in the world of wild lives wherever you live—city, suburb, small town, or deep in the countryside. Restore your heart and feed your soul with these lyrical commentaries that illuminate nature—the "community of the land" around us.

Crow Planet

From Crow Planet - Essential Wisdom From the Urban Wilderness:

Crow nests:

"Dryer lint is soft and pleasant, and it is obvious why this might seem like a good idea, but it is not. Residue from detergent and dryer sheets can be irritating and toxic to naked young birds, and dryer lint tends to hold moisture exceedingly well, which can make the nest wet and cold, and actually increase mortality."

Caution on the road:

"...we need to be particularly careful when driving toward crows that are eating in the road; while they would normally fly easily out of the way, they are more prone to miscalculation when absorbed in such meals... the actual truth is that they usually move. Usually is a potent qualifier - in the slender margin between usually and always lies an untold number of dead crows."

Rehabilitation:

"Birds raised by humans tend to be shunned by crow society - the essential crow life-support system that allows birds to find and share food, roosts, mates, protection from predators, and general good times. Without it, and coupled with a lack of proper wariness of humankind, these crows don't last long."

by Lyanda Lynn Haupt

** Flickr picture from Dogfaceboy



P.S. Read this post about local crow roosts and supportive urbanites!