Nightlife-Friendly Lighting
Light pollution is a major contributor for disruptions to the sleeping and migratory patterns of wildlife. Creatures like insects, bats, and owls all require the cover of night to thrive, so ensure any lighting you include in your architectural designs is fit for these animals, to help preserve their habitats and numbers.
Greenwalls and Roofs
Living walls and roofs such as greenwalls help to encourage life into urban areas, while providing vibrant and beautiful design features that help your buildings truly stand out. Depending on the plants you use, they can also support additional life such as birds and bees, adding natural diversity to your design.
Effective Drainage
Effective drainage is required to prevent leakage and spilling into wild areas and soil. These leaks can cause irreparable harm to the habitats of animals, and even harm humans by poising groundwater and reservoirs that may link back to our sewage systems.
Properly irrigating, controlling, and sanitising wastewater (along with including reasonable waste streams for other waste products) can help minimise the damage caused to wildlife while maximising the effectiveness of your solution.
Using Sustainable Materials
Sustainable materials regard more than the base material itself. Things like the land needed to produce them, the renewability of the resource, and the cost in both fuel and money to transport them all play an important role in determining the overall sustainability of a material.
Resources like timber and bamboo are great choices if you want to preserve natural spaces. Despite being made of plant matter, timber and bamboo are both relatively quick to renew. Sourcing them locally from within the UK massively reduces transport costs compared to overseas, and their range of colours and textures makes them a great choice for any build.
Restoring Natural Spaces
The Biodiversity Net Gain regulations require natural spaces to be preserved or restored throughout any construction project. However, restoring natural spaces can also lead to more interesting and dynamic features like parks and nature reserves that will help people to unwind among local wildlife. To implement and maintain these spaces, you’ll need the help of an expert habitat restoration partner – such as The Habitat Restoration Company.
Find out more with our planning and development guide to the BNG regulations >