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New European Bauhaus
Project

NEST: Natural Eco-System Tiles

What if we could reimagine the abundance of underutilized vertical space to extend nature's capacity in cities in a mutually beneficial way for our environment and people?

NEST © European Union
NEST
© European Union, 2021

What if we could reimagine the abundance of underutilized vertical space to extend nature's capacity in cities in a mutually beneficial way for our environment and people? ?️?

For the Barcelona-based initiative, this is exactly the question they want to answer. The concept is the rising star winner of the 2021 New European Bauhaus prize in the category "Solutions for the co-evolution of built environment and nature." 

NEST employs a sustainable façade panel technology that creates dwelling places for fauna and flora in the city. In addition, natural ceramic and clay tiles printed utilizing 3D printing processes aim to improve the building's acoustic and thermal performance, resulting in a healthier microclimate and a greater ecological density.

The façade panels are customised in dimensions, porosity, structure, and texture. The idea is to establish a specialized habitat that will allow for passive or low-maintenance plant growth or nesting sites for desirable species of insects, birds, and bats while keeping the building's high performance and a healthy micro-climate.

NEST provides a two-dimensional method for renovating existing structures or incorporating them into new buildings. This innovative approach may be implemented in various public places, such as communal gardens for urban farming.

The clay used to make the façade panels is acquired locally and is free of hazardous components.

Panels are manufactured using the Additive Manufacturing Technique, which increases form flexibility, simple customisation, quick prototyping, and practically zero-waste manufacturing.

Each panel's parametric design is influenced by studying local species and environmental challenges in various climatic zones.

The following concepts and aims underpin the project's ethos:

  • Protect the biodiversity
  • Improve air quality
  • Local, clean and sustainable materials
  • Upgrade building thermal performance
  • Reduction of urban heat
  • Acoustic control
  • Harvest of rainwater


? © European Union

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