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‘The aim of The Campus of Living Things: The Art

‘The aim of The Campus of Living Things: The Art of Letting G(r)o(w) is improving the coexistence of people and wildlife.
We envision a symbiotic relationship in which the built environment becomes a part of a larger ecosystem. In this approach we work as much as possible with what is already on the campus like soil, building materials, bio-waste, but also taking into account the spatial qualities that also exist.
The Art of Letting G(r) o(w) is based on allowing more vegetation to grow spontaneously and creating more diverse habitats, more biotopes that will actually refer to the non-
human species that are often a marginalized part of the urban environment.

We will take a close look at the current maintenance plan to see what changes we can apply in order to create a richer
biodiverse environment.

Different areas will be maintained in different stages of succession, other areas will be allowed to go all the way through this cycle. In addition, small interventions can be done to establish more gradient in the landscape and create a better starting point for nature development.’

The Eco-is-land team started thinking about the ne

The Eco-is-land team started thinking about the new eco-campus from the non-human perspective. We recognized some poor qualities of the habitats on the campus and so our priority was to improve them, by creating better biotopes. Analyzing the campus area we also distinguished some attributes that can be transformed into strengths and based on these we made a classification about the types of landscape that the species depend on.

So the interpretation of our scenario on the campus will be the ‘landscapes within the landscape’, a concept that proposes a forest land on the north side, where natural processes will form a condensed bird biotope, an open area of the meadowland that offers grass and flower paradise, an insect biotope with willows, reeds and water plants that also play the role of purification managers and finally, in the southern and lowest part, a more organized purification plant system with bigger water bodies.

Moreover components that are related to these landscape types were formed by scales and categorized according to the types. Some refer to long term plans, such as the aerial bridge for the two-leg, standing species, but others can be applied immediately and in a ‘do it yourself’ way, such as the nests, the insect hotels, and the transformation of existing elements on campus like the TUDELFT sign, into more ecological, insects’ art pieces.’

‘Our concept is explained in this concept diagra

‘Our concept is explained in this concept diagram, showing that the 4 elements:

peak rainfall, heatwave, extreme winds & shade, will be either used or produced. Existing micro climates will be exaggerated and new ones will be created. Doing so, gradients will occur, highlighting different climate conditions.

This will enhance biodiversity and regenerative energy can be produced.

TU Delft envisioned as a circular and resilient ECO-Campus having a drastically varying ecological gradient with micro climates that transform it to a stepping stone for species in the region. Using the elements, we created a toolbox with components to use and produce micro climates. Added to this, is a list of circumstances that will have an effect on different organisms. This way habitats can be created for the entire ecosystem.

To conclude, we created a section where different climates throughout the campus can be seen. We created specific conditions that flow into new ones along gradients. This diversity will create huge opportunities for biodiversity and make regenerative energy possible.’

In the current situation, the TU campus is still h

In the current situation, the TU campus is still human dominant which means some decisions are only made for human benefits. But concluded from the previous analysis, there is still high potential in biodiversity on the TU Delft campus.
We want to reconsider the relationship between nature and humans, give more space for nature to boom.

The intention is to create a more coherent and diverse biosystem, which contains several layers in both horizontal and vertical levels. In this vision nature and human society are one. the building may work as the cliff, mountain element in a natural way. By digging and rearrange the soil, the Wet-Dry condition gradually changes from North to South and also East to West. In the valley, every community has its own place/layer. So, instead of separating humans from nature, humans are simply one of many communities that are shown in the concept drawing.

To achieve this goal, different toolboxes are created in terms of climate, nature biotope, and also a human experience, to deal with different situations and maximize the biodiversity and optimize human experience.

On one hand, our vision is to slow down the pump s

On one hand, our vision is to slow down the pump speed, storing water in the campus, which means that there will be more wetland and swamp on the campus. We follow the gradient from dry to wet, creating there main biotopes- forest-meadow-swamp.

Forest: the northern area is kept dry by carrying off the water quickly, here a more bushy vegetation of trees and shrubs can be found. The already mature vegetation of the cemetery will form the base for this biotope, home to various forest birds.

Meadow: with less maintenance the middle part can develop in a rough meadow with wildflowers and herbs. Creating more beneficial habits for insects like bees and butterflies.
Swamp: with a higher water table a peat swamp biotope can develop. Aquatic plants like reed and cattail can grow here, which forms the habitat for marsh birds like the bittern and heron.

As we increase the retention time of water in the campus, more possibilities also emerge. The water flow is no longer linear, but circular. Rainwater flows from all directions to the swamp, which can be both purified and stored. The water can provide habitat for wild animals and plants, and can also be reused.

On the other, eco-campus is still a campus, which needs to function for human. Connectivity between buildings is required and on the conceptual map you see the cycling paths, sidewalks and tramlines system. To limit human intervention, we leave only the least paths which serve for the connectivity between buildings’ entrances, which are necessary for basic function of the campus, and cover other areas with nature layer. Also, mostly used buildings are connected by direct straight path. Besides, to reach the goal of ‘car-free Campus’, several parking lots are set at the entrance of campus.

As a part of the Eco Campus strategy, the E-colab

As a part of the Eco Campus strategy, the E-colab group is turning the water challenge that TU Delft is currently facing into an opportunity for biodiversity rejuvenation. Increasing water levels will cause disturbances on campus.

By making use of floodmaps, we mapped out areas susceptible to floods, creating a scenario where water reclaims the land.
However, instead of obstructing, we embrace the idea of nature overtaking. We see opportunity in allowing water to fill the campus, creating island and canals.

Instead of the uncontrolled flood, we propose an adaptive plan to make use of present and upcoming water. Creating the gradient between water and land, we create opportunities to enlarge biodiversity.

The dream is that, when the water, which is always present, is shown permanently, the buildings will be the addition to this 'lake like campus'. The experience would be a symbiotic relationship between flora & fauna on campus, where canals replace the hardened streets by excavating and using this to create gradients in order to create the opportunity to enlarge the biodiversity within TU Delft campus.

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Instagram post 17898011074552361

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Instagram post 17876215537811939

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Instagram post 17883886285660845

Group 'Phoenix' - Design Components

Group 'Phoenix' - Design Components

Group 'Eco is Land' - Design Components

Group 'Eco is Land' - Design Components

Group '4E.CO' - Design Components

Group '4E.CO' - Design Components

Group 'New Horizons' - Design Components

Group 'New Horizons' - Design Components

Group 'E-colab' - Design Components

Group 'E-colab' - Design Components

Group 'Fresh Air' - Design Components

Group 'Fresh Air' - Design Components

x⠀ -Rose, Zhaotun

x⠀
-Rose, Zhaotun

x⠀ -Egyptian Goose, Huiying

x⠀
-Egyptian Goose, Huiying

x⠀ Pillbugs could be found almost everywhere in

x⠀
Pillbugs could be found almost everywhere in the world. By the research of their habitats, you could find the common characteristics of those places. They are all humidity and providing shade for them.For example, you could find pillbugs in cemetery, waterfront and under the wood.⠀
-Pillbug, He Xin Yu

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