Rewilding in Architecture: Concepts, Applications, and Examples

In an age where humanity's detrimental impact on the environment has become increasingly evident, the concept of rewilding is emerging as a powerful approach to conservation and ecological restoration. In line with growing attention on landscape architecture in recent years, the idea of removing human intervention from our natural surroundings in order to restore a stable equilibrium seems to offer a low-effort, ethereal way to right fundamental climate wrongs. But is a lack of meddling in nature really all there is to rewilding, and how does this relate to architecture and design? We look at key concepts, applications, and examples to find out.

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At its core, rewilding aims to reverse the effects of habitat loss, species decline, and ecosystem degradation by allowing nature to reclaim its inherent spaces and processes. The movement represents a bold shift from traditional systemic conservation practices and instead embraces a restorationist idea of coexisting with thriving natural landscapes. Spurred on by efforts around the UN's Decade of Ecosystem Restoration that runs from 2021 until 2030, Ireland, Sweden, Nigeria, Australia, India, Chile, the USA, and Indonesia are just a few of the countries already undertaking re-wilding projects according to a map by the Global Rewilding Alliance.

Restorationists, from the start, have grappled with the question of how to intervene with the lives of wild plants and animals while also retaining their 'wildness.' Indeed, ecological restoration challenges the idea that a place is either untamed or managed, wild or designed. [It] pursues a middle ground: it asserts that human care can help to undo some forms of human-caused environmental damage, while also respecting the autonomy of other species. – Laura J. Martin, Wild by Design: The Rise of Ecological Restoration

In line with environmental historian Laura J. Martin's explanation, rewilding may at first seem to conflict with building or design efforts; but there are a number of key concepts pertaining to the idea that can in fact be aided by architectural structures and inspired design. Finding innovative ways for humans to speed up nature's recovery process, facilitate conservation, or construct animal migration pathways and natural habitats are select interventions that are in line with the goals of a philosophy that is often interpreted as strictly 'hands-off.'

To understand why, it helps to look at the areas of re-wilding that most directly relate to our built environment:

Habitat connectivity involves creating or maintaining corridors that allow species to move freely between fragmented habitats. Rewilding initiatives often focus on establishing these corridors or wildlife crossings to facilitate the movement of animals, aiding in genetic diversity, adaptation, and the overall health of populations. While pathways can be formed naturally through select ecological measures, Cave_bureau's recent exhibition at the Lousiana Museum of Modern Art proposes actively constructing one such corridor in their hometown of Nairobi, Kenya, to aid the indigenous Massai in herding cattle as well as restoring the area for other wildlife.

Biodiversity is at the heart of rewilding efforts. By promoting diverse assemblages of native species, rewilding enhances ecosystem resilience, supports rare and endangered species, and helps maintain essential ecological processes. In urban areas in particular, rewilding focuses on transforming underutilized urban spaces into biodiverse pockets. Rooftop gardens, green corridors, and parks all contribute to urban rewilding efforts. Examples from our ArchDaily database include Benjakitti Forest Park by Arsomslip Community and Environmental Architect or the Center of Excellence for Forest Conservation by Architects 49.

A more contextual approach to rewilding emphasizes the reconnection of indigenous communities with their ancestral lands and traditional ecological knowledge. By integrating indigenous practices and perspectives, cultural rewilding projects promote a holistic approach to conservation that relies heavily on local materials and history. Though this approach does not strictly return environments to their pre-colonial state, it presents a long-lasting, integrative alternative to stricter re-wilding measures that exclude humans entirely.

Ecocentric architecture and design movements such as contextualism, Lo-TEK, biophilia, or biomimicry rely heavily on all three of these rewilding building blocks in order to create sustainable and restorative structures that enable a return to nature while at the same time providing space for human populations to coexist. More restrictive interpretations of the movement reject human intervention altogether; but due to the ongoing lack of an official definition or set of pre-determined rules, many architects and designers have found a way to incorporate re-wilding into their projects.

Among the most ambitious ones to date is the Port Lands Flood Protection Project in Toronto, Canada, by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates. Billed as one of the city’s largest-ever infrastructure initiatives, it aims to create a new river valley in the city’s industrial Port Lands district to minimize flooding in the event of a major storm, while also creating parks with walking and cycling trails, habitats for animals, and a residential neighborhood that includes affordable units. Set to debut in 2024, the project is on track to be a remarkable transformation for a previously underutilized, polluted area – and a promising model for achieving resilience, biodiversity, and housing goals in a single site.

Rewilding innovation doesn't always have to be on a larger-than-life scale, however. In 2022, New-York based COOKFOX Architects collaborated with Buro Happold on a terra-cotta building facade that offers spaces for bees, birds, and plants. The prototype treats building exteriors as their own ecosystem – a site of biological restoration and life even in dense urban environments – rather than an assembly of materials that provide a weather barrier. The modular system of slip-cast pods reimagines the shapes more commonly used in biophilic design (most notably coral reefs and rocks) in a more sculptural form that could still accommodate birds, bees, and plants.

Though more research and official guidelines are needed, it is clear that the rewilding movement, by and large, represents a compelling shift in our relationship with architecture, design, and the natural world. By acknowledging the importance of letting nature flourish and rejuvenate while also recognizing the need for active intervention and coexistence in certain cases, rewilding offers a holistic design approach that seeks to restore ecosystems, revive species, and preserve the delicate balance of our planet's fragile biodiversity.