Contents
1. Background
3. Look into the site
My project is about the growing problem of relations between humans and wildlife in cities. The more we built, the less space of habitats for wildlife to survive. I choose to work in Beijing, a megacity with a population of tens of millions, also home to many wildlife. To settle in a reinforced concrete city, wild animals face various problems, for example, In a crowded city, air-conditioning racks will capture many birds, they occupy a "machine seat" during snatching and killing. Hedgehogs can only start searching for food and hiding places at night ... Therefore, I will investigate this issue about coexistence of humans and wild animals in the city.
Background
Some wild animals begin to appear on the streets of the city at night when humans don't go
Cities have been designed and built for human’s production and life since ancient times, and did not consider many factors to coexist with animals, which has caused a lack of animal habitats and food sources in cities. As a result, wild animals rarely appear in cities.
1.2 Birds
Why choose birds?
Birds are the most common animals in cities which are widely distributed. Birds, along humans, are the most powerful biological force of globalization on the planet. Through seed dispersal, adaptation and migration, birds have occupied every corner of the globe, their relation to humans stretching far into the realms offaith, metaphors and language. Birds evoke different ways of conceiving territories, not only as small or large surfaces but as routes, lines cutting across countries, continents, ecologies.
Why choose beijing swifts?
Swifts which have accompanied Beijing for thousands of years have plummeted in just a few decades and are on the verge of disappearing, from fifty thousand to only three thousand. People in Beijing have special emotions to these birds. In Chinese culture, Swift is seen as a lucky thing to people. Every year, this bird goes through a long-distance migration, flying from Beijing to southern Africa in autumn and returning to Beijing to breed in spring. Such a small bird can fly at a speed of 110 kilometers per hour. Their special toes prevent the Swift from catching tree branches or standing on the ground. Swifts fly while swooping down from a high space to lift off, therefore, special body structure makes Swift choose Beijing as a habitat. Because the staggered beams, crests, and crests in the tall ancient towers in the city form a man-made cave for swifts to build their nests.
Special toe structure cannot land Slender wrist bones is suitable for long flight.
Apus apus pekinensis
1.3 Beijing Swift
Beijing Swift
Such a small bird can fly at a speed of 110 kilometers per hour. Their special toes prevent the Swift from catching tree branches or standing on the ground. Swifts fly while swooping down from a high space to lift off, therefore, they choose Beijing as a habitat. Because the staggered beams and crests in the tall ancient towers form a man-made cave for
Apus nest Gap between pillars
of historical buildings
BREED
where do swifts build their nests
With the development of the city, the life of birds is more oppressed. The place where they usually find shelter and forage have changed from
ancient time to today.
Most swifts choose this kind of space to settle.
TYPES OF SPACE FOR NESTS
Swifts nest space analysis Before and Now
Space where swifts build their nests in ancient time
City Urban environment and birds
（Beijing）
Ancient beijing (Qing Dynasty)
Jiuzhou qing yan drawing from internet
As a typical example, Beijing, China, where the original Beijing was located in a forest, surrounded by mountains, birds can freely inhabit (trees, rock walls, bushes, reeds) and prey (trees, Grass, water).
Numbers of Beijing Swifts Numbers of humans in cities Numbers of traditional buildings
In order to meet the growing urban demand and the increasing urban population, many buildings in Beijing were demolished and converted into modern urban facilities. The city is expanding, the layout is more compact, the buildings are tall and dominated by reinforced concrete with simple facade. The urban green space is further shrinking and fragmented with the density of the buildings increasing.
Greenery comparsion
Green space Comparison chart
Green space Comparison chart
1.5 Relations between birds and humans Different levels of coexistence
Independent
Humans' intervention
Devour animals' habitats
There is a positive relationship and passive relationship between humans and birds and Birds which are living in the city are always at passive side.
I conclude four types of coexistence. First, People keep small birds in cages as their pets.
Second, people build cages and provide food for birds but they could still fly freely, such as pigeons. people lived in houses with yard which could have space for pigeons before, but now space for pigeons is limited in high-rise buildings. They are less common in Beijing.
Third, people accept birds build nest beside their buildings and public space, like Beijing swift, they are totally free in the city. But because of city development, this type of coexistence become fewer.
Fourth, birds live on the trees, they live in different space with humansbut nowadays, linear and fragmented parks have replaced large green space which leads to the decrease of habitats of those birds.
In the relatively active and free situations three and four, birds are still passive and vulnerable to keep a certain distance from human activities along time, height and Horizontal space .At the same time, when human activities violate the bird's territory, the bird will passively choose to leave.
Design Strategy
To explore the concept of territory for birds to create a new mode in which people and birds could coexist in the city.
Design purpose Design vocabulary
horizontal space
I use activeness and passiveness to define the concept of territory in terms of time, height, and horizontal space. Active dominant Passive subservient Equal coexistence Design method How to achieve? 2.1 Design strategy height time
Vertical space and time
In vertical level, some space for humans could be underground to hide people's activities.
Tall pillars could be a station for birds to stand where humans could not reach in vertical space
2.2 Birds' territory
humans' space
2.3 biodiversity
Look into the site
SITE LOCATION
Residential building .e
Site(Before transformation)
Porous city for birds
（Design）
Vocabulary of Co-existence
Vocabulary of Active dominant
Vocabulary of Co-existence Nesting Tower
Nest for swifts
wood
Vocabulary of Active dominant
In the site, the most commonly used space for people is the exercise walkway which many people must pass through. People's activities will interfere with the birds to a certain extent, so I have modified these spaces. The majority of the space is designed to hide human behavior and provide a more free atmosphere for birds.
Vocabulary of Active dominant
Vocabulary of Active dominant
Space for humans
Vocabulary of Active dominant Transformation of old bridge
