The distinction between human-made and nature defines our understanding of our immediate environment. Generally, we label objects around us as either natural or artificial without leaving much room for dialogue between the two. This hardly reflects the reality, however. Human-oriented design perspective positions architecture against nature and in practice architecture has played a crucial role in the depletion of nature in terms of land use, resource extraction and loss of biodiversity. Today, we want to think and act otherwise.

The exhibition Urban Nature explores the intricate dialogues that exist between architecture, nature, landscape, infrastructure, plants and animals including humans. We see how all these actors interact, sometimes in a mutualistic way, sometimes in favour of one or the other. Architecture replaces nature brutally; plants then grow resiliently in the cracks and on the corners of concrete structures while animals nest in rooftops. Recognizing these interactions, we ask ourselves: How can we generate spaces that are nature-inclusive? How can we shift the design paradigm towards an approach that doesn’t prioritize humans over other species?

Through this research conducted as part of the Bouwmeester Label, we took De Singel and its surroundings as the starting point to delve into these questions. We look into the life it holds at different moments of the day and night, the elements that reflect its past and present simultaneously, and networks of multispecies in the landscape. We depict this journey using the sketching pen. The exhibition is the result of a physical and intellectual quest, where knowledge merges with poetry, as a prelude to imagining a new dimension in the realm of architecture.

Urban Nature is an attempt to make visible the intricate networks of various species living in and around our urban lives. It is at the same time a plea for architects, designers and urban planners to actively and creatively rethink the impact of their practices.

Location: De Singel, Antwerp, BE | Program: Design Research, Exhibition | Year: 2023, expo from 15.11.23 - 15.03.24 | Client: Vlaams Architectuur Instituut, Team Vlaams Bouwmeester | Status: Delivered | Task: Research and curation | Collaboration: Fallow + 1010au + grue | Contributions: Leonie Jaqmin, Joris De Rycke, David Menzi, Super Terram, Bruno Noteboom and Jolein Bergers, the architects who contributed to the ‘perspectives of practices’ next to everyone who joined the workshop held on 15 september 2023 at De Singel | People: Carmen Van Maercke, Frédéric Kancel | Photographs: Dieter Daniels