Designing for Biodiversity

The creation of highly insulated and sealed buildings, necessitated by the shift towards designing and building low-carbon buildings, has had a negative effect on biodiversity. The potential niches for biodiversity such as spaces in open roof voids, generous overhangs and cracks and crevices that can be home for a wide range of birds, bats, insects and plants, are now being designed out through the desire to develop airtight buildings. The first edition of this book showed how you can make provision for building-reliant species when designing new low or zero carbon buildings. This second edition remains true to that need for practical information, and includes: *Updates on the latest information, techniques and products available *Additional 3D drawings *A new section on designing for biodiversity in existing buildings, including retrofit projects, including many new architectural drawings *Case studies that illustrate the key principles throughout the book *Common pitfalls and important messages for architects *New ready-made projects which have come onto the market since the first edition. This book demonstrates that, if done sensitively, the development and refurbishment of buildings can, in fact, increase the ecological value of a site. For true and long-term sustainability it is ever more important that our homes, towns and city centres are transformed from hot, barren deserts to cool, green places flourishing with life of all types. Designing for Biodiversity is a must for all architects, developers, building control officers, consultant ecologists - in fact all of those involved in low and zero carbon buildings - who can and want to design, construct and upgrade buildings for low carbon but also accommodate biodiversity.