Bird habitat built into the wall
Once a common bird across western Europe, the house sparrow has been squeezed out of its habitat within the past couple of decades. In response to such rapid population declines, Dutch design students Micaela Nardella and Oana Tudose have devised a way to create more space in the urban environment for the crack-dwelling birds. They’ve handcrafted a plaster building material, which they call the Brick Biotope, with strategically shaped nooks and crannies for nesting as well as for water collection and vegetation growth. And the habitat-creating bricks can be built right into an ordinary masonry wall. With this simple innovation, having wildlife nesting in the walls isn’t such a bad thing. ❧
Photo ©Micaela Nardella and Oana Tudose
