Nature-based solutions

Biodiversity is under significant threat from weather patterns, habitat loss, pollution, invasive species and human activities.  We have a responsibility to restore and create habitats to promote biodiversity. Our approach to biodiversity net gain assessments is consistent with the way we approach any other change in ecological assessment calculation: it is imperative that we are involved at the earliest opportunity so that we can maximize our influence on the project. This allows us to implement the mitigation hierarchy, which facilitates maximizing opportunities for protection of existing ecological features and ecological enhancement of our projects.

Careful design, shading, green roofs, street trees and balconies can reduce surface temperatures as well as improving air quality and supporting rainfall drainage systems.  All helping to lower operating costs and energy usage required for cooling buildings.

Flood risk is increasing for cities across the world as a result of intense rainfall, river levels and rising sea levels. A ‘sponge city’ can be created using natural systems to attenuate rainfall runoff to reduce flooding through Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SuDS). As part of an innovative scheme to use nature-based solutions to combat the effects of climate change and reduce storm water flooding in we designed a new sustainably drained park for the community in West Gorton - using an interconnected series of swales, rain gardens and bio-attenuation features alongside places for exploration and play, connecting people with nature. 

To embed green infrastructure and nature-based solutions into a city requires them to be integrated into local plans, policies, and design codes at all levels.  This sets the standards that need to be met by all developments across a city.

Many cities have grown next to rivers as historically they have provided an important method of transportation.  Poorly managed, rivers become polluted and damaged, but good design can bring city life back to the river edge supporting economic, social, and ecological city strategies.