Rooted Realities: Nature’s Role in Modern Architecture

On a windswept plateau in Voels, northern Italy, NOA Architecture’s headquarters exemplifies ecological responsibility. Designed by Network of Architecture (NOA), the building features stepped, green-roofed terraces that mimic the surrounding alpine landscape. It blends with its environment, hosting native vegetation and supporting local biodiversity. This architectural trend fuses built spaces with ecological systems.

For decades, sustainability in architecture often meant energy-efficient systems or renewable materials. Projects like Stefano Boeri’s Bosco Verticale in Milan, completed in 2014, showcase a different approach. These residential towers, adorned with over 800 trees, absorb 30 tons of CO2 annually while producing oxygen. Boeri’s initiative has inspired similar projects worldwide, from Nanjing’s Vertical Forest to Eindhoven’s Trudo Tower.

However, the movement to incorporate nature into design faces criticism. Architect Rem Koolhaas has questioned whether these projects risk becoming token gestures without systemic change. At the 2020 exhibition Countryside, The Future at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Koolhaas stated, “designing a green roof isn’t enough—we must fundamentally rethink the relationship between urban and rural.” His skepticism highlights the challenges of scaling these interventions to address global environmental crises.

Some projects tackle these systemic questions. The Kampung Admiralty retirement village in Singapore, designed by WOHA, stacks community facilities, public housing, and retail spaces into a vertical village topped with a 2,500-square-meter rooftop park. This rooftop serves as both an environmental cooling zone and a social hub for residents. Richard Hassell, WOHA’s founding partner, described this philosophy in a 2019 interview as “using architecture as an agent for regeneration rather than consumption.”

Institutional frameworks are adapting as well. Standards like BREEAM and LEED now include broader ecological criteria beyond energy metrics. The 2023 Pritzker Prize awarded to David Chipperfield recognized his work’s ecological foundations alongside modernism. The jury, led by Alejandro Aravena, praised Chipperfield’s approach of “prioritising the environment and society” over mere form.

Integrating nature into architecture requires rethinking materials and urban planning. The use of bio-based materials like cross-laminated timber (CLT) has surged, with projects like Mjøstårnet in Norway (completed 2019) showcasing that tall buildings can be made from renewable resources. At 85.4 meters, Mjøstårnet is the world’s tallest timber building, with a carbon footprint reduced by 30% compared to conventional structures.

Urban design is evolving. In Paris, the Plan Climat mandates the installation of 100 hectares of green roofs and walls by 2030, with half designated for urban agriculture. In Berlin, the IBA-funded Rummelsburger Bucht district has integrated community gardens and composting into housing developments since the 1990s, setting precedents for sustainable urban living.

Yet, is this enough? Environmental journalist Elizabeth Kolbert noted in her Pulitzer-winning The Sixth Extinction that localized architectural interventions cannot counter global ecological destruction. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has stressed the urgency of reducing emissions on a macro scale, warning that the window for meaningful action narrows each year. The architectural profession, while increasingly aware, remains a minor player in this broader context.

Perhaps architecture's role is less about solving crises and more about modeling new ways of living within them. Projects like the Grove at Grand Bay in Miami (Bjarke Ingels Group, 2016) and the Eden Project in Cornwall (Grimshaw Architects, 2001) serve as prototypes rather than solutions, suggesting possibilities when architecture engages with ecological systems. Whether these examples become the norm or remain exceptions depends on architects, governments, developers, and the public.

The lesson is clear: architecture's engagement with nature must be profound. Buildings like NOA*’s alpine headquarters succeed not just because they are green; they function as ecosystems. As climate pressures escalate, these models of integration may become essential. Whether the profession is ready for this shift remains uncertain.