What is biodiversity and why is it so important?
Biodiversity is the richness of life and the variety of life forms and environments of the Earth. Strengthen the productivity of any ecosystem; of an agricultural land, a forest, a lake, and so on. The loss of biodiversity contributes to food and energy insecurity, increases vulnerability to natural disasters, decreases the level of health within society, reduces the availability and quality of water resources and impoverishes cultural traditions. Each species, no matter whether small or large, plays and plays a specific role in the ecosystem in which it lives and precisely by virtue of its role helps the ecosystem to maintain its vital balance. Even a species that is not endangered on a global scale can play an essential role on a local scale. Its decrease at this scale will have an impact on habitat stability.
Why should we plan for biodiversity?
We live in an increasingly globalized world; for this reason, it is of fundamental importance to become aware of the fact that biodiversity, including cultural diversity, is a heritage of all humanity and deserves respect and protection. Each of us in our small way can make a difference.
THE SWIVELS
Swifts have accompanied man since the Neolithic, adapting to exploit niches, cracks and cavities in buildings. They are a presence linked to the summer, they have a fascinating biology that make them one of the most popular birds. If man has marked their evolutionary success, in recent decades it is the cause of an important decrease in European populations, caused by the correct modernization of cities which, however, entails the disastrous consequence of the closure of cavities.
used to build nests, effectively erasing the colonies. Protecting swifts means entering into a collaboration agreement between those involved in the conservation of biodiversity, those who design cities and those who protect their historical and artistic heritage, in order to harmonize building practices with the ecological needs of these animals.
Man - animal
Growing urbanization in Italy has brought with it a profound change in the relationship between man and animal. As cities grow and occupy new spaces, they often overlook the habitat of wild animals. In many cases, these species are forced to live, in spite of themselves, in artificial contexts, where criticalities emerge in a very short time, producing enormous animal suffering and increasing social and economic costs. it is therefore important to evaluate and rethink the policies and methods of coexistence with these species, for the well-being of humans and animals. We must remember that we too, like them, are guests on this planet; we must learn to live with animal species, without overwhelming them.
SWIVELS
Autumn and spring are periods of displacement for migratory birds and very delicate moments because the animals are tired and more vulnerable. In this area, in the heart of the city of Milan, Common Swifts and Major Swifts nest, recognizable by their brown-black plumage, slender body, long and narrow sickle-shaped wings and short, forked tail.
NESTS
How to recognize the nest of common swifts?
The nest is stuffed with vegetable fibers and feathers and covered with saliva, it is placed inside cavities of all kinds. Swifts originally found suitable cavities in rock faces and trees; today they reproduce almost exclusively in niches of buildings. With renovations and new constructions these are often lost, but with special nest boxes or with the installation of artificial cavities it is possible to create replacement nesting sites.
SWIVELS
The greater swifts need architectural structures with cavities suitable for their larger dimensions and their different reproductive sociality, often based on the sharing of common spaces. The types of cavities used by common swifts in Italy are the most disparate and include above all the pontoon holes and other openings on the walls of historic buildings that locally allow the establishment of showy and important colonies, often of several species.
To help the swifts to proliferate, the pontoon holes should preferably have large dimensions (over 20 cm in height) and take into account important details for the individual case and to obtain the main effects; that is to say a comfortable environment, suitably darkened and protected from the intrusions of predators, obtainable for example with a diaphragm that closes the opening but equipped at its base with a suitable slot.
What is Living Monuments?
An association with the aim of studying and enhancing urban biodiversity, identifying and certifying the Living Monuments present in inhabited centers.
What is a Living Monument?
A Living Monument is a building, ancient or modern, whose architectural characteristics have determined the settlement of colonies of swifts, during the reproductive period, and of other beneficial species.
How does a building become a Living Monument?
Through self-certification that defines the faunal and architectural details of the monument that can be filled in from the main site of the association. The identification of colonies of swifts nesting in a building allows it to be certified as a Living Monument and to implement the necessary safeguards in the event of renovations and restorations.
THE PROJECT
Restoration respectful of biodiversity, this is how the Living Monuments project is defined. Each tower, in its wall structure has open pontoon holes, used in the medieval period as a place to house the joists of the scaffolding. These have been, with this noble project, prepared so that they can selectively house small birds, bats, swifts but not pigeons.
Swift protection is inextricably linked to the presence and conservation of suitable nesting sites. If currently the swifts are considered at the Italian and European level as species with a lower conservation risk, in the future, they risk drastic decreases in populations, following the progressive loss of sites suitable for reproduction, caused by the restructuring of the buildings that house the nests and by the closing of the pontoon holes in the buildings.
The pontoon holes, in addition to hosting the swifts and representing an important architectural element for their conservation, host other species, such as bats, which more generally frequent historical buildings for reproduction or rest.
THE TOWERS
Swifts build their nests in the cavities of buildings that have not been experienced by humans; towers, attics and bridge holes once used for scaffolding.
TOWERS OF THE PUSTERLA
PROCESS
The intervention involved the restoration of the Towers of the Pusterla of Sant'Ambrogio which represents one of the three entrance gates that remain part of the circle of medieval walls that surrounded the city of Milan (together with Porta Ticinese and Porta Nuova). We found ourselves in front of two towers with very different characteristics, one in fact was rebuilt during the restoration of the 1930s and therefore presents great construction regularity, the other tower instead maintains its medieval structure and carries all the traces of the changes it has undergone over time. The Pusterla had in fact been incorporated into other buildings and was itself no longer a defensive function but housing. The construction site also had the particularity of carrying out a "restoration tailored to the wild", the meeting between the company, the designer and the Progetto Natura Onlus Association allowed the selective closure system of the holes to be implemented. bridges of the highest tower, preventing access to these to troublesome species such as pigeons, but safeguarding the possibility of nesting for swifts. This allows the protection of the volatile fauna of Milan and the restoration of the Pusterla was the first case in the city for the application of this solution.
TECHNICAL DOCUMENTS
VIDEO GALLERY
Watch the video during the restoration of the Pusterla Towers.
PHOTOGRAPHY
MEDIEVAL TOWER OF LENNO
PROCESS
The restoration of the medieval tower of Villa involved the recovery of all the external surfaces, made of Moltrasio stone with the exception of a small portion of plaster, the removal of the flooring and the roof covering of the terrace and the construction of the new terracotta flooring. . The degradation present before the conservation operations carried out consisted mainly of a widespread and consistent layer of surface deposit and important biological attacks that almost completely covered the surfaces, hiding their colors.
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The cleaning operation has been extended to all types of material, adopting controlled pressure hydro-washing as the main operation, promptly intervening with micro-sandblasting operations on the surface portions of the most stubborn deposits.
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After the cleaning operations, we continued with the consolidation by injection of the parts in the detachment phase of the only portion of ancient plaster present and consolidation of the cortical layer with ethyl silicate in the areas where it was particularly disintegrated.
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Subsequently we proceeded to intervene on the joints, proceeding to lower the grouting above the level made during the previous interventions and removing the elements made of cement mortar.
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Then grouting and sealing of stylings between the joints and small surface cracks of the stone material were carried out by applying lime mortar and selected aggregates. Where the concrete elements were particularly tough, it was decided to intervene by applying glazes to the potassium silicates, with the aim of chromatically balancing the surface.
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The next phase of the restoration involved the external flooring of the terrace, first of all by removing the old flooring, the waterproof covering and the flaps along the masonry.
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The metal frames were degreased and repainted in the same color as the existing one, gray outside and white inside, with a special opaque metal enamel, and finally the glass was replaced.
PHOTOGRAPHY
DORIA TOWER
PROCESS
The cavities in the walls of the San Fruttuoso Tower are an excellent place to nest. Here the birds have found a place in the pontoon holes, historically used for the scaffolding of the scaffolding. In the case of San Fruttuoso, work was carried out at the Torre Doria to safeguard the pale swift, a protected bird that nests in that place for a few months a year. The restoration work carried out on the tower took into consideration the presence of these important birds, observed and examined during a territorial research.
PROCESSING
During the interventions the nesting was respected by creating special openings in the sheets of the scaffolding to allow the passage to the flight of the swifts. But not only that: during the intervention the decision was not to close or modify in any way the passage to the holes of the tower once the presence of the Swifts' nests had been verified.
VIDEO GALLERY
Let yourself be transported to the Ligurian territory.
Click on the button if you want to learn more about the subject by viewing the TORRE DORIA construction site.
PHOTOGRAPHY
BELL TOWER OF SAN SATIRO
PROCESS
The bell tower consists of a square-plan brick tower, a prototype of Lombard pre-Romanesque architecture, and represents the only external part of the building that has not been remodeled over the centuries. Inside the wall, the pontoon holes used for the construction phase of the tower are clearly visible, these have now been closed with a large mesh metal net that prevents pigeons from accessing.
The size of the mesh used could allow other species of birds to enter, but due to the nature of the material it is made of, it is also dangerous because it can break creating dangerous spikes for the protection of birds.
The intention is therefore to proceed with the removal of these current closures and to put in place a selective closure system of the pontoon holes.
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Opening of the pontoon holes of the bell tower of Santa Maria at San Satiro: removal of the metal nets present at the entrance to the pontoon holes of the bell tower of the Church of S. Maria at San Satiro, in order to carry out a concrete conservation action for the swifts by operating a selective reduction of the entrance hole;
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Placement of suitably sized brick by means of bedding with natural hydraulic lime mortar;
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Glazing of the bricks inserted with a dark color, in order to maintain the vacuum effect while also preserving the characteristic vision of the element and ensuring its reading inside the wall apparatus.
BUROCRATIC PROCESS
PHOTOGRAPHY
VIDEO GALLERY
Let yourself be transported to the construction site of the San Satiro bell tower.
Take a close look at some of the work that has been done.
Watch the dedicated video shot by the news strip in 2018.
Virtuoso project
Coexist. Working as much as possible together with the nature that hosts us. This is the great intuition of the French landscape architect Gilles Clément, writer of the famous book "garden in motion" of 1991. Thus began a long research on the uncultivated soils located at the edge of the roads, in abandoned or abandoned areas, where nature regains possession of space. built in decay. Gilles Clément classifies these residues as "Third landscape" and revolutionizes our way of thinking about the traditional garden, letting it live without much human intervention. In this way he not only modifies the idea of thinking about the garden but the aesthetic conception of the same. Starting from the concept of friche, Gilles Clément designs different parks characterized by a rich biodiversity and without particular human intervention, which he defines as “gardens in motion”.
Some of his projects best represent this concept. The seeds are carried by the wind and the gardener rather than imposing a pattern he can collaborate and be amazed by the surprises that nature reserves, becoming a "guardian of the unpredictable".
An excellent example of a park "on the move" is the Natur-Park Schöneberger Südgelände in Berlin: 18 hectares of urban oasis.
A model to be inspired by
The park, today, is an excellent synthesis between wild urban nature, railway landscape and recreational project. The vegetation grows freely but is always cared for by man, who no longer dominates it but lives with it. This idea allows for a green space to be enjoyed at low cost: limited work by municipal gardeners and low costs for plants. It could also be an inspiration for us, obviously respecting the climatic conditions and our vegetation.
Do we have moving parks in Italy?
A virtuous project already carried out is that of the Dora Park in the area of the former Fiat and Michelin workshops in Turin, which demonstrates how the scenographic industrial archeology scenarios can go hand in hand with vegetation and usability.
Would a Südgelände be possible in Italy?
Urban regeneration operations have also been carried out in Italy, but the problem is soil contamination. Italian law protects citizens' health more: if the soil is contaminated, it is first necessary to reclaim it, otherwise nothing can be done. If you do analyzes in a disused railway yard, you can find substances that involve remediation. Of course, nature gives us a hand: there are plants that can improve the quality of the soil, but the evaluation must be made on a case-by-case basis. And to really protect the soil from degradation, a single European directive would be needed.
Conclusion
We close with this mural made by Banksy in 2014.
“Migrants are not welcome”, “Stay away from our worms”, “Go back to Africa”, read the signs. The protesters? Five reactionary pigeons, busy protesting against migrations in front of an exotic bird. This is one of the latest works signed by the famous street artist Banksy, which appeared on a wall in Clacton-on-Sea, in the Essex region, and ended up in the news pages. We have examined that creating a fair relationship between man and nature is not difficult, you just need to find compromises. The protection of the environment is a question that concerns the well-being and development of society, it is therefore a duty of all men and of all countries, without any exclusion.
With this mural, we would now like to ask you a question: can you find space for hospitality? The answer is up to you.
