“NatureStructure” highlights innovative projects working in harmony with nature

In a time of climate change and rapid urbanization, searching for architectural solutions that help preserve the environment — while making cities more resilient — is as important as ever. In this spirit, the upcoming “NatureStructure” exhibition at the BSA Space in Boston highlights nature-centric design projects around the globe. It also calls for the built environment to rethink its relationship with the natural environment.

Opening on May 17, the exhibition features 30 manmade projects, designs, and initiatives that aim to restore ecosystems and make cities and their surrounding natural environments more sustainable. 

“The built environment has historically sought to exert control over nature,” NatureStructure Curator Scott Burnham says. “Yet as the impact of floods and droughts increase and pollinator populations and natural habitats decrease, efforts to conquer nature have proven to be futile and increasingly harmful. A different relationship between built and natural environments is needed for a healthy and sustainable future.”

Works in the exhibition will include: the U.S. debut of the Delfland Sand Motor, which uses coastal tides to distribute sand along the coast of the Netherlands to reverse erosion and protect against sea-level rise; Third Nature's Pop-Up, which is a revolutionary parking garage in Denmark whose base absorbs rainwater overflow;  and 3D-printed reefs and seawalls by Australia’s Reef Design Lab to repopulate Sydney Harbor sea life in an effort to counter the depletion of the world's coral reefs.

Photos courtesy of Boston Society of Architects.