Harvard launches a new architectural project to address climate change, especially in unprepared urban environments.
Officially titled as 'Polinature,' ArchDaily reported that it's a collaboration project by Harvard's Graduate School of Design (GSD). The "plug-in public space" is currently installed behind the university's Center for Green Buildings and Cities.
The Polinature has native plants scatted around in a scaffolding, which comes with a bioclimatic canopy. These features, although considered as small-scale, have been proven to create positive advantages and effects for improving biodiversity and micro-climate.
Screenshot from ArchDaily's Gallery of Harvard GSD, Courtesy of Emilio P. Doiztua
Polinature's Rationale
According to Harvard GSD, vulnerable communities get more exposed to extreme heat, causing outdoor public spaces to have reduced comfort and usability. Polinature can be a temporary solution for communities that lack green spaces by improving the small presence of bioclimatic conditions in those areas.
Also known as the 'Urban Biodiversity Kit,' Polinature has three components to work: inflatable canopy, native plants and scaffolding. The modular nature makes each part easy to assemble, disassemble or reconfigure. This means it can also be adaptable so that it can be partnered with local and sustainable materials, which will transform it into necessary urban interventions.
With over 1,400 native plants, it can support pollinator habitats. So far, it can attract honeybees, butterflies and hummingbirds. The canopy will then make use of climatic bubbles and lights to customize temperature for pollination purposes. The tech part of the architectural project also makes it sensitive to environmental changes so that it can release a breeze that is dynamic to the current heat and humidity of the area. A real-time data will be displayed around the site to provide environmental awareness.
As ArchDaily shared, researchers at Harvard GSD believe that combatting climate change starts with biodiversity because it will continue ecosystems that have been providing the Earth the greenery it needs to survive.
