The Tower of Urban Nature is a fully designed and approved project developed collaboratively with local citizens as part of Hamburg\u2019s public participation process \u201cDeine Geest.\u201d Originating from a resident\u2019s idea, it evolved over several workshops into a multifunctional tower that serves as both a landmark and a habitat. Although the tower has not yet been built due to political reasons, a complete building permit has been granted. Its modular design allows it to be erected at a variety of other urban locations.<\/p>\n
A Place for People and Wildlife<\/strong> Construction<\/strong> A Modular System \u2013 Ready to Be Realized<\/strong> PLACE<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div> CLIENT<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div> \n<\/div> PROJECT-PARTNER \n<\/div> PROJECT-TEAM \n<\/div> GRAPHIC PERIOD \n<\/div> The Tower of Urban Nature is a fully designed and approved project […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4876,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"portfolio_category":[24],"portfolio_skills":[],"portfolio_tags":[],"class_list":["post-4993","avada_portfolio","type-avada_portfolio","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","portfolio_category-projects"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/animal-aided-design.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/avada_portfolio\/4993","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/animal-aided-design.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/avada_portfolio"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/animal-aided-design.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/avada_portfolio"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/animal-aided-design.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/animal-aided-design.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4993"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/animal-aided-design.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/avada_portfolio\/4993\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4995,"href":"https:\/\/animal-aided-design.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/avada_portfolio\/4993\/revisions\/4995"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/animal-aided-design.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4876"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/animal-aided-design.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4993"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"portfolio_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/animal-aided-design.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/portfolio_category?post=4993"},{"taxonomy":"portfolio_skills","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/animal-aided-design.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/portfolio_skills?post=4993"},{"taxonomy":"portfolio_tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/animal-aided-design.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/portfolio_tags?post=4993"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Designed as a public viewing platform along the Horner Geest green corridor, the tower welcomes walkers, commuters, school groups, kindergarten children, and anyone curious about the surrounding urban landscape. It functions as a meeting point, an observation platform, and an educational hub\u2014while simultaneously providing vertical habitat for a variety of species. The combination of a textured wooden fa\u00e7ade, climbing vegetation, and integrated nesting structures supports birds, insects, and bats alike.<\/p>\n
The tower is built around a prefabricated steel staircase system with a galvanized steel frame. The primary structure includes vertical supports, diagonal bracing (\u00d8 5 cm), crossbars, and galvanized open-grid stair treads (stair width: 1.20 m). Platforms and handrails are also made of galvanized steel, ensuring safety and durability. Encasing the load-bearing core is a second layer: a wooden slat fa\u00e7ade made of modular elements, constructed from fire-protected local woods such as spruce, larch, or Douglas fir. The fa\u00e7ade modules follow the tower\u2019s geometry\u2014appearing flat from the front and revealing recessed nesting niches as visitors move around the structure. Between the steel core and the outer wooden fa\u00e7ade lies a climbing trellis made of metal mesh panels. This support structure hosts native climbing plants such as hops (Humulus lupulus<\/em>), common ivy (Hedera helix<\/em>), wild clematis (Clematis vitalba<\/em>), honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum<\/em>), and Parthenocissus. Over time, this green fa\u00e7ade develops into a richly structured vertical landscape, offering shelter, nesting opportunities, blossoms, and fruit for urban wildlife.<\/p>\n
Thanks to its modular construction, the Tower of Urban Nature can be dismantled, transported, and reassembled in other urban contexts. All components\u2014from the steel structure to the wooden fa\u00e7ade modules and integrated habitat units\u2014are prefabricated and designed for efficient on-site assembly. The concept is adaptable and suited for a range of locations: along green corridors, next to railway lines, in schoolyards, or as part of new urban developments. This tower is a practical example of architecture that embraces biodiversity\u2014not just as an aesthetic or educational value, but as an integral part of how we shape our future cities, for both people and animals.<\/p>\n<\/div>Hamburg, Germany & everywhere<\/h3>\n<\/div>
Beh\u00f6rde f\u00fcr Umwelt und Energie, Amt f\u00fcr Naturschutz, Gr\u00fcnplanung und Energie, Referat Gesamtst\u00e4dtische Freiraumentwicklung und Bezirksamt Hamburg-Mitte, Fachamt Management des \u00f6ffentlichen Raumes<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n
\n<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>Polinna Hauck Landscape+Urbanism GbR, <\/span>Mike Peel, <\/span>StudioC \u2013 Nicole Zahner<\/span><\/h3>\n
\n<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>Qingyu Liang, <\/span>Christine Jakoby, Dennis Gleitze, <\/span>Thomas E. Hauck<\/span><\/h3>\n
\n<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>Qingyu Liang & Dennis Gleitze, Mike Peel<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
<\/h3>\n<\/div>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>2015 – 2016<\/span><\/h3>\n
FURTHER PROJECTS<\/span><\/h1>\n<\/div>