IUCNIUCNisamembershipUnionuniquelycomposedofbothgovernmentandcivilsocietyorganisations.Itprovidespublic,privateandnon-governmentalorganisationswiththeknowledgeandtoolsthatenablehumanprogress,economicdevelopmentandnatureconservationtotakeplacetogether.Createdin1948,IUCNisnowtheworld’slargeknowledge,resourcesandreachofmorethan1,400Memberoisaleadingproviderofconservationdata,assessmentsandtofilltheroleofincubatorandtrustedrepositoryofbestpractices,toolsandinternationalstandards.IUCNprovidesaneutralspaceinwhichdiversestakeholdersincludinggovernments,NGOs,scientistbusinesses,localcommunities,IndigenousPeoples’Organisationsandotherscanworktogethertoforgeandimplementsolutionstoenvironmentalchallengesandachievesustainabledevelopment.Workingwithmanypartnersandsupporters,IUCNimplementsalargeanddiverseportfolioconservationprojectsworldwide.Combiningthelatestsciencewiththetraditionalknowledgeoflocalcommunities,theseprojectsworktoreversehabitatloss,restoreecosystemsandimprovepeople’swell-/IUCN/Holcimisagloballeaderininnovativeandsustainablebin2023.Our63,000employeesaredrivenbyourpurposetobuildpacrossourregionstoimprovelivingstandardsforall.Wepartnerwithourcustomerstoofferthebroadestrangeofadvancedsolutions,fromsustainablebuildingmaterialsECOPactandECOPlanet,toourcirtechnologyECOCycle?,allthewaytoElevate’sadvancedroofingandinsulationsystems.SecondNatureEcology+Designisauniqueconsultancecologyintoplanning,design,andmanagement.Weworkcollaborativelywithpolicy-makers,businesses,designers,andcommunitiestoincorporatehigh-qualitynatureatthesite,neighborhood,andcityscale—bringingtangiblebenefitstobiodiversity,climateresilience,andcommunityhealth.Combininginnovativeresearchandpracticalexperience,we’rededicatedtobringingthebenefitsofnatureintodailylife,makingThedesignationofgeographicalentitiesinthiswork,andthepresentationofthematerial,donotimplytheexpressionofanyopinionwhatsoeveronthepartofIUCconcerningthelegalstatusofanycountry,territory,orarea,orofitsauthorities,orconcerningthedelimitationofitsfrontiersorboundaries.TheviewsexpressedinthisworkdonotnecessarilyreflectthoseofIUCIUCNispleasedtoacknowledgethesupportofitsFrameworkPartnerswhoprovidecorefunding:MinistryDevelopmentAgencyandSustainableDevelopment,GrandDuchyofLuxembourg;theNorwegianCooperation(Norad);theSwedishInternationalDevelopmentCooperationAgency(Sida);theSwiDevelopmentandCooperation(SDC)andtheUnitedStatesDThispublicationhasbeenmadepossiblebyfundingfromHolcimLtd.Publishedby:ICopyright:?2025IUCN,InternationalUnionReproductionofthisworkforeducationalorothernon-commercialpurposesisauthorisedwithoutpriorwrittenpermissionfromthecopyrightholderprovidedthesourceisfullyacknowledged.Reproductionofthisworkforresaleorothercommercialpurposesisprohibitedwithoutpriorwrittenpermissionofthecopyrightholder.buildings:areviewofsupportinginitiativesinEuropeancities.Gland,Switzerland:Coverphoto:IliaBronskiy-peDesignandlayoutby:Catalysingbiodiversityonbuildings:areviewofsupportinginitiativesinEuropeancities 1.1Whythisreport?1.2Europeancasestudycitiesselectionandmethodology1.3Audienceforthisreport2.1Livingarchitecturestandards2.3Wildlife-friendlybuildings062.4Metrics&tools063.6GlobalImpactReportingFrameworks4.1Livingarchitecture|Greenreplace4.1.1Livingarchitecturemandatesandsubsidies4.1.2Greenreplacement/Greenfactorpolicies4.2Nativespeciesintegration4.3Wildlife-friendlystandards214.3.1Bird-safebuildings214.3.2Lighting4.4Acomprehensiveperformancestandardapproach:TorontoGreenStandard24Barcelona,SpainLondon,UnitedKingdomMadrid,SpainZurich,Switzerland46HistoricpreservationPerceivedcompetitionforspacewithaffordablehousing51Catalysingbiodiversityonbuildings:areviewofsupportinginitiativesinEuropeancitiesThecapacityofcitiesaslandscapestosupportbiodiversityisacceptedasoneofthecriticalstepsnecessarytohaltglobalbiodiversitylossandalsoaddresstheothertwoaspectsofthetripleplanetarycrisis,climatechangeandpollution.Citiesofferthepotentialtocreateneededecologicalconnectivityacrossfragmentedlandscapes,lessenpercapitaenvironmentalfootprints,andnurtureclimate-resilientecosystems.1Importantly,citiescreateanopportunitytoconnecthumansandnaturetoanextentunprecedentedinmoderntimestosupporthumanhealthandwell-being,communityresilience,andsocialcohesion.Byimplementingregionalandglobalagreementsthroughavastarrayoftechnicalguidance,EuropeancitiesaresupportingbiodiversityatthebuildingscaleinarangeofThisreportexploresthesethreeprongsofsupportthroughanoverviewofinitiativesfromleadingglobalcitiesrelevanttobiodiversityatthebuildingscale,aswellasamorein-depthreviewofthecross-sectionofrelevantinitiativesineightEuropeancTheintentofthereportistocommunicateopportunitiesfortheintegrationofnatureandbiodiversityintothebuildingscale,throughthemeasuresimplementedwithintheindividualbuildingstructure.Thisscaleincludesgreenroofsandwalls,measurestosafegreflectivesurfaces,andspecialresourcessuchasnestingboxesandrefugeforpollinators.Theonthebuildingscaleisintendedtohighlightmeasuresthatincludelivingarchiandwalls),prioritisationofnativespecies,andwildlife-friendlybuildingapproaches.Thedocumentprovidescontextbyreviewingglobalagreementsandinitiativesthatsupportthesethemes,anddiscussesleadingexamplesfromglobalcitiesbeforeprovidingamorein-depthreviewoftherangeofinitiativesfromeightEuropeanmunicipalities.Interviewswithmunicipalauthorities’employeesfromthecasestudiesprovideinsightsthatareaprimarynewcontributiontothistopic.ThisreportisnotintendedtoconveyacompletelistofEuropeanorglobalbestpractices.Instead,itprovidesafocuseddiscussionofafewspecificEuropeancitiestoillustratetheopportunitiesandcomplexitiesrelatedtosupportingtheintegrationofnatureandbiodiversityinthebuiltenvironment.Fallacy:CitiesinTheirLandscape160,Availableat:/10.1093/biosci/biaa155(Accessed:23December2024).vCatalysingbiodiversityonbuildings:areviewofsupportinginitiativesinEuropeancitiesThedevelopmentofthisreportwasmadepossiblebyfundingfromHolcimLtd.TheprimaryauthorssupportofLoredanaScuto(IUCN).Representativesofsixlocalgovernmentssupportedthedevelopmentofthecasestudies,namelyNuriaBautistaCarrascosa(MunicipalityBelgium),SandraGu(MunicipalityofBarcelona,Spain),CarmenSe2Catalysingbiodiversityonbuildings:areviewofsupportinginitiativesinEuropeancitiesBringingmorenatureintocitiesoffenumerousbenefitsbothtohumansandbiodiversity,contributingtohumanhealthandwell-being,communityresilience,andsocialcohesion.Urbannaturecanalessenresidentsenvironmentalfootprints,helpurbanbiodiversitythrive,andnurtureclimate-resilientecosystems.Leadingcitiesarealreadywitnessingnature-positivechange,drivenpartlythroughanarrayofinnovativeregulations,incentives,andtechnicalguidancedevelopedbymunicipalgovernmentstoimprovethebiodiversitysupportedbyakeypartofcities:theirbuildings.ThisreportprovidesanoverviewofbiodiversityinitiativesfromeightleadingcitiesinEuropethatsupporttheenhancementofbiodiversitythroughthedesign,retrofitting,andmanagementofbuildings.Thecrisesofclimatechangeandglobalbiodiversitylossnecessitatethecreationofnewresilientandbiodiversignificantcontributorstothesecrises,thereisagrowingemphasisontheabilityofcitiestoprovidesolutions.Citieshostaremarkablelevelofbiodiversityandprovideuniqueecosystemsatarangeoeffortstosimplymakecitiesgreenerarenotenoughtoensureadequatebiodiversityandnaturesupport.Implementinginitiativesmustemphasisebiodiversity-friendlylandscapes,largeintacthabitatcores,andconnectivityacrossthebuiltenvironment.2Asrapidlyincreasingglobalpopulationcentres,citiesofferanopportunitytoconnecthumanswithnatureasanaspectofdailylifeaconnecthatresearchindicatescanhaveprofoundpositiveimpactsonhumanhealth,well-being,andsocialcohesion.3largestrooftopfarmwithFirestone’sUltraPlyTPO1.5mm-20,000m2greenroofinThailand?HolcimAlongwiththeseglobalenvironmentalcrises,citiesstrugglewithcriticalchallengesofaffordablehousingandtheequitabledistributionofbasicservices.Solutionstothesechallengesrequirethededicationofpreciousspaceandresources,whichcanappearatoddswiththeneedtocreateandconservenatureinurbanenCitiescanmeettheseseeminglyconflictingchallengesandprioritiesbybecomingbothdenserandgreener.4Withinhigh-densityareas,thebuildingscaleofferscriticalopportunitiestocreatenewgreenspacesatmultiplelevels,provideconnectivityacrosstheurbanlandscape,andengagepublicstakeholdersincollectivesolutions.Asdiscussedbelow,integratingnatureatthebuildingscaleisatargetofcomplementaryMakingNature’sCity.SFEIContributionNo.4McDonald,R.,etal.(2022).DensePeopleNatureandNature.5(13Catalysingbiodiversityonbuildings:areviewofsupportinginitiativesinEuropeancitiesSELECTIONANDMETHODOLOGYAprimaryfocusofthisreportistheanalysisofbiodiversityregulationsforbuildingssitebiodiversityregulations,standards,incentives,andmetricsthroughthelensofeightEucitycasestudies.AninitialsetofpotentialEuropeancitieswascross-referencedwithestablishedinitiativessuchasC40andthelistwasthenrefinedtoeightmunicipalities,focusingonthosethatprovidedasubstantialbodyofliteratureandresourcesaccessibleinoneofthelanguagesspokenbAcomprehensiveliteratursupplementedbyvirtual,semi-structuredinterviewswithtechnicalstafffromselectedmunicipalities.InterviewswereconductedwithrepresentativesfromBarcelona,SpaLondon,UnitedKingdom;Madrid,Spain;fromBrussels-CapitalRegionprovidedtheirfeedbackinwriting.Byexaminingtheseeightcities,thereportaimstohighlightthediversityofinitiativesthatareunderway,aswellaspotentialopportunitiestosupplementexistingmeasuresincurrentregulatoryframeworksandimplementationpracticesacrossmunicipalitiesthroughareviewofglobalbestpractices.Thereportexploreshowsomecitieshavesuccessfullynavigatedtheseobstacles,providingactionableinsightsintoeffectivepolicydevelopment,implementationstrategies,andthepotentialforprivateand/orprivate/publicinitiativesthatcaninformfuturesteps.1.3AUDIENCEFORTHISREPORTTheaudienceforthisreportincludesbothcityandmunicipalofficialsandregulators,aswellasprincipalindustrystakeholderssuchasarchitects,developers,andengineers.reportprovidespolicyexamplesforsupportingbuildingsitebiodiversitythatserveasacalltoactionfortheentiresector.Thereportisintendedforbothregulatedentitiesandregulatorsthatareshapingthefutureofsustainabledevelopment.Forindustryprofessionals,itshowcasestheemergingtrendsofincreasinglysophisticatedconceptualisationofsupportingbiodiversitythroughlivingarchitecture(enough”),ademandforeco-consciousdesign,andrecommendedinterventionstorespondtothesemarketneeds.Forcitiesandmunicipalities,thereportstressestheimportanceofcreatingandenforcingregulationsthatalignwithglobalsustainabilitygoals,alternativemethodsofstandardcreation,andtheroleofincentivesinfosteringcollaborationacrossallsectorstomeetevolvingenvironmentalstandards.?AlbertoCotogni-SECTIONCatalysingbiodiversityonbuildings:areviewofsupportinginitiativesinEuropeancities5Thisreportexaminesmeasuresimplementedwithintheindividualbuildingstructure.Thisscaleincludesgreenroofsandwalls,measurestosafeguardwildlifeagainsurfaces,andspecialresourcessuchasnestingboxesandrefugeforpollinators.Whilecriticalforurbanbiodiversity,thisreportdoesnotexaminemeasuresthatsupportgroundlevelnativelandscapingorconnectivityacrossbuildingsites.ARCHITECTURESTANDARDSAsoutlinedabove,thisreportfocusesspecificallyonmeasuresthatcitiesareusingtointegratecomponentofurbanbiodiversitysupportatthisscaleis‘livingarchitecture’,atermreferringtobothgreenroofsandfacades.Whileground-levelgreening,suchasparandurbanforests,isessebiodiversitybenefit,thisreportfocusesonbuilding-sitegreening,whichcancomplementground-basedhabitatsandcontributesubstantiallytourbanbiodiversity.Bydoingso,thereportaimstohighlighttheinnovativewaysinwhichbiodiversitycanbesupportedspaceislimited,throughthecreationofgreenroofsandwallsthatprovidediversehabitatsforlocalspecies.Intermsofbiodiversitybenefits,thereisacleardifgreenroofs(sedummaamoreintensiverooftophabitatcreatedwithmoreheterogeneoushabitatandreflectinghabitats.5Incorporationofnativeplantsalsocontributestoincreasedbiodiversitysupport6.Developersandmunicipalguidelinesacknowledgethebenefitsofcreatingbuildingurbanecologicalsystem,asteppingstoneandconnectiontospecificsurroundinghabitatstomaximisebiodiversitysupport.72.2INCENTIVESWhetherstandaloneorhand-in-handwithlegalregulationsornon-bindingpermittingconsiderations,financialanddriversinbringinglivingarchitecturetocities.Whilemandatesandguidelinescancriticalfoundationforgreenbuildingpractices,forwidespreadimplementation.Fundingmechanismssuchastax/costbreaksanddirectgrants/subsidiescanhelpchangethecalculusfordeveloperswhoareconsideringincorporatinglivingarchitecture.Whenincentivesaredirectlytiedtodevelopersgoingbeyondthelegalminimumrequiredforbiodiversitysupportatthebuildingscale(suchasonlyapplyingtoroofswithspecificsoildepthornativeplantspecies),theycanbothencouragealevelofsupportgreaterthancurrentpoliticalrealitiesallowtobemandatedandhelpcreateexemplarprojectsthatcanbeusedasprecedentsandcasestudies.Onewaytofacilitatesucheffortsisforcitiestoprovidetechnicalassistanceprogrammesthatprovideexpertguidanceandresourcestoensuretheseinitiativesarefeasibleandeffective.Byalfinancialandtechnicalsupportwithregulatoryframeworks,municipalitiescansignificantlyacceleratetheintegrationoflivingarchitecture,makingitmoreaccessibleandattractivetoboththepublicandprivatesectors.abundancethanexotics.BuildingandEnvironment,207:A.7Louis-Lucas,T.,etal.(graphsinthecityofParis,France.UrbanForestr6Catalysingbiodiversityonbuildings:areviewofsupportinginitiativesinEuropeancities2.3WILDLIFEFRIEND-LYBUILDINGS入Anothercriticaltopiccoveredinthisreportiswildlife-friendlybuildings.Asgreen入biodiversityareintegrintobuildings,thercorrespondingneedtominimisetherisksandthreatstowildlifeatthebuildingscale.Thefirstaspectaddressesboththeprotectionofbreedingbirdsandthegrowingissueofbirdstrikescausedbyglassbuildings.Whileseveralnationalgovernmenhavestrictbirdnestprotections,birdstrikesareadifferebodyofresearchdocumentsthedangersofglassfacadesandemphasisestheneedforbird-safeglazingsolutions,suchaspatternedortreatedglass,topreventcollisions.8Althoughhavealreadyincludeditasaconstheirpermittingprocessandtherearegrowingeffortstoenactlegalbird-strikeconsiderations.Anotherimportantaspectofwildlife-friendlybuildingsisprotectionstoreducethedetrimentaleffectsoflightandnoisepollutiononwildlife.Bothartificiallightingandhuman-madenoisecandisruptwildlifebehaviour,forceoutsensitivespecies,and,inthecaseoflightpollution,directlyleadtomortalitiesforbirds.9Policiescanrequirebuildingdesigandretrofits,reducedisruptiveartificiallighting,alterlightdirectionandcolour,andminimisenoise,allofwhichseverelyilocalecosystems.Theseapproachesnotonlyprotectwildlifebutalsocontributetohealthier,moreresilienturbanenvironmentsf2.4METRICS&TOOLSMetricsandtoolscanplayacriticalroleinfacilitatingtheadoptionofgreenbuildingpolicies.Metricsvarybothintermsoftheleveloftheirintegration(national,state,odeveloperswithspecific,quantifiablemeansofunderstandingeithertheirobligationsortheirpotentialbenefits,thesemetricsenableclearerpathwaysforcompliancewithsustainabilitystandardsandstrategies.Oneofthemostcommonmetricsisagreencompensationcalculation,whichassignsanenvironmentalvaluetoasiteandidentifiesthescaleandformofcompensationadevelopermustprovide.Alternatively,themetricmaybeacalculatofnewlycreatedgreenspaceweighedbyenvironmentalvalueforthepurposesofpermitconsideration.Tofacilitatetheusabilityandunderstandingofthesemetrics,municipalitiescancreatetoolsthatallowdeveloperstoeasilycalculatetheassessedvaluederivedfrominterventionssuchasenergysavings,carbonreductions,stormwatermanagementimprovements,orbiodiversitygains.Additionally,thesetoolscanhelpdevelopersestimatepotentialfinancialsavings,includingoperationalcostreductionsandeligibilityforincentives,whichmakegreenbuildingpracticesmoreappealingfromaneconomicstandpoint.Bystreamliningaccesstothesemetricsandtools,municipalitiescanfosteramoredata-drivenandtransparentapproachtosustainableurbandevelopment,supportingbothpolicyenforcementandofEuropeancitiesarecorrelatedwithtbirdcollisionsinanurbancenter.ProcNatlAcadSciUSA.11Catalysingbiodiversityonbuildings:areviewofsupportinginitiativesinEuropeancities8Thisreportexaminesmeasuresimplementedwithintheindividualbuildingstructure.Thisscaleincludesgreenroofsandwalls,measurestosafeguardwildlifeagainsurfaces,andspecialresourcessuchasnestingboxesandrefugeforpollinators.Whilecriticalforurbanbiodiversity,thisreportdoesnotexaminemeasuresthatsupportgroundlevelnativelandscapingorconnectivityacrossbuildingsites.BIODIVERSITYFRAMEWORKTheadoptionoftheKunming-MontrealGloballandmarkmomentforaglobalcommitmenttocountergrowingbiodiversitydeclines.FormallyadoptedbytheEU,theUnitedKingdom,andSwitzerland,theGBFincludesaspecifictargetrangeofpositiveeffectsthatnatureincitiescanprovideforhumanhealthandwell-beingwhileprovidingcriticalspecifichabitatandecologicalconnectivity.10Thetargetincludesaspecificfocusonbiodiversity-inclusivebuiltlandscapes.Thetarget’sgoalofmainstreamingbiodiversityconservationandsustainableusewithincitiesnecessitatestheadoptionofimplementingpoliciesandpracticesatavarietyofscalesandbyarangeofstakeholdFreeFreeWaldorfSchool,GermanybuiltwithFirestoneRubberGardEPDMinGermany.?MonoArchitekten/GregorSchmidtTarget12-EnhanceGreenSpacesandUrbanPlanningforHumanWell-BeingandBiodiversity:Significantlyincreasetheareaandqualityandconnectivityof,accessto,andbenefitsfromgreenandbluespacesinurbananddenselypopulatedareassustainably,bymainstreamingtheconservationandsustainableuseofbiodiversity,andensurebiodiversity-inclusiveurbanplanning,enhancingnativebiodiversity,ecologicalconnectivityandintegrity,andimprovinghumanhealthandwell-beingandconnectiontonatureandcontributingtoinclusiveandsustainableurbanisationandtheprovisionofecosystemfunctionsandservices.10ConventiononBiologicalDiversity(2022).Kunmin11SeealsoGreenBuildingCouncilAustralia(2024).Anatureroadmapforthebuiltenvironment:Disc(discussingexpectedimpactthatGBFtargetswillhaveonthebuiltenvironment).9Catalysingbiodiversityonbuildings:areviewofsupportinginitiativesinEuropeancities3.2EUROPEANUNIONNATURERESTORATIONLAWaregionalpriorityfortherecoveryofbiodivespecificallyrespondingtoandimplementingthecommitmentsoftheConventiononimportantcomponentoftheNRL.Article8addressestherestorationofurbanecosystemsFrom1From1January2031,MemberStatesshallachieveanincreasingtrendinthetotalnationalareaofurbangreenspace,includingthroughtheintegrationofurbangreenspaceintobuildingsandinfrastructure,inurbanecosystemareas,determinedinaccordancewithArticle14(4),measuredeverysixyearsfrom1January2031,untilasatisfactorylevelassetinaccordancewithArticle14(5)isreached.13loss’ofurbangreenspace.14Giventhattheresettings,greeningatthebuildingscalemaybeincreasedgreenspace.Thelawspecificallsforthecreationofgreenroofsandwallsaselementstoprovideforbothbiodiversityandclimateadaptation.15ToplanforcompliancewiththenoneturbangreenspacerequirementofArticle8,theofnationalrestorationplansbySeptember2026anddevelopaguidingframeworkby2030.16ContinuingimplementationandcompliancebyMemberStateswillbeverifiedbymonitoring.17GAINsignificantdiscourseandreviewaroundtheworldintoitspotentialapplicationasageneralisablebiodiversitypolicy.Thispolicymandatesthatnewdevelopmentsarerequiredcalculatedusingstandardisedmetrics.Inotherwords,thedevelopmentandcompensationbetter-qualitynaturalhabitatthanbeforethedevelopment.TheDepartmin-depthguidancestatutorybiodiversitymetrictoolsandguidesallowsdeveloperstocompile?Teamjackson-iStoCatalysingbiodiversityonbuildings:areviewofsupportinginitiativesinEuropeancitiesalltypesofterrestrialhabitatandwatercourses,andascribesavaluetothehabitatbasedonitssize,condition,strategicsignificance,andtype.Ifanimpactedhhowever,itdoesnotnecessitatecompensationThe10%netgaintake.theprojectedbiodiversityvalueoftheonsitehabitatatthetimethedevelopmentiscompleted(“thepostdevelopmentbiodiversityvalueoftheonsitehabitat”);.thebiodiversityvalueinrelationtothedevelopmentofanyregisteredoffsitebiodiversitygainallocatedtothedevelopment;and.thebiodiversityvalueofanybiodiversitycreditspurchasedforthedevelopment.aprioritylistinorderofenhancemeexistingonsitehabitats,creationofnewonsitehabitats,allocationofregisteredoffsitegains,andpurchaseofbiodiversitycredits.Offsitehabitatcreationsandenhancements,aswellassignificantonsitehabitats,mustbelegallysecuredfor30years.18spaceduringdevelopmentandcompensationNevertheless,certaincaveespeciallyintheurbancontext.Asitonlymeasures‘netgain’incomparisontotheexistingbaseline,theabsoluteamountofbiodiversitygainmaybesmallwithindensethereisapotentialconflictbetweentheprioritiesofmaximisingnationalbiodiversitysupportandthecreationofhabitaton-site.Inmanycases,localplanningauthoacceptoffsitebiodiversitygaininplaceofhabitatcreationonsitewithinadensecity.?Lynde-Catalysingbiodiversityonbuildings:areviewofsupportinginitiativesinEuropeancities3.4IUCNURBANNATUREINDEXESenablesmunicipalitiesandstakeholderstocomprehensivelyassessandunderstandcities’impactsonnature,setscience-basedtargetsforimprovement,andmonitorprogress.AdistinguishingfeatureoftheUNIisiscopeandlinkagestoglobalandregionalmeasure