Embracing open-endedness in urban design
February 8th 2024 - Ecological thought #4- by Louise Raclet
At Urban Reef, we create open-ended designs, known as reefs, that foster spontaneous processes and support a diversity of life in urban environments. But what does "open-ended" urban design entail?
From open systems to open cities
Open systems are marked by spontaneous and continuous evolution due to the interplay between human and nonhuman agents. They are ubiquitous, found in both human social systems and the natural world. An example is the ecosystem, which constantly produces new proteins, ways of living, and morphologies. These spontaneous innovations support reproductive processes and enable organisms to adapt to new environments through coevolution. Sociotechnical systems exhibit open-ended characteristics as well. The relentless pace of rapid technological innovation makes future predictions challenging. Regardless of being human or non-human, the increasing complexity of open systems drives their evolution in unforeseen and uncontrollable ways. However, in contemporary cities, where the material, human, and living realms converge, new kinds of open systems are emerging at the intersection of the city's physical form—the built—and social behaviours—the lived.
The concept of the "open city," initially introduced by the renowned urbanist Jane Jacobs and later revisited by Sociology Professor Richard Sennett, describes a city that grows organically. In such cities, hard infrastructures are constructed "incomplete" and with simple materials to allow for future adaptations. Spatially, the open city features permeable borders, encouraging high interaction levels among organisms or individuals due to the mix of different species or physical conditions. As Sennett (2018) explains, static forms give way to new material conditions that enrich people's collective life experience. From these conditions emerge unexpected interactions, along with opportunities for discovery and innovation. In contrast to conventional planners who aim to predict all outcomes by designing over-determined, controlled, closed systems, open-city planners favour non-linear sequences (Sennett, 2018). At Urban Reef, we champion the open city. We aim to create space for spontaneity through our open-ended designs, striving for more inclusive and multi-species urban landscapes. We integrate the open-endedness characteristic of natural systems into our design philosophy. From the production process to our products' intrinsic nature, open-endedness permeates every stage of our design practice, resulting in a co-production between human and more-than-human entities.
A more-than-human take on co-creation
Chinese American anthropologist Anna Tsing's definition of landscape illustrates the connection between open-endedness and design. Tsing views the landscape as "the sediment of human and nonhuman activities, biotic and abiotic, both meaningful and constructed without intent," and "open to emerging forms and possibilities" (Tsing, 2019:21). Here, physical processes and living beings are seen as co-designers of our shared habitat, the city. While Jacobs's and Sennett's views prioritise co-creation as the foundation of an open city, their perspective remains largely anthropocentric, focusing on inclusive participation in civic life and urban space shaping, known as democratic placemaking. However, at Urban Reef, we wish to expand the concept of the open city to include the more-than-human realm. We advocate for inclusive placemaking that recognises physical processes and living beings as active co-creators of our cities, acknowledging their agency. Urban spaces are co-constructed, with natural and physical processes having their own intentionality in city shaping, which should be viewed as a multispecies habitat.
Open design in practice
What if urban constructions could grow, adapt, and eventually decay? These are the qualities our design practice embodies. Once implemented in an urban setting, the reefs undergo growth and organic sedimentation. Throughout their lifecycle, the reefs evolve and bear marks reflective of their environment. Mosses may grow, species may find shelter, and the reefs may decay or crack due to weather variations. By utilising living materials and nature-based algorithms for our designs, we relinquish some of our agency as designers to spontaneous processes. We translate natural phenomena like coral growth, crystallisation, and lightning into algorithms that dictate our Reefs' complex patterns and textures. As bio-designers working with responsive living materials (like mycelium), we embrace open-endedness in the design process. Far from retaining complete control over our reefs' production, morphology, and utility, we value and draw inspiration from the expressions and agency of living materials and spontaneous natural processes. Our design practice is an open-ended co-production of urban physical space, recognising the role and agency of the more-than-human in shaping our multispecies urban habitat.
🌱 The Urban Reef Team
References and inspirations:
Camere, S., & Karana, E. (2018). Fabricating materials from living organisms: An emerging design practice. Journal of Cleaner Production, 186(2018), 570-584
Karana, E., Barati, B., & Giaccardi, E. (2020). Living Artefacts: Conceptualizing Livingness as a Material Quality in Everyday Artefacts. International Journal of Design, 14(3), 37-53.
Oskam, Pierre. (2021). Beyond Control: Strategies Towards Design Agency in the Anthropocene.
Sennett, R.. (2018). Building and Dwelling: Ethics for the City. Yale University Press.
Tsing, A., L. (2019) When the Things We Study Respond to Each Other: Tools for Unpacking “the Material”. In: Hilton, S. & Bade, J. (2022) More-than-Human (pp. 16-17). Rotterdam: Het Nieuwe Instituut.
Urban Reef welcomes a new design! The adaptable Facade Reef System by intern Timo ten Berge
January 30th 2024 - Sprouting News #3- by Louise Raclet
We are proud to introduce a new reef design from our intern, Timo ten Berge, a promising young engineer who recently completed his studies in Industrial Product Design at the Hogeschool Rotterdam, The Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences. Timo's exceptional creative prowess and ingenuity shone brightly during his five-month internship, culminating in the innovative design of the Facade Reef system.
This system is ingeniously designed to attach to building facades, representing a pioneering approach to integrating nature with urban architecture. Highly adaptable, it caters to the specific sustainability certification needs of various target groups. Its ability to withstand a diverse array of environmental conditions, such as varying wind directions, sunlight exposure, heavy rainfall, and erosion, makes it incredibly resilient.
One of the most remarkable features of the Facade Reef is its user-friendly design, which simplifies assembly and eliminates the need for complex installation processes. This multi-component structure not only fosters a variety of microclimates and habitats but also significantly contributes to ecological preservation and biodiversity in urban settings. Beyond its ecological benefits, the Facade Reef adds distinct aesthetic value to building facades by incorporating various shapes, textures, and patterns, thereby enhancing the visual appeal of urban landscapes.
Once again, we extend a big thank you to Timo for this remarkable innovation. As we are looking forward to more creative projects from our interns, we are excited about the potential of such initiatives in shaping sustainable urban environments.
🌱 The Urban Reef Team
Revolutionising Reef Monitoring with our new integrated sensor system
January 17th 2024 - Sprouting News #2 - by Louise Raclet
We are thrilled to announce a groundbreaking addition to Urban Reef – our new sensor system developed in collaboration with a dynamic team of students. Partnering with talented individuals from the Rotterdam Academy, Techniek College Rotterdam, and Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences, our project has reached a successful conclusion. Over the course of a semester, from September to December 2024, students visited our office weekly to discuss the project's evolution. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the team once again for their dedicated efforts and innovative approach!
Max, founder of Urban Reef, expressed pride in the system's success from a technological perspective. He highlighted the sensors high resilience, being weather-resistant and UV-proof. Moreover, the sensor system boasts an impressive battery life, requiring only one charge every 11 years. Max emphasised the enriching cross-disciplinary exchange that occurred during the project, bringing valuable insights from different fields.
Once deployed on the reefs, these sensors will revolutionise Urban our monitoring capabilities, providing precise data on the reefs' impact on the surrounding environment at 30-minute intervals. This marks a significant upgrade from our previous manual monitoring methods. The sensors will systematically measure the reefs temperature and humidity, enabling us to track their evolving microclimates and upgrade our future designs. The first sensor systems are set to be deployed by the end of February in an exciting upcoming pilot project.
Looking ahead, our team aims for more transdisciplinary collaborations as we envision expanding the sensor types to include measurements such as light intensity or air quality (oxygen, nitrogen, CO2 levels).
Stay tuned to witness our innovative sensor system in action!
🌱 The Urban Reef Team
Our bio-inspired design approach, why it is not biomimicry
December 14th 2023 - An Ecological Thoughts #3 - by Louise Raclet
Urban Reef adopts a unique bio-inspired design approach, distinguishing itself from biomimicry. While biomimetic and bioinspired designs share the common goal of emulating properties found in biological organisms or natural systems, they constitute distinct design approaches.
In general terms, biomimicry refers to the design process that addresses complex human problems by imitating natural processes, utilising organic shapes and methods to achieve desired functions. However, the pursuit of 'natural aesthetics' in biomimicry may sometimes compromise the object's pragmatic use, leading to what Urban Reef founder Max refers to as the function-aesthetic disconnect.
In contrast, at Urban Reef, we value the bio-inspired design approach. Instead of merely copying shapes and functions from nature to fulfil human needs, our approach embraces unpredictability. This open-endedness is reflected in both the shapes and functions of our prototypes. Following a bottom-up approach, we abstract natural processes into algorithms, informing our prints and creating structures and dynamics with a level of complexity beyond human understanding.
The natural processes that inspire us the most include Diffusion Limited Aggregation, a fascinating natural process evident in phenomena such as certain coral growth, crystallisation, and lightning. Other processes, such as reaction-diffusion, differential growth, and Cellular Potts Model, also contribute to our design inspiration. Once translated into algorithms, these natural phenomena dictate the complex patterns and textures of our Reefs.
During Reef implementation, we take an experimental approach, testing how our design attunes to the local ecosystem. In contrast with most urban infrastructures, we have observed that our prototypes organically align with the needs of local flora and fauna, thus restoring the balance between aesthetics and functionality in a more-than-human way.
In summary, our reefs are not printed replicas from nature; they are designed by natural processes. The incorporation of natural processes in our design allows for the creation of emergent geometries with highly intricate shapes and functions that may surpass human expectations.
🌱 The Urban Reef Team
Revitalising Urban Ecosystems: The Sparrow Reef Project
December 4th 2023 - Behind the Reefs #4 - by Louise Raclet
Did you know that the house sparrow, once the Netherlands' most iconic bird, has been on the Red List for Dutch breeding birds since 2004? With a staggering 50-80% reduction since the late '90s, particularly in bustling cities, their population, although showing signs of recovery, remains fragile. Some contributing factors include decreasing insect populations and the construction of new buildings lacking nesting opportunities.
To address this ecological challenge, Urban Reef initiated the Sparrow Reef project in 2021, partnering with The Green Village, NestWacht, and experts from the Bird Conservancy and Ecocampus TU Delft. Our mission was to reimagine urban design by seamlessly incorporating sparrow breeding spaces into the new housing development at TU Delft Campus. The choice of Delft was strategic, as the site may become a potential habitat zone and a green corridor linking shrinking sparrow populations in The Hague, Leiden, and Rotterdam.
Following an intensive design phase, we brought our vision to life – twelve Sparrow Reefs, meticulously 3D-printed and installed at the Green Village in April 2023. Monthly monitoring visits revealed the success of the Reefs in attracting and providing nesting opportunities for house sparrows. As we conclude the monitoring phase, our next ambitious step is to scale up the Sparrow Reef project, extending its impact to other cities and towns. The success of the Sparrow Reef project isn't just about creating effective habitats for sparrows; it's a testament to the power of collaboration between diverse experts. This innovative model, blending designers, ecologists, and more, will continue to inspire our future projects as we strive for the harmonious coexistence between urban development and natural ecosystems.
Stay tuned for more insights into our ongoing pilot projects!
🌱 The Urban Reef Team
Celebrating Bio-Innovation: Urban Reef's success at BK-Launch Entrepreneurship Awards 2023!
November 11th 2023 - Sprouting News #1 - by Louise Raclet
We are excited to announce a great achievement with you! On October 16th, at the prestigious BK-Launch Entrepreneurship Awards 2023, Urban Reef was honoured with a grant of €15,000, marking the culmination of our two-years relentless efforts to foster bio-inclusive urban landscapes.
BK-Launch is the platform for innovation and encouragement of entrepreneurship in the faculty of Architecture & the Built Environment at Delft University of Technology, where Pierre is actively involved as a research affiliate.
The jury acknowledged the significance of our Reefs as solutions to boost urban biodiversity and address climate change in cities. Being awarded the R&D support prize funded by Capriole Investments means a lot more than financial support. It means we will also get direct consulting and project support from the partner organisations, CBRE, 4TU. Federation, Brink, Smits Vastgoedzorg, Lighthouse Club, De Bouwcampus en Oosterhoff!
We are sincerely grateful for the support we've received! It's a clear testament to the increasing recognition of the importance of bio-inclusive urban design, inspiring us to expand our efforts and scale up pilot projects in diverse settings. This journey is one you can join too! If you have ideas for pilots or are interested in collaborating with Urban Reef, please feel free to reach out. Together, let's cultivate bio-inclusive urban spaces and embark on a journey of sustainable transformation. 🌱
Stay tuned for more updates on our adventurous path ahead!
🌱 The Urban Reef Team
Urban Reef and academia: Blossoming through Interdisciplinary Innovation
November 14th 2023 - Behind the Reefs #3 - by Louise Raclet
At Urban Reef, the fusion of education and culture propels us toward the cutting edge of innovation! Our commitment to educational and cultural integration is not just a practice but the very heartbeat of our endeavours. Picture this: a diverse team of passionate interns, like Iris, Louise, Daan, and Timo, infusing their unique skills into the tapestry of our interdisciplinary efforts. They are not just interns; they are catalysts for change, driving the development of bio-inclusive cityscapes.
Meet Our Interns: Catalysts for Change
Iris, specialised in Product Design Engineering, immerses herself in the fascinating realm of bio-receptivity research for clay production. Her experiments with new recipes, inspired by extensive literature research, are shaping the future of Urban Reef. Timo, also from the realm of Industrial Product Design Engineering, crafts an ornamental reef as part of his graduation project, aiming to add an ecological value to building facades. Daan, with a background in Creative Media and Game Technologies, focuses on the digital realm, developing a web application which stores data from the reefs but also acts as a seamless interface for data users. Imagine AI-driven automation capturing biodiversity on the reefs through systematic picture-taking - a ground-breaking approach that Daan envisions to facilitate reef measurement. Louise, a sustainability and urban development graduate, works on the internal sustainability strategy of Urban Reef. Pilot project proposals, media content, and the blog you're reading are among the projects in which she has had valuable input.
Dynamic Team Synergy
But it's not just about individual ambitions; it's the dynamic synergy within our team which makes Urban Reef’s working environment so inspiring. The interns, bound by a common passion, exchange insights, creating a vibrant tapestry of cross-disciplinary perspectives. As stressed by Iris and Daan, the space and trust given by Max and Pierre empower interns to explore uncharted territories, striking the perfect balance between freedom and guidance. Daan reflects on his journey, noting the stimulating nature of his work at Urban Reef: "I am figuring out for myself what needs to be done, and how I can facilitate the measuring process for the end user. I find that stimulating as I am not tied down to a lot of protocols," he shares.
Beyond internships, Urban Reef’s collaboration with educational institutions extends to exciting ventures. Business Development students from Eurocollege, a private business school in Rotterdam, are delving into Urban Reef's business-to-consumer model as part of their coursework. Meanwhile, a group of hybrid learning students from Hogeschool and Rotterdamsche Droogdok Maatschappij (RDM) is designing the physical application of Daan's data-user interface. More specifically, they will be developing the sensors and the microcontroller to be installed on the reefs, which will automatically collect the data and send it to the database.
Symbiosis
Ultimately, the collaboration between Max, Pierre and students is a win-win situation. Students gain practical experience and contribute to meaningful projects, while the Urban Reef adventure continues to grow from the innovative ideas that students bring to the table. In essence, Urban Reef is not just a project; it is a living, breathing ecosystem of creativity and collaboration. Join us as we continue to strive for bio-inclusivity in cities, driven by the energy and enthusiasm of our exceptional team.
🌱 The Urban Reef Team
A More-Than-Human Approach
November 6th 2023 - Ecological Thoughts #2 - by Louise Raclet & Pierre Oskam
Urban Reef's approach embraces the more-than-human paradigm, recognising the inherent value and agency of all life forms and entities in the design process.
What Does This Mean?
We're creating urban spaces where nature isn't just a passive element but an active designer. This perspective sees humans as part of a larger, interconnected web of life, entwined with other organisms, technologies, and natural processes.
Our Practice in Action
Reefs exemplify this philosophy. They're designed to interact with both living (biotic) and non-living (abiotic) elements - algae, mosses, birds, insects, sunlight, wind, and rain. The design incorporates natural algorithms like fractals, and they're 3D-printed with organic materials. This process welcomes unpredictability and adapts to the intelligence of the more-than-human world.
Beyond Traditional Functions
Consider a typical urban feature like a downspout. In a conventional setting, its role is functional - to channel water away from buildings. However, our Rain Reefs transform these downspouts. They retain moisture, supporting mosses and microorganisms, thereby serving multiple life forms beyond their original purpose.
Our Vision
This approach represents a shift from viewing the planet as an object to seeing it as an interconnected system. Our reefs are not just objects; they're living, evolving systems that embody a design philosophy that goes beyond human-centric thinking, fostering a more inclusive engagement with the world.
References & Inspirations
Our work is informed by thinkers like Donna Haraway, Eduardo Kohn, Anna Tsing, and Ron Wakkary, whose insights into multispecies environmental justice, anthropology, and design challenge us to think and design differently for a more-than-human world.
🌱 The Urban Reef Team
Measuring Rain Reefs
October 24th 2023 -Behind the Reefs #2- Urban Reef Team
An Update
Since 2021, our Rain Reefs have been a subtle yet impactful addition to BlueCity. Rain Reefs are 3D-printed, bio-based structures, currently installed alongside the building, are almost invisible to the casual observer. They channel water from downspouts to sustain a variety of life forms - mosses, mushrooms, insects, and more.
Rain Reefs
Rain Reefs do more than just divert water from sewers. They create a unique microclimate, cooling the air and boosting biodiversity. Our team checks them weekly, monitoring their temperature, humidity, and the diverse organisms they attract. These observations confirm their role in developing distinct ecosystems.
Join Us in Exploring and Sharing
Next time you stroll along Maasboulevard, take a moment to appreciate these living habitats. If you spot any unique plants, insects, or other organisms on the reefs, snap a photo and send it our way. We'd love to include your finds in our catalog of Rain Reef residents.
Together, let's celebrate and contribute to the growing life at our Rain Reefs!
🌱 The Urban Reef Team
Visit us at Dutch Design Week!
October 13th 2023 -Behind the Reefs #1- Urban Reef Team
We are thrilled to be participating in Dutch Design Week 2023! From October 21st to 29th, we will be showcasing our reefs in three different locations: Klokgebouw, the Ketelhuisplein, and the Central Station. The models range from miniature to larger models, specially printed for this occasion. At the start of the month, we focused on refining our clay mixture, and last week, we commenced the printing process.
Looking forward to meeting some of you at the event and follow us on our social media channels for a firsthand look at our activities during the Design Week!
🌱 The Urban Reef Team
Embracing Bio-inclusive design
October 6th 2023 - Ecological Thoughts #1 - by Louise Raclet & Pierre Oskam
At Urban Reef, we're not just reimagining design; we're also rethinking the language we use to describe our relationship with the world. Today, let's explore a key term in our philosophy: "bio-inclusive design."
Why "Bio-Inclusive" Instead of "Nature-Inclusive"?
The term "nature-inclusive" often conjures images of a world apart from human civilization – untouched forests, sprawling oceans, and majestic mountains. This creates a false dichotomy, positioning humans as separate or dominant over nature.
But as thinkers like Latour and Timothy Morton suggest, there's no clear divide between humans and nature. The concept of "bio-inclusive" recognizes this interconnectedness. "Bio", derived from the Greek word for life, encompasses all living beings – plants, animals, microorganisms, and humans.
Our Approach to Bio-Inclusive Design
In our work, "bio-inclusive" goes beyond just adding greenery or sustainable materials. It's a holistic view that sees humans as part of a larger web of life. Our designs aim to benefit not just humans but all inhabitants of urban spaces – from birds on building ledges to plants reaching for sunlight, and all the diverse life forms in our cities.
Stay tuned for more insights from the Urban Reef Team as we continue to explore and implement bio-inclusive design in our projects.
🌱 The Urban Reef Team
Introducing the Urban Reef Blog
October 4th 2023 - Urban Reef Team
We are pleased to announce the launch of the official Urban Reef blog! A quick guide:
Sprouting News
Updates on ongoing projects, completed works, and our event participations.
Behind the Reefs
Insights into our daily routines, from clay-making and reef measurements to exhibition prep.
Ecological Thoughts
Key concepts, quotes, and ideas shaping our design approach.
Q&A's
Answers to questions you've send us.
🌱 The Urban Reef Team
