Sarah Gunawan, University of Waterloo, School of Architecture, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

Material Eco/Systems: Prototypes for Ecologically Enmeshed Material Assemblies in Suburban Construction

Despite efforts at all levels of government to curb unsustainable sprawl, the peripheral suburbs of Ontario’s major cities are growing faster than anywhere else in Canada. These suburbs are typically constructed with inexpensive methods and materials, resulting in an abundance of low-quality, short lifespan housing stock. The inevitable degradation of suburban materials creates a porous building envelope that allows microorganisms, vegetation and animals to occupy the periphery of single-family houses. Moisture leaks into basements enabling mold growth, plants colonize cluttered rain gutters blocking drainage, and raccoons access warm attics through deteriorating asphalt shingles. Suburban homeowners perceive this process negatively because it puts downward pressure on their property value. But what if the degradation and transformation of suburban building materials could be designed to create value for both humans and ecological systems across scales?

Sustainability has become a core principle of architecture and construction in North America. Winners of the Holcim Awards for Sustainable Construction presented in Chicago show how the leading edge of sustainable design means reaching far beyond “common sense”. Their approaches use proven instruments that are cleverly applied to improve the quality of life. So the world builds better.

Entitled “synanthropic suburbia”, the project explores potential architectural habitats for wildlife of various kinds that live near and benefit from human habitation – thus the use of the term synanthropic, meaning living in symbiotic relation with human beings. Based on a meticulous analysis of suburban neighborhoods in the province of Ontario and the city of Markham in particular, the project’s author proposes a set of small interventions for animal residents normally neglected in any design or planning process – in this case, raccoons, chimney swifts, tree swallows, blue birds, barn owls, and brown bats, all native species to the region.

Beyond sustainability - enhancing ecology through architectural intervention

Suburbanization throughout Ontario has transformed vibrant agrarian and natural ecosystems into homogeneous suburban landscapes incapable of supporting a diversity of wildlife. The objective of Synanthropic Suburbia is to retrofit existing suburban neighborhoods into viable animal habitats. The project seeks to be move beyond sustainability, towards an architecture that actively improves its local ecosystem. Through the strategic addition of ecological prosthetics, the project offsets the negative impacts of suburban development and encourages homeowner engagement with local ecosystems. Each prosthetic is carefully detailed to limit its environmental impact and accommodate the biological needs of select animal species to create resilient architectural and environmental conditions.