A landscaping manufacturer has imagined how some of the UK’s most iconic built environments could look if they were transformed into eco-friendly cities.
As the world becomes more urbanised, with cities and towns growing at an exponential rate, nature is being pushed to its limits. With this in mind, Marshalls developed a project to ask how much emphasis should be put on incorporating ideas of biophilic design to adopt more urban greenery.
The firm asked 2,000 British residents for their opinion, with 56 per cent of respondents claiming they would always consider the environmental impact of a property when looking for a new home, whilst a further 12 per cent revealed they would not even consider a property that didn’t have some level of environmentally friendly features.
A majority of Brits also believe that business owners and homeowners should foot the bill to ensure eco-friendly cities are delivered through features such as vertical forests, biomimicry and roof gardens.
Many of the UK’s cities and towns have already pledged to implement a more urban forest atmosphere.
If this concept was fully embraced, Marshalls imagined London would be transformed with trees and shrubs growing on the facades of buildings to help capture carbon dioxide from busy traffic.
With the potential to be known as a ‘forest city’, the improvement to Glasgow’s overall look would be striking. With an array of walkways, bridges and paths filled with trees and shrubbery, Glaswegians could expect to feel immersed in nature from the moment they leave home, to the moment they return from work.
Meanwhile, Birmingham would become the new ‘capital of vertical forests’ with towers of greenery, while the spiral buildings of Leeds – designed to mimic forms of nature – would be decorated with plants and trees to improve the overall well-being and health of residents and visitors.
Chris Harrop, director of sustainability and marketing at Marshalls, said: “It is encouraging to see so many people prioritising eco-friendly features in the decision-making process when looking for a new property.
“It can sometimes be a daunting experience to include additional features into a project, however, the study shows that there is a clear desire in the market to see more properties embrace these features.
“The industry is already embracing this trend and we have seen strong growth in environmental and ethical products such as low-carbon, permeable paving and high ethical standards.”
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