AT THE INTERSECTION OF HUMAN AND NON-HUMAN
by Benediktas Kuoras

Master Dissertation 2021/2022 “Constructing Ecosystems” Faculty of Architecture Sint-Lucas Brussels Campus, KU Leuven Prof. Dr. Jan Wurm”

AT THE INTERSECTION OF HUMAN AND NON-HUMAN
by Benediktas Kuoras

As climate is shifting and the relation between human and nature is deteriorating, we start looking towards a new way of governance, governance of sustainability and of prosperity. The project aims to understand the non-human world by accommodating the three stakeholders, parliament, public and nature into the decision-making building.

The European Quarter lacks variety in activities presenting mainly offices or residential housing. The Parliament building is closed off and elevated. It is illustrating a superior colonial figure with its vaulted botanical green house and the use of harsh materials such as aluminum and mirror glass representing a castle-like barrier. The Parliament of Nature, as a public building, is to be used as a test field of new bio-based materials to be used; new interactions to be born, to set a role model for civil society.

The building changes its aspect from fortress to sponge attracting non-human life to settle in. Different ecosystems emerge at different levels: the ground floor opens up to small park animals; at higher levels we can find an abundance of birds and insects going up to the green roof. They all unite in “the Forest”, the uniting element of the project, non-conditioned to human comfort levels, where animals, humans and MEP interact. The atrium, molded like a cave, optimizes the sun exposure for plants. Nature sets deep in the project to ensure its place in the decision-making. The open ground floor creates a new entrance to Leopold Park expanding it and introducing recreational, educational activities to the neighborhood. The Parliament of Nature is connected to the ground floor by a spiral ramp which allows the public and the politicians to reflect on the impact of nature in this promenade.

The building provides continuous expression of the three stakeholders next to each other and together. As the citizen hike up the public path until the roof, the building offers transparency and connectivity in places of interaction. Nature ensures its continuity by soil channels that are attached through the project. Three types of soil are presented: intensive, semi-intensive and extensive planting soil. For example, in the Forest, soils are distinguished between intensive for trees, semi-intensive for shrubs and extensive soil for grass and herbs that can be walked on. Vegetation in the project is alimented by trickling down collected rainwater with larger amounts contained in upper floors created a buffer for periods without water. When faced in front of an indoor-outdoor barrier, the project breaks the tradition of keeping greenery outside and invites it on the inside through the implementation of semi-intensive or extensive soil.

The Parliament represents durability, sustainability and inclusion on social, political, environmental and architectural level. The European Parliament of Nature also advocates the enhancement of environmental conditions in the built environment. The existing envelope is removed and replaced by facade elements made of hemp fibers that benefit the building with better thermal and sound insulation. Impregnated hemp ropes wrapped on a prefabricated frame provide a soft, negotiated transition between the inside and the outside, humans and non-humans.