The Biophyllic Disaster - Landscape Design

While designing a landscape for design or even buying a plant for your house, apart from the looks and maintenance of it, has its origin ever crossed your thoughts? What if we tell you that its natural habitat has a big role in how the ecosystem balances itself?

What now!? We use pots of ceramic or porcelain, water them finely, and even grow them inside the houses now, apart from the lavish gardens and plantations!

Well then, it is time to get out of the bubble from the 1950s, where ecological stability was never in question and plants in your garden were more of a luxury than a necessity, says the Absurd architect.

A woman working amidst a comfortable environment of plants.

But of course, we would never say planting trees is bad, would we? 

Would we?

Here's another story. In Bangalore, you'd have seen a lot of eucalyptus trees. With its peeling layers of bark like snakeskin and shining inside, its smooth-surfaced timber. Well At a point in time, the government had even planned on cutting off these eucalyptus trees because they were sucking the life out of the city's landscape. The trees needed so much water that the Britishers who had planted it for its amazing utilities hadn't thought of the sustainability of the land.

Well, think of it this way, are watering plants good? Yes. 

Would you immerse the pot inside a waterbucket so that it's better? Not so. 

An exotic species of a potted plant displays itself like an exhibit.

Just like that, planting alien fauna in your courtyard which looks aesthetic might not be the best way to go about things. 

A land has its endemic species, of plants and animals, and that is how the world works. The ecological advantages of native plant landscape design are substantial. Native plants are pivotal in preserving local genetic diversity and offering support for wildlife. They provide the necessary habitat for numerous pollinators, birds, and insects, which have adapted to coexist with these specific plants. These relationships are crucial for the pollination of crops and the health of local ecosystems.

Akira Miya-Wake-Up! Landscape redesign!

The Akira Miyawaki Method of Urban afforestation

A system of afforestation, even in the smallest of scales (it can even be done in a 3sq m area). The Miyawaki method mirrors the natural reforestation process in the absence of human intervention, exclusively welcoming native species suited to the region's climatic conditions. These indigenous plants, honed by millennia of adaptation to their surroundings, not only restore biodiversity and natural landscape but also cultivate environments primed for resilience in the face of climate change.

Central to this approach is the conscious interaction of plant species as observed in natural forests. Diverse trees, tightly knit, thrive in this densely orchestrated symphony, where competition for light propels rapid vertical growth, emulating the organic balance of untouched ecosystems.

TheabsurdArchitect has a landscape of opinions.

To those who sow now, the ones who follow will reap - TheabsurdArchitect

Indeed, as we reflect on our gardening practices and landscape designs, let us embrace methodologies that honor the wisdom of nature, fostering habitats that flourish in harmony with their surroundings and stand resilient in the face of environmental challenges."

No of course not. The absurd architect isn't telling you to go on making forests everywhere ( In hindsight we think that might be too good to be true), but at least be conscious of the decisions we make. If architecture doesn't shape societies, and save the world, aren’t good enough are we?

So, the next time you keep a monstera plant, highlighted with an ambient light, just know that it is a foreigner looming in your garden from Mexico or Central America.