The loss of global biodiversity poses a significant threat to ecosystems and human well-being. The growth of cities has played a substantial role in the 70% decline in global biodiversity since 1970. This decline can be attributed to the failure of cities to balance their rapid land take with the preservation or creation of urban vegetation. The loss and absence of green structures within cities has led to extreme temperatures, poor air quality, and inadequate animal habitats, which results in a negative impact on biodiversity, city resilience, and both human and non-human life. Addressing these challenges requires the integration of nature-inclusive design practices into urban planning, aiming to promote the coexistence of humans and non-humans. This work explores the concept of regenerative design in architecture and its potential to increase urban biodiversity in Western European cities.

The research of the thesis explores to what extent a multi-species design practice in architecture based on affordances informed by the act of human and non-human space-making in abandoned ruins helps to achieve a symbiotic relation between architecture and biodiversity. For this purpose, a theoretical framework triangulating affordances, multi-species design and architecture was developed. This was done throughout different exploratory methods such as reviewing literature, as well as an on-field studies of the abandoned ruin “Palácio Ford” in Porto, Portugal. The architectural project is about the design of a multi-species residency consisting of different kinds of towers that contribute to the growth of an urban forest by interaction with the environment. The interventions were developed as Baubotanik structures which combine living trees and technical construction methods in one object. Thus, the project explores new ways of living in a growing architecture which forms an urban forest within the city of Porto.