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On September 19th, 2022 and invited by Prof. Carola Hein of Delft University of Technology and Prof. Dirk Schubert of Hafencity University Hamburg Mathias lectures within the network of ‘Spatial and Social Impacts’ as part of the VW sponsored Research Digital Humanities.
The workshop contribution stresses the spatial relation between urban nature and health, focusing on green-blue-grey networks.

Dirk Schubert: „Mathias shared possible answers to the questions raised….which are an important aspect for teaching”

Co-speakers include: Hülya Lasch, Lukas Höller, Jeroen Nelen, Dr. Christopf Lofi, Dr. Lixia Chu, Dr. Rainer Fehr, Dr. Elke Jakubowski, Dr. Christina Strauß, Dr. Gabriele Bolte, Dr. Sabine Baumgart, Dr. Jackie Hamilton and Prof. Dr. Cor Wagenaar.

Upon invitaion by Utrecht Province Mathias structurally joins an expert panel for nature inclusive design. The panel advises project initiators in a pressure cooker workshop session on how to integrate nature in their proposals and contribute to life of all species.

The panel features national experts such as Jip Lauwe-Kooijmans (formerly Birdlife Netherlands), Hildrud Poetz of Atelier Groen-Blauw, Jan Willem Burgmans of Heijmans, Erik Bijsterbosch of Ruimtelijk Netwerk and others.

For the AMS (Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions) Mathias set up and guided an interdiscplinary research on the combination of working and dwelling in the city. During a couple of months in 2022 students from Delft University of Technology and Wageningen University studied the Zaandam Kleurenbuurt and came up with spatial, social and organisatorical solutions for this post-war city centre boundaring neighbourhood. The final presentation took place on June 30 and was an interactive event with many more disciplines listening in located on the former marine area in Amsterdam.

Wood might just be the construction material of the future when it comes to houses and offices. The Netherlands are a country that want to be Co2 neutral in 2050, and produce only a fraction of the wood needed for the building sector. For the Austrian State Trade Association WKO Mathias researched the sector in depth and presents his findings in a Webinar and report.

What are critical success factors for the realisation of thoroughly sustainable plans in cities and communities? How to involve citizens, elected officials and the various disciplines in a public administration? Upon invitation of the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies Potsdam (IASS) Mathias contributed with an inspiration lecture on his practice as designer and strategic advisor to a workshop of a number of German cities gathering in Hamburg.

In April 2022 Mathias taught at the Institute for Environmental Studies of the University of Amsterdam upon invitation of Judy Shamoun-Baranes. The lecture, knowledge exchange and discussion with students from various backgrounds and countries shed a light on how nature inclusive cities can be achieved.

Please find some of the literature Mathias recommended if you would like to learn more about the topic below:

www.nextcity.nl with various documents in the download section.

Van Stiphout, Maike and Lehner, Mathias: First Guide to Nature Inclusive Design, 2019. (2nd edition also available in Dutch; clever students find it on issue, too)

Chartier Dalix. Hosting Life, Architecture as an Ecosystem, 2019 (cool architects)

Poetz, Hiltrud. Green-blue grids. Manual for Resilient Cities, 2016

Beatley, Timothy. Handbook of Biophilic City Planning & Design, 2015

Video/film: Kellert, Stephen: Biophilic design the architecture of life, 2011, 60mins. (bit cheesy DVD, also on vimeo and if you are clever find it free online)

Boeri, Stefan. Manifesto on Forest CitiesLinks to an external site., 2010

Kellert, Stephen. Building for Life. Designing and Understanding the Human-Nature connection, 2005

Wilson, Edward. Biophilia, 1984

Hundertwasser, Friedensreich. Mouldiness Manifesto,Links to an external site. 1958.

In the highly urbanized Swiss valleys the need for contributing to a rich ecosystem is more important than ever, especially for building projects that due to their size seal a large surface. With a lecture on nature inclusive architecture and urbanism Mathias kicked off this new international collaboration with ant design studio Bern.

Speaking at the 2022 Quo Vadis Real Estate Congress in Hotel Adlon, Berlin on February 16, Mathias and Debra Solomon, infrastructure activist of Urbaniahoeve and representant of the Netherlands in this year’s Venice Architecture Biennale elaborated on nature inclusive cities and multispecies urbanism.

Their dialogue was programmed on the visionary second day of the congress as part of the ‘What’s Next?’ section. Please find their presentation as a free download here.

Great collaborative synergy and a truly nature inclusive desing in the team of Next Architects, ABT engineers, Karres en Brands landscape architects and Valkwerk sustainability advisors which Mathias was asked to strenghten in 2021 for the design of a tender in the Amsterdam Sluisbuurt/IJburg.

January 18th, 2022 was the premiere of the first online Master Class as part of the Integral Knowledge Program Space, set up to for Zaanstad Municipality to increase strategic potential and internal cooperation. Frits Palmboom opened a series of four sessions broadcasted online and accessible live, moderated and curated by Mathias and the team.
Watch the 45 minutes broadcast for free here.