ShoreScape: A landscape approach to the natural adaptation of urbanized sandy shores

Sandy shores around the world suffer from coastal erosion due to land subsidence, a lack of sediment input and sea level rise. This often leads to the construction of hard structures, such as sea walls and breakwaters, that consolidate the coastal zone but disrupt the dynamic system of coastal deltas. To compensate for coastal erosion in a more...

Building with landscape: On-site experimental installations informing BwN methodology

The multi-dimensionality of BwN calls for the incorporation of ‘designerly ways of knowing and doing’ from other fields involved in this new trans-disciplinary approach. The transition out of a focus on rational design paradigms towards reflective design paradigms such as those employed in the spatial design disciplines may be a first step in...

Building with Nature as a cross-disciplinary approach: The role of hybrid contributions

The incentive for this publication was to expand the realm of enquiry around the topic of Building with Nature (BwN), for two main reasons. First to gain an interdisciplinary, and therefore deeper, understanding of BwN as an object of study. Secondly, but no less important, is an understanding of how different forms of knowledge contribute to...

Beach-dune modelling in support of Building with Nature for an integrated spatial design of urbanized sandy shores

The long-term physical existence of sandy shores critically depends on a balanced sediment budget. From the principles of Building with Nature it follows that a sustainable protection of sandy shores should employ some form of shore nourishment. In the spatial design process of urbanized sandy shores, where multiple functions must be integrated,...

Urban dunes: Towards BwN design principles for dune formation along urbanized shores

Sandy shores worldwide suffer from coastal erosion due to a lack of sediment input and sea-level rise. In response, coastal sand nourishments are executed using ‘Building with Nature’ techniques (BwN), in which the sand balance is amplified and natural dynamics are instrumental in the redistribution of sand, cross- and alongshore. These...

Editorial: Building with Nature perspectives

This publication offers an overview of the latest cross-disciplinary developments in the field of Building with Nature (BwN) for the protection of coastal regions. The key philosophy of BwN is the employment of natural processes to serve societal goals, such as flood safety. The starting point is a systems-based approach, making interventions...