biobased

The Urgent Need for Urban Trees

The Urgent Need for Urban Trees

Cities face unprecedented environmental challenges, and it’s no secret that trees offer multiple solutions: reducing urban temperatures, mitigating noise pollution, improving air quality, and supporting mental and physical health. So why then aren’t we planting trees wherever there’s opportunity?

As Biophilic Design practitioners, we can help hold this door open to help explain why we need them and how to do it. Sue James is the Convenor for the Trees and Design Action Group (TDAG), which brings together individuals, professionals, academics and organisations from wide ranging disciplines in both the public and private sectors to improve knowledge and good practice to support the role of urban trees through better collaboration in the planning, design, construction and management and maintenance of our urban places. We chat through the challenges, the opportunities and also how Biophilic Designers can get involved and help transform society, health and ultimately our planet.

One of the primary obstacles to widespread urban tree planting, according to Sue, is the perceived maintenance burden. Councils and developers often view trees as costly and complicated. However, TDAG research demonstrates that with strategic planning, tree maintenance can be minimal and cost-effective.

"If you plant the right tree in the right place, with proper initial care, maintenance becomes remarkably simple.” Do have a look at the practical guides TDAG have developed to help communities and professionals navigate tree planting challenges.

If you are wanting to share the benefits of urban trees, which extend far beyond environmental considerations, learn a bit more about how tree-lined streets can benefit society. For instance they increase property values, reduce urban temperatures by up to 4 degrees, potentially save the NHS money through improved public health and of course the obvious one, create more attractive, liveable and desirable urban spaces.

READ ON and Listen to the Interview

Roots to Renders - Sugarcane's Journey into Creative Design

Roots to Renders - Sugarcane's Journey into Creative Design

"A world where materials are in harmony with nature." Wouldn’t that be amazing? I truly believe, that biophilic designers can specify this change, and also help scale innovation to make this happen.

The global plastics crisis is stark: over 400 million tonnes of plastic are produced annually, with a staggering 99% being fossil-based and 91% never recycled. The plastics industry contributes 3.4% of global greenhouse gas emissions, equivalent to 1.8 billion tonnes of emissions. Hao Ding, Global Marketing Director at TotalEnergies Corbion, unveils the potential of Polylactic Acid (PLA) - a bio-based material that could help how architects and designers approach sustainability. According to a new Life Cycle Assessment, PLA reduces carbon footprints up to 85% compared to conventional plastics.

PLA stands for Poly Lactic Acid, a bio-based plastic material made from renewable resources like sugarcane or corn. Specifically, as Hao explained in the interview, it's produced through a process of fermenting plant sugars to create lactic acid, which is then polymerised into a plastic-like material. Unlike traditional petroleum-based plastics, PLA is:

- Made from renewable resources
- Biodegradable
- Reduces carbon footprint by up to 75%
- Food contact approved
- Usable in multiple applications like packaging, 3D printing, textiles, and medical packaging

A key difference is that PLA starts from plants that absorb CO2 during growth, whereas conventional plastics are derived from oil pumped from underground. When composted, PLA breaks down completely without leaving persistent microplastics, making it an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional plastics. PLA can reduce carbon emissions by up to 75% compared to conventional plastics. "PLA can replace most conventional plastics and offer similar performance."

Architects and designers can leverage PLA in multiple applications.

Design and Construction Applications:
1. Furniture packaging materials
2. Exhibition and conference temporary structures
3. 3D printed decorative objects
4. Cavity wall insulation
5. Prototype and model making
6. Textile and upholstery applications

READ ON and Watch the interview