Ballistic Architecture Machine (BAM) believes it’s time to go above and beyond when designing green rooftops. Exceeding the typical environmental and economical benefits of green roof systems, BAM‘s green rooftop design supports a functioning biotope for migrating birds. This rooftop aviary will give our feathered friends a bird’s eye view of Manhattan.
BAM wants to implement their concept aviary, known as Biornis Aesthetope, along the Atlantic Coast Flyway overlooked by the Goldman Sachs Headquarters in Lower Manhattan. “This green roof’s ability to produce a living habitat—a community of flora and fauna, waxing and waning, growing and dying, changing through the seasons, and maturing through the decades—provides a constant, sustainable, and renewable interest in the performance of the green roof and Goldman Sachs.” It is intended to be a rest area for birds and insects traveling along the Atlantic Coast Flyway. The aviary spans 70,000 square feet of roof and vents, into a park that is truly intended for just twelve species of birds.
The composition of the structure was designed with assistance from Ornithologists at Harvard and Cornell Universities. BAM‘s Biornis Aesthetope is a modular construction that is attached to a twelve story building. The structure is filled with soil, water, gravel and other materials that make it attractive to birds. Webcams will be placed in the structure to allow clients and researchers to monitor the aviary. BAM hopes the aviary’s “performance as a green roof will be an icon and milestone for the “green” movement as well as the green roof industry.”
+ Ballistic Architecture Machine
Via World Architecture News
Loving it! Such a great idea, and I think I like the design… hard to tell with those renderings perhaps.
It would be great to find a way to create real habitats for migrating birds traveling through urban areas. You would really have to create a larger system with many rooftops to make it really viable obviously, but even in one case, it could do some good for the birds, and bring some much needed nature back to the urban jungle.
Lets just hope that bringing birds back to the city does not inhibit our windowsill gardens…
Beautiful idea.
If you saw my comment in the tree house section, you will
know I once had a tree growing out of a crack in the roof of my
building in NYC.
I do love this site and am so happy to see people doing amazing action on behalf
of Earth. This is also great for people too!