Last month the āBuilding with Nature perspectivesā volume was published as part of the special journal issue āResearch in Urbanism Seriesā. 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. TU Delft researchers Jill Slinger, Baukje Kothuis and TU Delft 4TU.CEE programme coordinator Renate Klaassen have contributed to the series.
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Engineering roles
The editors discuss the use of engineering roles in interdisciplinary design assignments for Building with Nature challenges in volume 7 chapter 4 of the series. It has contributed to the insight that engineering roles can expand the interdisciplinary design to convergence practices in education, respecting earth boundaries and human well-being.
Convergence, currently driving many higher education initiatives around science and education, seeks deep integration of knowledge, techniques and expertise from multiple fields. The purpose is to expand and reframe scientific and societal challenges and opportunities, uncovering the particular nature of the grand challenges we face today.Ā
Building with Nature, an upcoming and thriving field in the face of the many grand challenges humanity is confronted with, contributes to knowledge building across different systems utilizing diverse approaches towards understanding the impact of humanity and nature on the environment. Specifically, Building with Nature strives to use natural materials, ecological processes and interactions, in designing effective and sustainable hydraulic infrastructures for areas threatened by environmental and climate change.Ā
About the Research in Urbanism Series
The editors of Vol. 7Ā Building with Nature perspectives: Cross-disciplinary BwN approaches in coastal regionsĀ of the special journal issue "Research in Urbanism Series", Janneke van Bergen, Steffen Nijhuis, Nikki Brand and Marcel Hertogh (all TU Delft) posit that we can no longer solve problems within one disciplinary approach. They feel different domains bring new knowledge to the table. Art questions reality, science seeks to explain, and design focuses on change. This volume seeks to enlarge our reference frame for "Building with Nature", incorporating human inclusiveness in (engineering) design, using integrative design incorporating different disciplinary perspectives, and merging models in BwN design engineering and stimulating convergence as a model for BwN design engineering fields.