IndustryClare BurnettTue 08 Sep 26
Building the Case for Developments That Give More Than They Take
Buildings are moving beyond sustainability and an ESG box-ticking exercise to actively give back to the environments around them.
That’s what the Urbanity Live stage audience was told when The Urban Developer features editor Leon Della Bosca talked to regenerative architect Main & Frank co-founder Frank Burridge.
In this episode of the Blueprint podcast, Burridge discusses the idea that true regeneration means a building that produces more than it consumes across resources, culture and biodiversity, reframing architecture as a way to actively repair ecological systems, not just minimise harm.
Burridge discusses the Woodley School project, developed with Dutch-born Australian artist, florist and environmentalist Joost Bakker, at which the team planted a green roof with Victorian native grasses.
This proved to do much more than initially expected—shielding plants from rabbits, attracting an endangered butterfly and becoming a nesting site for wood ducks.
This is proof of concept, Burridge says, but it must happen at scale for it to make greater impact, linking up precinct corridors for birds, insects and endemic plants.
And the commercial case needs to be clear—Burridge says regenerative outcomes can help with such aspects as smoother planning approvals to using materials that provide more resilience and greater environmental upside than simply affecting carbon emissions.
Also under discussion is:
The difference between green, sustainable and regenerative architecture
How the Woodley School project became proof of concept for regenerative architecture
How to scale regenerative features across mixed-use precincts
The planning, commercial and environmental upside of nature-based design
Learn more on this week’s Blueprint podcast, available now on Apple Music, YouTube or Spotify.
