How do we make cities resilient, liveable and healthy in a changing climate?

Climate change confronts cities with increasingly extreme conditions. Heatwaves, heavy rainfall and prolonged periods of drought have a direct impact on quality of life and the functioning of urban systems. In densely built-up areas, extensive hard surfaces and limited green structures intensify the urban heat island effect, while flooding and drought alternate with growing frequency. The challenge is to design cities that can absorb these extremes while remaining attractive places to live, work and spend time.

We believe in a climate-adaptive city where robustness and spatial quality go hand in hand. We do not see climate adaptation as a technical precondition, but as a design challenge that guides urban development. By integrating climate issues from the outset, solutions emerge that not only protect, but also add value.

Greening forms the backbone of our vision. By reducing hard surfaces and creating space for trees, parks, green roofs and façades, we improve the microclimate, enhance biodiversity and provide cooling and shade. Green is not merely decorative, but functions as an active system for water retention, infiltration and evaporation. In this way, we strengthen natural processes within the city and increase its resilience.

Water plays an equally important role. We explore intelligent ways to temporarily retain water, make it visible and integrate it into the public realm. Squares, streets and parks are designed to perform multiple functions: spaces for everyday use in dry periods, and for water storage during peak rainfall. This multifunctional use of space makes the city flexible and future-proof.

Our approach is always contextual and adaptive. We build on the existing urban fabric and see climate adaptation as a new layer in time. By carefully transforming and building on existing qualities, a city emerges that can evolve with changing conditions without losing its identity.