Point location, which indicates where the NBS takes place

It is one of the most famous parks in the city. A re-design is offering the opportunity to make use of the full potential of the place and to put it back into the public’s focus – as a place for recreation, a park, a promenade and Zurich’s very own, most central urban park. An urban square was formed, representing generosity and offering space for multiple functions. A gateway from park to courtyard during the daytime, the mirroring water surfaces of the illuminated pools, and the annex’s reflecting façade create the atmosphere of a grotto at night (Ref 1).

This NBS was developed in 2015 by the Romanian Association of Permaculture in order to bring nature and its benefits in the middle of the city. The approach was to implement a vegetable garden in a high school in Iasi located in a quarter dominated by building blocks. The implementers had in mind to reconnect children with nature, to present to them the organic process of how food is produced and to teach them basic occupational skills (1)

The office building of the Nord/LB Bank that was built in 2002 became a landmark of Hannover. A huge proportion of the building is naturally ventilated. The interior is designed with progressive energy concept with superstructure exposed and windows that provide ventilation. The building is also protected from noise and vehicle emissions through the areas of double façade, which also serves as a duct transferring clean air from the central courtyard to the individual offices. The reflection of daylight is increased through the large areas of water in the courtyard which also contributes towards a beneficial microclimate. The building is also equipped with generous roof gardens which not only provides aesthetic benefits but also improves the general climate for the occupants, and collects rainwater for irrigation and use within the building.
The building is owned by Norddeutshce Landesbank and was designed by BEHNISCH, BEHNISCH & PARTNER (Reference 2).

The "New Nature" also called "La Calanque" is a new housing residency and business designed by the famous architect Jean Nouvel. The building design is inspired by the typical Mediterranean sea landscape called "calanque" (creek in english). "As an essential component of the project, vegetation is ubiquitous from the ground to the façades, from the heart of the buildings to the terraced roofs" (Ref. 2).

The association Codifas started its own initiative to inform citizens on the danger of practising traditional agriculture, and the advantages of sustainable agriculture. The initiative has been implemented by applying the concept of social inclusion, which means that young people from foreign countries (Ghana, Senegal etc.) were involved in the project and they helped to realize it. Together with the goal of social inclusion, the project has important benefits in terms of sustainable production and consumption. The whole area for cultivation has been divided into several plots, for those citizens who are willing to cultivate it. (Ref.1.)

The Urban Environment Observatory Building (OMAU) was built in Malaga as part of the URB-AL 1998 project, it is a construction planned for environmental conservation and includes an ecological cover for the use of rain water in the supply to the structure's watering system. (Ref 2, 3)

Under the “Bahn 2000” project while restructuring the main railway station of Zurich, a green roof has been implemented on one of the platforms. The whole area was mapped as a sensitive area, a living space for different endangered insects and reptiles whose natural environment consisted of desert-like spaces. Swiss law prohibits the destruction of such biotopes without replacement. In their protection, the idea of using the rooftop as a replacement was suggested and accepted by the administration. The roof was planned with a special focus on the living space demands of the different species. (Ref 1)

Baubotanik Tower is a test and demonstration building in Wald-Ruhestetten, approx. 150km south of Stuttgart. It exemplifies new engineering possibilities with living plants and visualizes the architectural and ecological potential of Baubotanik. Baubotanik or Living Plant Constructions is a technology of building with living trees, advanced by Stuttgart architect Ferdinand Ludwig. Baubotanik shapes living tree branches, stems and roots of trees into buildings to use qualities of forest in a dense city. For this purpose, living and non-living structural details are joined in a way they can grow together into a botanical and technical compound structure (ref 1, 2, 5).

The winners of Smogathon 2016 suggested building a large green wall in the centre of Kraków. Based on the modern technologies the artificially placed wall made of metal and moss would clean local air, lower the temperature, retain water, increase biodiversity and serve as a decoration for the city centre [1,2]. The project was not completed due to lack of scientific data on its effectiveness and the weak price and outcomes balance; the city is still searching for more economical and practical solutions [6].

In 2010 a very special orchard was inaugurated in the Park of Villa Ghigi in Bologna, the first of its kind in the region and probably in Italy, to preserve the germplasm of some of the oldest varieties of fruit plants in the Emilia-Romagna region. The Orchard contains about thirty fruit trees, organized into homogeneous groups: olives, pears, apples, rowan and smaller fruits. Each plant is accompanied by a panel describing the characteristics of the plant, the agronomic and the cultural aspects, including the tree and fruit picture (1).