ECOLOGICAL BIFURCATIONS

ECOLOGICAL BIFURCATIONS: STRONG IDEA

HAVEN – For Humans & Non-Humans Alike, Europan 17 Runner-Up (Helsinki)
By Dimitri Szuter, PhD in architecture, teacher, founder of P.E.R.F.O.R.M., Paris (FR)

How to Create an Equality Between Human & Non-Human:
Studio Kantele — architect Saara Kantele and artist/ecologist Paul Bot — explore this in their visionary project for Helsinki's archipelago. Their goal: protect the islands by designing with, not for, nature. 
They propose an “Equality Act”: giving voice and legal presence to more-than-human species — marine life, fauna & flora, and even cultural species introduced by humans.
Inspired by thinkers like Bruno Latour and projects like NZ’s Whanganui River, they shift the designer's role: build less, regenerate more. Their reversible, low-impact designs rethink zoning to prioritize rewilding and coexistence.

This is more than architecture — it’s a political, ecological, and ethical stance. A call to empower all life forms in shaping the future of our living environments.