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Project by NYXO Studio.

Desert Blossom: Multi-species Cohabitation in Urban Environments

Desert Blossom (DB) is a flexible infrastructure enabling multi-species cohabitation in urban environments. It is a shelter that can be adapted to different contexts and different human activities, from a bus station to an outdoor market, thanks to the use of dynamic design strategies combined with additive manufacturing technologies. Architecture acts as a scaffolding that changes over time, where natural and artificial elements blend in a bio-integrated system.

It is a fact that contemporary cities suffer from a loss of biodiversity in urban areas. This project encourages a fusion of architecture and local biological components to enhance ecological cycles and include buildings in a mutual exchange between humans, vegetation, and animals. This configuration was developed for cities with a hot desert climate like Dubai specifically to reintroduce local species into the urban environment, but the principle could be adapted to other climates and conditions.

The pavilion is composed of a series of 3D printed columns that gradually expand their horizontal section as they rise vertically. These funnel-like elements connect to one another generating a vaulted shelter. They can also be combined in different configurations, adding additional elements or scaling the installation up or down. The columns generate a system of pockets that are inhabited by local vegetation at the roof level. The plants, in turn, attract birds that can make their home in DB: the cavities in the columns and the gaps between the masses become the infrastructure for their nests.

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Project by NYXO Studio.

urbanNext (April 22, 2025) Desert Blossom: Multi-species Cohabitation in Urban Environments. Retrieved from https://urbannext.net/desert-blossom/.
Desert Blossom: Multi-species Cohabitation in Urban Environments.” urbanNext – April 22, 2025, https://urbannext.net/desert-blossom/
urbanNext May 26, 2023 Desert Blossom: Multi-species Cohabitation in Urban Environments., viewed April 22, 2025,<https://urbannext.net/desert-blossom/>
urbanNext – Desert Blossom: Multi-species Cohabitation in Urban Environments. [Internet]. [Accessed April 22, 2025]. Available from: https://urbannext.net/desert-blossom/
Desert Blossom: Multi-species Cohabitation in Urban Environments.” urbanNext – Accessed April 22, 2025. https://urbannext.net/desert-blossom/
Desert Blossom: Multi-species Cohabitation in Urban Environments.” urbanNext [Online]. Available: https://urbannext.net/desert-blossom/. [Accessed: April 22, 2025]

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urbanNext | expanding architecture to rethink cities and territories

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