Contents 📖
/ Engineers specializing in ecosystems /
The still nascent field of Urban Ecological Engineering has existed for about ten years and applies the principles of scientific ecology through ecological engineers.
This profession is equally recent in the real estate sector, despite artificialization being the primary factor in biodiversity collapse.
Our ecologists support urban project developers in raising awareness of the importance of biodiversity in their projects and ensuring respect for ecosystem services for climate resilience.
These natural services provided to humanity depend on the proper functioning of created habitats, beyond just vegetation. For example, they contribute to air quality and rainwater management.
Urban ecological engineering thus aims to functionally reconcile nature and the city, beyond mere aesthetic considerations: by mastering the resilience parameters of ecosystems. The benefit is therefore for both nature and humanity, of which it is a part.
At the scale of the built block, our ecologists focus on soil composition, plant diversity, and the integration of local wildlife into outdoor spaces, including building envelopes.
Combating heat islands, de-impermeabilizing, de-artificializing… To successfully carry out these missions of natural habitat restoration and even urban rewilding, Urban Ecological Engineering employs ecological engineers, specialists in ecosystems.
/Integrating living systems into real estate /
These professionals are required to mobilize a wide range of skills.
They must, in fact:
- be able to establish environmental diagnoses,
- conduct compliance studies for a site with current regulations,
- advise and train stakeholders,
- assist property owners in obtaining accreditation through various biodiversity promotion labels (BiodiverCity, Effinature, BREEAM, and HQE, for which biodiversity is a criterion),
- finally, to ensure project management and execute the necessary works.
Beyond conducting studies, they serve as ecological design engineers overseeing ecological engineering projects. Their role is crucial, especially as new regulations increasingly compel investors to demonstrate greater responsibility.
The Energy-Climate Law thus reinforces their obligation for transparency, particularly regarding biodiversity.
The criteria of the European taxonomy for determining whether a construction is sustainable are, themselves, constantly evolving.
However, while investors must precisely understand the impact of their assets on biodiversity collapse, there are no singular biodiversity indicators in this domain, as ecosystems are multifactorial.
Therefore, for each case, a tailor-made framework must be created. This involves measuring both the ecological value of the existing site and the potential for improving the capacity, quality, and ecological functionality of each preserved or newly created habitat, as well as the detrimental factors that degrade them.
For example, calculations include
- evapotranspiration,
- light pollution,
- stormwater runoff,
- species abundance, etc.
Ecologists also play a role as asset strategy consultants to evaluate real estate asset portfolios based on their challenges, impacts, and the dependencies of the built environment and their activities on biodiversity.
The ultimate goal is
- the restoration of ecological functionalities degraded by human activities,
- sound resource management, and
- the long-term sustainability of ecosystems in the face of climate change.
/Sinteo's Expertise/
Our ecological engineers support projects from their design to their operation, including their implementation. Upstream, they examine the site's ecological context, consider the challenges for existing flora and fauna, inquire about land uses and their consequences on biodiversity, assess the level of stakeholder awareness, and review current regulations.
During the construction phase, they advise and coordinate the involved contractors, monitor the protection of sensitive site elements, and strive to mitigate the impacts of the works.
Finally, they ensure the achievement of desired results and the long-term preservation of biodiversity through operational renaturation indicator monitoring and biodiversity monitoring.
Our ecologists are active within the Professional Union of Ecological Engineering (UPGE) to contribute to the structuring of the sector within the real estate / construction industry and to anticipate future standards and regulations.