Cette semaine, Francesca Cosmai, architecte-paysagiste associée de Mingzhu Nerval était à Paris pour une intense semaine de création, et rencontrer nos chers Clients.
Le reste du temps, Francesca travaille depuis les Alpes italiennes, dans une grande maison de pierres, dans un tout petit village, face aux sommets escarpés et neiges éternelles…
Innovating in green art and Technology: Mingzhu Nerval’s Collaboration with the China Academy of Art
2025-04-01
Tous les ans, l’Académie des Beaux-Arts de Chine (中国美术学院) invite Mingzhu Nerval pour organiser un séminaire de rentrée.
Cette année, une cinquantaine d’étudiants de première année ont travaillé, pendant une semaine à temps plein, sur le thème de « l’Art et la Technologie », appliqué aux projets en court de Mingzhu Nerval.
L’édition 2024 fut sous le signe de la coopération franco-chinoise, car c’est une équipe de professeurs de l’Ecole de Design de Nantes qui a encadré avec nous cet intensif workshop.
Ce matin, notre équipe de jardiniers a eu la joie de voir ces bébés oiseaux, lors de l’entretien d’un mur végétal !
Le feuillage de nos murs végétaux est si épais (1,5m d’épaisseur de feuillage en moyenne, avec des arbres de 5-8m à certains endroits), que cela offre beaucoup de place et de confort aux oiseaux pour nicher en toute sécurité. Sur cette vidéo, il s’agit d’une façade végétale créée en 2014 pour la municipalité de Shanghai (lien). Les végétaux sont donc âgés de dix ans, d’où leur profusion et luxuriance.
This morning, our gardening team had the pleasure of seeing these baby birds while maintaining one of our living green walls!
The foliage of our vertical gardens is so thick (an average of 1.5 meters in depth, with trees reaching 5-8 meters in certain spots), that it provides plenty of space and comfort for birds to nest safely. In this video, we see a green façade created in 2014 for the municipality of Shanghai (link). The plants are therefore ten years old, which explains their abundance and lushness.
Nestled along the sandy shores of Brittany, our landscape design team met for a summer workshop. The tranquil beauty of the beachside setting provided the perfect backdrop for our creative endeavors. Between the rugged cliffs and the azure waters of the Atlantic, the location itself was a testament to the harmonious dance between nature and design. Surrounded by the soothing sound of waves and the sea breeze, we embarked on a journey of creative exploration, collaborative brainstorming sessions and design discussions. Each moment was infused with the energy of the seaside and deepened our connections as a team, leaving us with newfound inspiration and an appreciation for the marriage of creativity and nature’s elegance.
We went on a field trip to Athens and Marathon, Greece, to test the feasibility of an upcoming project with high resource- and water efficiency requirements. Through nursery visits, invigorating hikes, and the study of local plant species, we immersed ourselves in the local horticulture and prepared for the exciting challenge ahead. We are poised to implement resource-efficient strategies, preserving native plant species and harmonizing our project with the surrounding environment and climate conditions.
Our passion has always been to bring the beauty of nature into the heart of urban environments, creating living spaces where architecture and nature harmoniously coexist. A serendipitous encounter reminded us of this spirit—a little baby bird has found its way into the living wall inside our Paris apartment. This unexpected visitor is also reminding us of our founding motto: « birds singing through architecture. » Now we took on the task of fostering this tiny bird, nurturing it until it is ready to return to its natural habitat.
The Discovery: In the midst of our busy lives, a moment of surprise unfolded when we discovered a little baby bird nestled within the foliage of our living wall. Its presence felt like a special sign, affirming our dedication to bringing nature closer to urban dwellers. With tender care, we embraced this encounter as an opportunity to fulfill our mission in a more intimate and personal way.
Nurturing Nature: Determined to give the baby bird the best chance at thriving, we embarked on a journey of fostering. With each passing day, we observed its growth, fed it a diet suited to its needs, and provided a safe space for it to explore and spread its wings.
Symbolizing Fortune and Purpose: For us, the presence of this baby bird holds a unique significance. It a reminder of our dedication to bringing nature into the urban environment. Even our cat and the foster bird have formed a friendship, happily coexisting and bringing joy to our home.
As we witnessed the bird’s resilience, it strengthened our resolve to continue bringing the beauty of nature to architectural design.
A Journey Towards Freedom: The time approaches for the baby bird to return to nature. We are filled with joy, knowing that we have played a small role in its growth and recovery. As we are getting ready to release the bird into the wild, we have been reminded of the profound impact our landscape company can have in bringing nature closer to urban dwellers. We are fueled with renewed determination to continue our mission of merging architecture and nature, allowing birds to sing freely through the very fabric of our designs.
