Swift nest

Architects: Aleksei Goriainov, Mikhail Krymov

Design: 2010
 

The concept was developed for international project "Changing the face" by DuPont building innovations.
During "Changing the face project" several Russian architectural bureaus made their proposition of renovation of old typical nine-storey buildings with the materials of DuPont building innovations company. The challenge was the fact, that these materials are quite expensive. Global usage of them is unrealistic because of the economic reasons. 

For this project we selected typical 9-storey panel building (in this case - Series II-18). House Panel - it is an environment in which we grew up. They are everywhere - they are the real face of the city, its flesh. It is impossible to get rid of them nearest future. But with time such communities are beginning to be overgrown by tall trees, while the houses themselves are familiar, safe home, like an old, beloved cave. The areas become beautiful, quiet and comfortable. The air is calm, which is broken only by joyful screaming of swifts. 

Common Swift is a unique creature. They spend their life in air: they eat in flight, drink during the flight, sleep in flight, and multiply also in flight. They do not walk on the ground, do not eat garbage, and this differ they from other birds of megapolis. Maximum benefit, minimum harm. One swift brings about 30 000 insects in the nest during the day. Thus, the greater is the number of swifts in the city, the better is ecology. 

Make all the facades from Corian is tempting, but the utopian idea. But more realistic idea is to make large nest for swifts for each house. Each slot, among other things, is a giant symbol with house number, which can be seen from afar. It is very convenient for city dwellers. An unusual form of nests radically changes the image of the house from a simple concrete box for people to full-fledged natural object. .

At the moment, swift are competing with pigeons in finding suitable housing, and that reduces their population. The diameter of the entrance to the nest is 50 mm. That makes it impossible to use our nest by pigeons and crows. Inside the nest is expanded to 300 mm. Each socket is protected from flowing water break with closed metal grid. It also allows the birds to cling claws. 

We already know that Moscow - one of the most expensive cities in the world - cannot provide its residents affordable housing. But can he do this at least for the birds?