As urbanization intensifies and global biodiversity declines at alarming rates, Common Walls responds to this ecological crisis by reimagining the building envelope as habitat infrastructure. Urban environments, often designed exclusively for human use, fragment ecosystems and create unwelcoming conditions for non-human species. Glass curtain walls, now widespread in city centers, are particularly harmful: they form invisible barriers that cause over a billion bird deaths annually in the U.S. and contribute to light pollution and broader ecological disruption. Drawing on historical precedents in which architecture accommodated non-human life, this project proposes hempcrete as a regenerative alternative to conventional glazing systems. Hempcrete is a lightweight, carbon-negative material with excellent thermal performance. In Common Walls, a 1.5-foot-thick hempcrete cladding serves simultaneously as insulation and as multispecies habitat, supporting a range of pollinators. This approach argues for an expanded, more-than-human right to the city. Grounded in Donna Haraway’s concept of sympoiesis, the project embraces interconnectedness and advocates for architectural practices that cultivate the co-creation of livable urban environments for all forms of life.
Acknowledgements:
This work is influenced by Professor Joyce Hwang’s research and by collaborative projects with the author undertaken as “Double Happiness.”
An earlier version of this concept was developed with Associate professor Clay Odom and has since been changed and expanded.
Drawing assistance by Nandita Warrier.
Hemp blocks built with Brad King, natural builder and Co-funder of Eearthbound Builders Collective. Materials used: Kanabat: Building Grade Hemp Hurd and Micropoz Ready Mix Lime Binder. Formwork built by Nandita Warrier.
Photographs by author. Hempcrete prototypes.