Implenia's Biodiversity-Friendly Construction Practices

Highlights

• Implenia has developed ways to promote biological diversity, such as relocating bee colonies, creating wildlife corridors and planting native wildflowers.
• They are building a motorway in Lyngdal, Norway, where bees are thriving despite the construction, proof of their environmental responsibility.
• Biodiversity is essential for clean water, food production and disaster risk reduction, both in nature and in urban areas.

Construction projects can harm natural habitats, but Implenia, a Swiss real estate and construction services company, aims to reduce the impact and contribute positively to the environment.

They use special methods to support biodiversity, like relocating bee colonies and creating habitats for diverse plant and animal life.

In southern Norway’s Lyngdal region, Implenia is building a 10 km stretch of motorway with tunnels and bridges. This construction site is not just filled with heavy machinery but also home to bees that collect pollen from nearby flowers like bellflowers, daisies and clover. Despite the construction activity, these insects have plenty of food to eat thanks to the company's efforts to preserve and enhance the local environment.

The site managers are taking several measures to promote biodiversity, including creating wildlife corridors, planting native wildflowers along the roadside and removing invasive species.

“Biodiversity is essential for clean water, food production, clean air and disaster risk reduction,” says Benoît Klein, Senior Sustainability Manager at Implenia. By doing so the company acknowledges the importance of biodiversity and its role in environmental responsibility.

Given the nature of the construction industry, large projects can harm natural habitats and local ecosystems. Implenia reduces the impact by assessing the environmental conditions of their project sites and taking specific measures to protect local wildlife and plant species.

In one of its major real estate projects in French-speaking Switzerland, Implenia is showing that sustainable construction can also benefit urban areas. Geneva’s Quartier des Nations, they are developing a sustainable neighbourhood called the Green Village, according to SEED Next Generation Living environmental standards. The project includes parkland, offices, a hotel and residential spaces with about 30% of the area dedicated to green spaces for plants and animals.

The parkland has different habitats, like wetlands, woodlands, fallow land and meadows with blossom and fruit trees to support pollinators like bees. Even the outdoor lighting is designed to not disrupt the natural day-night cycle to make the site even more environmentally friendly.

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Source: Implenia