Enabling Biodiversity-Informed Architecture Through Ontology-Driven Data Integration
Urban biodiversity is essential for sustainable cities, as it helps address the challenges of environmental degradation, ecosystem loss, species decline, and increased vulnerability to climate hazards, which negatively affect human health and well-being. ECOLOPES (ECOlogical building enveloPES) aims...
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MDPI AG
2025-05-01
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| author | Albin Ahmeti Defne Sunguroglu Hensel Cédric Pruski Jakub Tyc Michael Hensel |
| author_facet | Albin Ahmeti Defne Sunguroglu Hensel Cédric Pruski Jakub Tyc Michael Hensel |
| author_sort | Albin Ahmeti |
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| description | Urban biodiversity is essential for sustainable cities, as it helps address the challenges of environmental degradation, ecosystem loss, species decline, and increased vulnerability to climate hazards, which negatively affect human health and well-being. ECOLOPES (ECOlogical building enveloPES) aims to develop a design approach for multi-species as stakeholders to achieve regenerative urban ecosystems. Integrating the diverse data required for stakeholders and beyond—spanning the life sciences, geography, and architecture—and utilising it for design presents a significant challenge. This paper introduces an ontology-driven approach that utilises ontology-based data management (OBDM) as a framework for integrating diverse data sources, enabling ecologists and architects to design sites and buildings that foster urban biodiversity. OBDM offers a unified view of multiple data sources through an ontology, enabling query and update operations to be performed directly on the integrated data. The proposed ontology, developed in collaboration with domain experts and adhering to Semantic Web and Linked Data best practices, serves as a mediator between life sciences data (e.g., species distribution and habitats) and geometric information (e.g., maps and voxel models of building structures). This integration enables the adaptation of sites, buildings, and geometries, respectively, to create habitats that attract and support urban wildlife, contributing to ecological sustainability. The paper illustrates the practical utility of the ontology through a case study, highlighting its role in guiding building designs that promote species attractiveness and urban biodiversity. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2076-3417 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-85f59456987f4217bd3d1c6ec3a0dc3d2025-08-20T02:33:30ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172025-05-011510531110.3390/app15105311Enabling Biodiversity-Informed Architecture Through Ontology-Driven Data IntegrationAlbin Ahmeti0Defne Sunguroglu Hensel1Cédric Pruski2Jakub Tyc3Michael Hensel4Department of Digital Architecture and Planning, Faculty of Architecture and Planning, Technical University of Vienna, Karlsplatz 13, 1040 Wien, AustriaInternationalisation Demonstration School, Southeast University, Si-Pai-Lou 2, Nanjing 211102, ChinaLuxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, 5, Avenue des Hauts-Fourneaux, L-4362 Esch-sur-Alzette, LuxembourgDepartment of Digital Architecture and Planning, Faculty of Architecture and Planning, Technical University of Vienna, Karlsplatz 13, 1040 Wien, AustriaDepartment of Digital Architecture and Planning, Faculty of Architecture and Planning, Technical University of Vienna, Karlsplatz 13, 1040 Wien, AustriaUrban biodiversity is essential for sustainable cities, as it helps address the challenges of environmental degradation, ecosystem loss, species decline, and increased vulnerability to climate hazards, which negatively affect human health and well-being. ECOLOPES (ECOlogical building enveloPES) aims to develop a design approach for multi-species as stakeholders to achieve regenerative urban ecosystems. Integrating the diverse data required for stakeholders and beyond—spanning the life sciences, geography, and architecture—and utilising it for design presents a significant challenge. This paper introduces an ontology-driven approach that utilises ontology-based data management (OBDM) as a framework for integrating diverse data sources, enabling ecologists and architects to design sites and buildings that foster urban biodiversity. OBDM offers a unified view of multiple data sources through an ontology, enabling query and update operations to be performed directly on the integrated data. The proposed ontology, developed in collaboration with domain experts and adhering to Semantic Web and Linked Data best practices, serves as a mediator between life sciences data (e.g., species distribution and habitats) and geometric information (e.g., maps and voxel models of building structures). This integration enables the adaptation of sites, buildings, and geometries, respectively, to create habitats that attract and support urban wildlife, contributing to ecological sustainability. The paper illustrates the practical utility of the ontology through a case study, highlighting its role in guiding building designs that promote species attractiveness and urban biodiversity.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/10/5311ontology-based data accessontology-based data managementknowledge graphsurban biodiversitysustainable building design |
| spellingShingle | Albin Ahmeti Defne Sunguroglu Hensel Cédric Pruski Jakub Tyc Michael Hensel Enabling Biodiversity-Informed Architecture Through Ontology-Driven Data Integration Applied Sciences ontology-based data access ontology-based data management knowledge graphs urban biodiversity sustainable building design |
| title | Enabling Biodiversity-Informed Architecture Through Ontology-Driven Data Integration |
| title_full | Enabling Biodiversity-Informed Architecture Through Ontology-Driven Data Integration |
| title_fullStr | Enabling Biodiversity-Informed Architecture Through Ontology-Driven Data Integration |
| title_full_unstemmed | Enabling Biodiversity-Informed Architecture Through Ontology-Driven Data Integration |
| title_short | Enabling Biodiversity-Informed Architecture Through Ontology-Driven Data Integration |
| title_sort | enabling biodiversity informed architecture through ontology driven data integration |
| topic | ontology-based data access ontology-based data management knowledge graphs urban biodiversity sustainable building design |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/10/5311 |
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