
A giant birdhouse rises above Lausanne, Switzerland, to address soil scarcity in urban areas.
This nearly 60 feet high birdhouse is an artificial tree, and a sanctuary for birds. Designed by Swiss architects Comte/Meuwly, the three-legged monument supports an oversized mistletoe ball, which serves as a nest box for birds while helping to support the lifecycle of the plant.
The project is titled ‘eternal love,’ calling attention to mistletoe’s possible extinction caused by the lack of fertile ground and a diminishing number of birds.
Mistletoe is an ‘epiphyte’ plant, which means that it grows on the surface of another – in this case the branches of other trees – and so it depends on thriving green areas to survive. It also relies on birds to eat the berries, digesting the fleshy part and spreading the seeds through excretion.
Source: www.designbloom.com