ECOLOPES · Project

Design Software That Plans Buildings Where People, Plants, and Wildlife Can Coexist

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Imagine designing a building the way you'd plan a garden — except you're also thinking about birds, insects, soil microbes, and the people living there. Right now, architects design for humans first and maybe bolt on a green roof as an afterthought. ECOLOPES built a computer-aided design system that treats buildings as living ecosystems from day one, factoring in 4 types of inhabitants: humans, plants, animals, and microorganisms. The tools plug into Rhino3D, software that architects already use, so designers can see in real time how their choices affect biodiversity alongside human comfort.

By the numbers

Types of inhabitants designed for (humans, plants, animals, microbiota)

Consortium partners

Countries represented in consortium

Total project deliverables

Industry partners in the consortium

33%

Industry ratio in consortium

The business problem

What needed solving

Cities are getting denser and greener spaces are disappearing, making urban areas less liveable and disconnecting people from nature. Current building design treats nature as an add-on rather than a core design element, leading to expensive retrofits, poor biodiversity outcomes, and buildings that fail to meet emerging urban greening mandates. Architects lack practical tools to integrate ecological considerations for multiple species directly into their standard design software.

The solution

What was built

ECOLOPES built two core products: (1) an Information Model Ontology that integrates ecological and architectural knowledge into a data-driven design recommendation system, and (2) a computational modelling and simulation environment with frontend tools demonstrated on the Rhino3D platform with standard open interfaces. Together, these let architects design building envelopes that account for humans, plants, animals, and microbiota simultaneously.

Audience

Who needs this

Architecture firms pursuing green building certifications and biodiversity-positive designProperty developers facing urban greening regulations in European citiesLandscape architecture consultancies designing nature-integrated urban spacesMunicipal urban planning departments implementing biodiversity strategiesBuilding envelope and facade manufacturers looking for differentiation

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Architecture & Urban Design

any

Target: Architecture firms specializing in sustainable or green building design

If you are an architecture firm dealing with rising client demand for biodiversity-positive buildings and green certifications — this project developed a computational design environment on the Rhino3D platform that integrates ecological knowledge directly into architectural workflows. Instead of hiring separate ecology consultants for each project, your designers can model how building envelope choices affect 4 types of inhabitants (humans, plants, animals, microbiota) during the design phase itself.

Real Estate Development

mid-size

Target: Property developers building mixed-use urban projects

If you are a property developer trying to meet tightening urban greening regulations and differentiate your projects in competitive markets — ECOLOPES created an information model that connects ecological data with architectural design recommendations. This means your design teams can deliver biodiversity-integrated facades and envelopes without costly redesign cycles, using tools tested across a consortium of 6 partners in 5 countries.

Landscape Architecture & Urban Planning

any

Target: Landscape architecture consultancies and municipal planning offices

If you are a landscape architecture firm or city planning office struggling to integrate nature meaningfully into dense urban areas — this project built a data-integrated recommendation system that maps how plants, animals, and microbiota interact with building surfaces. The ECOLOPES ontology turns scattered ecological research into actionable design guidance, developed over 4 years with input from 4 university research groups.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to adopt these tools?

The project does not publish pricing or licensing fees for the ECOLOPES tools. The software is built on the Rhino3D platform, which itself requires a commercial license. Contact the coordinator at TU Munich to discuss access terms and potential collaboration models.

Can this work at industrial scale for large developments?

The tools were developed as research prototypes demonstrated on the Rhino3D platform. The consortium included 2 industry partners alongside 4 universities, suggesting the design was informed by practical needs. However, scaling to full commercial deployment across large portfolios would likely require further engineering and integration work.

What is the IP and licensing situation?

ECOLOPES was funded as a Research and Innovation Action (RIA) under FET Open, meaning IP typically stays with the consortium partners. The 6 partners across 5 countries would jointly own different components. Licensing terms would need to be negotiated with TU Munich as coordinator.

Does this comply with EU urban greening regulations?

While ECOLOPES was not built to target a specific regulation, its multi-species design approach directly supports the EU Biodiversity Strategy goals and urban greening mandates increasingly adopted by European cities. The ontology-based system could help demonstrate compliance with nature-positive building requirements.

How long would it take to integrate into our existing workflow?

The ECOLOPES frontend tools are built with standard open interfaces on the Rhino3D platform, which is widely used in architecture. This reduces integration barriers for firms already using Rhino3D. Based on available project data, exact onboarding timelines are not specified but the platform choice suggests deliberate compatibility with industry workflows.

Is the technology proven or still experimental?

The project produced a demonstrator of final prototypes and applications with frontend tools on Rhino3D. This was a 4-year FET Open project (2021-2025), placing it in the advanced research-to-prototype range. It has been validated in a research setting but has not been commercially deployed.

Consortium

Who built it

The ECOLOPES consortium brings together 6 partners from 5 countries (Austria, Germany, Spain, Israel, Italy), led by TU Munich. The mix is research-heavy with 4 universities and 2 industry partners (both SMEs), giving a 33% industry ratio. For a business looking to adopt these tools, the academic strength means the science is rigorous, but the relatively small industry presence suggests the technology may need additional commercial development partners to move from prototype to market-ready product. The geographic spread across major European markets is a plus for firms operating internationally.

TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAET MUENCHENCoordinator · DE
TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAET WIENparticipant · AT
MCNEEL EUROPE SLparticipant · ES
TECHNION - ISRAEL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGYparticipant · IL
UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI GENOVAparticipant · IT

How to reach the team

Reach the coordinator at Technische Universitaet Muenchen (TU Munich), Germany — likely in the architecture or landscape architecture faculty.

Order a report on this consortium See TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAET MUENCHEN profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want an introduction to the ECOLOPES team to discuss licensing or collaboration? SciTransfer can arrange a direct meeting with the right people at TU Munich.

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