© Alfred Jansen + Martin Langhorst
Protecting birds is a worthwhile cause for many reasons, but it doesn’t hurt to remember the many ways they benefit humans. Birds keep insect populations under control, spread seeds, pollinate plants and in cities, they even help keep things clean by eating dropped food or picking up pieces of trash to use in their nests.
As cities upgrade old buildings, many of the holes, cracks and other nooks and crannies birds have used as shelter are sealed up, which reduces potential nesting spots. Since we’re pretty much to blame for destroying their homes, we can help out by putting up bird houses to keep our bug-eating buddies flying around.
Here are a bunch from the TreeHugger archive.
Birdhouses for Multiple Birds
Urban birds need places to nest and thankfully a number of artists have found beautiful and creative ways to address this problem.
Andreu Carulla’s NeighBirdHood
Andreu Carulla’s NeighBirds is a clever take on the birdhouse. Each hexagon unit works as a stand-alone birdhouse, but the genius of the design is when you combine birdhouses to make a NeighBirdHood. Buy via Utoopic. More on TreeHugger.
© Andreu Carulla
Happy City Birds Project by Thomas “Dambo” Winther
Street artist Dambo’s Happy City Birds project upcycles materials and trash into birdhouses. The birdhouses themselves become art that humans can enjoy and beautify a building.
© Happy City Birds
“Spontaneous City in the Tree of Heaven” Bird House Installation
This London-based project went up a couple years ago and had different sized spaces for various species of birds or even insects or other wildlife.
Artists Build a ‘Shanty Town’ for Evicted Urban Birds
Another take on solving the “homelessness” problem for birds is this favella-inspired birdhouse.
© Alfred Jansen + Martin Langhorst
Birdhouse / Treehouse Combo
An artist in Japan created this birdhouse/treehouse combo that in addition to providing homes for multiple birds, also becomes an observation point for birdwatchers. See how it works here.
© Nendo
Decorative Birdhouses or Birdhouses as Art
These birdhouses are beautiful, but likely best suited as interior art instead of being exposed to the elements. My favorite piece of this bunch is this one:
Brass Birdhouse Made From 2,500 Reclaimed Bullets
Bike Rack BirdHouse
Lauren Thomas and Jennifer Karam of Dimini have designed a cute and clever bike hanger that holds a helmet, too.
© Dimini
Fake Trees Art Installation is a Home for Migrating Birds
Chilean architects Claudio Magrini and Emilio Marin were commissioned create art to improve the visuals on a road leading to Santiago. The goal was to create an ‘ecological bridge’ to birds between the nearby mountains and the sea.
Birdhouse Made from Old Catalogues
Modern or Designer Birdhouses
Created by Etienne Esmenjaud of UK-based company Desinature, the “Mr. and Mrs. Birdee” birdhouses are shaped to best accommodate species like robins, wrens, and pied wagtails, The house is laser-cut from PEFC-certified birch (the UK equivalent of FSC) and is shipped flatpack to reduce shipping costs. For a bit of fun DIY, you assemble yourself, after soaking in water to make the pieces pliable.
© eco birdhouse
Roof Tile Birdhouse by Dutch designer Klaas Kuiken
While we don’t want birds living in our attics or under roof shingles, there are ways to create spaces for nests, such as this creative roof shingle.
Flatpack Birdhouse by Thomas Rasmussen
Recycled Material Bird House by Peter Marigold
Created by Peter Marigold, these birdhouses are made from old shop signs and wood from crates.
peter marigold/Promo image
This onion shaped house is made by a co-op in Bangladesh that helps rural women by teaching them skills, providing design assistance and access to credit.
earth lovers shopping/Promo image
DIY Birdhouses
Now that you’ve seen a lot of differently shaped and styled birdhouses, you may start seeing potential bird houses in junk around your house. Here are some you can make yourself.
Old Skateboard Birdhouse
This house is another piece by Thomas “Dambo” Winther, which uses a broken skateboard as the roof.
© Happy City Birds
Tea Pot Birdhouse.
This one may be more decorative or better suited as art, but it was certainly a creative way to reuse an old pot.
gadgetsponge.com/Promo image
Golf Club Birdhouse
Old golf clubs aren’t too hard to find. This house uses the handle as a roof piece and the club head as a perch.
Watering-can Birdhouse
Photo: Brian Carlisle/GadgetSponge.com.
Minimalist Gourd Birdhouse
Gourd’s are easy to grow if you have a fence or trellis. After the growing season, just dry out the gourd, cut a hole and you’re pretty much done.
Folk Art Birdhouses Use Reclaimed Materials
Jasmin covered these great houses way back in 2007, writing, “Hundreds of these folk art birdhouses are hammered together each year by the developmentally disabled residents of Brown’s Foster Home, providing not only some income, but also a sense of accomplishment and dignity, as well.”
Wine Box Birdhouse
Simple Box Birdhouse
Geen Heart/Screen capture
Which birdhouse did you like best? Have you built your own? Tell us about it or post a link in the comments.
Source Article from http://www.treehugger.com/sustainable-product-design/places-birds-sleep.html
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