From clay to concrete, how BAM and the Eden Project are rewilding UK construction
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The construction sector, long associated with disruption of the natural world, is attempting a structural pivot. This week, BAM UK & Ireland and the Eden Project launched a landmark partnership designed to embed biodiversity into the foundations of how buildings are conceived, constructed, and maintained.
Revealed at a breakfast briefing in Whitechapel’s The Hickman building, the partnership sets out a framework that aspires not just to reduce environmental impact but to position construction as a net contributor to ecological health. With projects spanning hospitals, schools, and BAM’s own estate, the collaboration places nature recovery at the core of design and delivery.
John Wilkinson, COO of BAM UK & Ireland, described the alliance as both urgent and strategic. “We don’t pretend to have all the answers to nature loss, but with the Eden Project and our clients, we want to bring this important issue to the top of the agenda.”
The launch brought together voices from across conservation, media, and construction. TV presenter and wildlife advocate Michaela Strachan opened the event with reflections on biodiversity decline, from coral bleaching in the Maldives to the use of biomimicry in sustainable building design. The message was clear: if the built environment has helped degrade nature, it can also help restore it.
Making construction nature positive
At the heart of the BAM–Eden initiative is a simple three-pillar model: Educate, Act, Influence. According to Eden’s Development Director Dan James, this model is more than a mission statement, it’s a delivery mechanism aimed at mainstreaming biodiversity within planning, procurement, and design decisions.
In practical terms, this means integrating healing gardens and green infrastructure into hospital developments, as is already being piloted with NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool. It means creating outdoor classrooms and biodiversity gardens in schools. And it means reshaping BAM’s own sites to feature nature-rich breakout areas for workers.
While the construction industry has made strides in lowering operational carbon, progress on ecological impact has been patchier. One in six species in the UK is now at risk of extinction, according to the 2023 State of Nature report. Globally, wildlife populations have fallen by 73 percent since the 1970s. Construction accounts for a significant share of land use change and habitat loss, but it is also uniquely positioned to influence outcomes at scale.
Wilkinson believes this is a moment of inflection for the industry. “Environmental sustainability is a noble cause, but it’s difficult to get people to embrace it unless they understand it,” he said. “That’s why this collaboration is so important, we’re not just talking about what’s possible, we’re showing it.”
From statement to standard
BAM’s Biodiversity+ strategy already claims significant traction. According to the company, 95 percent of its construction projects now include wildlife structures, and 63 percent of infrastructure projects are applying Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) principles. The new partnership is intended to move this progress from project-level innovation to sector-wide expectation.
BNG, a mandatory requirement in England for many developments from early 2024, requires new projects to deliver at least a 10 percent improvement in biodiversity value post-construction. But the BAM–Eden model goes further, aiming not just to offset damage but to proactively enhance ecosystems.
That includes nature-rich infrastructure like the Cross Tay Link Road’s green bridge, which supports animal movement and plant growth over a major transport artery. It also means collaboration with clients to embed nature into the earliest phases of design, rather than treating biodiversity as an afterthought or compliance exercise.
Jim Dixon, former chief executive of the Peak District National Park and now a Times columnist, joined the event’s panel discussion to reinforce this point. “Nature isn’t a bolt-on. It’s the substrate that underpins human and economic health. We need to treat it as infrastructure,” he said.
For Eden Project, this collaboration continues a legacy of environmental transformation. The Cornwall-based attraction is a living demonstration of regenerative design. “We’ve always believed in working with both people and nature,” said Dan James. “This partnership allows us to bring that ethos into mainstream construction, where it’s badly needed.”
A blueprint worth replicating
The partnership is still in early stages, but it has already sparked interest beyond the initial project slate. Wilkinson noted that clients across sectors are asking how to apply nature-positive principles to their estates and developments. “Whether it’s NHS trusts, local authorities, or private developers, the appetite for doing things differently is growing.”
The story of BAM and Eden Project is still being written. But if it succeeds in shifting construction culture from extractive to restorative, it may well become a blueprint worth replicating.
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