On the campus of ISEL, Lisbon's School of Engineering, an island was born with one particular feature: an insect hotel built into the mini-forest itself. It is not decoration. It follows the same logic that brings the forest there — restoring the local ecosystem, giving pollinators a place to live and adding one more node to an ecological corridor made of native species inside the city.
Seventy trees and shrubs of 16 native species were planted following the Miyawaki method, turning a small area of the campus into a dense, self-sustaining forest.
For the engineering students who walk past it every day, the island works as a constant reminder that urban green spaces are not only about aesthetics: they support pollinators, restore soil and keep alive the link between people and the biodiversity around them.