Research by Design
Climate challenges rarely arrive with a clear client, budget or brief. They emerge as urgent transitions that require new knowledge, new coalitions and new ways of working.
Felixx uses research to identify those transitions early. We investigate emerging spatial challenges, develop new methodologies and building blocks, and connect ecological ambition to governance and investment agendas. Research allows us to act before the agenda is formally defined.
Through collaborations with governments, universities, research programmes and implementation partners, we create the knowledge base needed to unlock future projects and long-term transformation.
Research that drives action
Our research reframes how a city, region, or site is understood and opens new directions for development.
This includes:
- Refining the theory and application of Natural Intelligence
- Developing new building blocks, modules, tools and typologies
- Linking ecological building blocks to financial and spatial agendas
- Connecting investment logic to climate and biodiversity ambitions
- Revealing new perspectives on land use, water systems, and mobility
- Building the evidence base that drives policy and design decisions
Projects such as Water as Leverage Cartagena and the Nature-based Solutions Catalogue show how research moves directly into implementation: making natural systems measurable, strategic, and actionable.
How we research
Our research teams bring together landscape architects, hydrologists, ecologists, and spatial planners. Where a challenge demands it, we expand with external specialists and work in close collaboration with knowledge institutions and research programmes. We actively seek out new coalitions and clients for challenges that are still waiting for an owner.
We integrate research agendas into live projects, so that knowledge is tested against real conditions and feeds directly back into design and strategy.
What we learn, we share. Across conferences, publications, and collaborative platforms, we contribute to the global development of Natural Intelligence as a field. The wider this knowledge travels, the more it scales.
Projects
Want to know more?
Eduardo Marín Salinas
Associate partner in Spain, landscape architect, researcher- Location
- Madrid
- expertise
- Research by design
- Strategic planning
Other services
Strategic Planning
We help cities link their climate goals to the social and cultural transitions we face today and tomorrow. By connecting natural systems to urban ambitions, we shape strategies and spatial frameworks that support climate adaptation and long-term development.
Design & Build
We construct public spaces, built landscapes, and green-blue infrastructure as integral parts of climate-resilient cities. We recognise the cultural dimension of the climate challenge and translate technical preconditions into spatial opportunities that strengthen both place and community.
Policy Advice
We take responsibility for embedding Natural Intelligence into the frameworks that shape cities. We hold positions as city architects, supervisors, and quality team members, instead of advising from the sidelines. From those roles, we integrate climate, water, and biodiversity into spatial frameworks before projects are defined, and translate ecological ambition into guidelines and principles that govern how cities develop.