Root is a collaboration between 51N4E and Plant en Houtgoed, connecting knowledge and hands-on experience to design and realise more integrated projects. Root is an experiment in bringing together the expertise of designers, architects, biologists and ecologists towards the reintroduction of functional ecologies in the built environment, from interior to territory. As biodiversity needs time to develop, we organize this integration also through design by maintenance. Our contribution can be about design interventions, hands-on implementation as well as education.