Industriel Symbiose

Symbiose betyder samliv mellem forskelligartede organismer, hvor alle kan drage nytte af hinanden. Her bliver udtrykket brugt om et industrielt samarbejde i Kalundborg mellem flere virksomheder og kommunen, som gensidigt udnytter hinandens rest- eller biprodukter.
Symbiosesamarbejdet har udviklet sig spontant over en længere årrække og omfatter i dag omkring 20 projekter. Udvekslingen af restprodukter mellem virksomhederne fremgår af diagrammet.
- Alle projekter er både miljømæssigt og økonomisk bæredygtige.

Se link: http://www.symbiosis.dk/symdk/DKindex.htm

Danmarks første 100 % miljøcertificerede kommune

Albertslund Kommune er den første, der har oversat EMAS miljøledelsessystemet fra produktproduktion til en kommunal virkelighed.
100 % miljøcertificeret betyder, at alle i kommunen har mål og handlingsplaner på miljøområdet, som de evaluerer hvert år. På samme måde som institutionerne har mål og handlingsplaner for budgetterne.
Yderligere information Albertslund Kommune har vundet mange priser, senest Nordisk Råds Natur- og Miljøpris 2007 og Dagbladet Børsens pris som årets bedste erhvervskommune. Baggrunden for priserne er en målrettet politisk prioritering og medarbejdernes fokuserede indsats.

Læs pressemeddelsen her: http://www.fbbb.dk/Files/Filer/Pressemeddelelse_Albertlund_Kommune.pdf

Algae Into Biofuel

CNN has an interesting video on Vertigro. Glen kertz grows algae in bags suspended in a greenhouse. Oil is extracted and turned into biofuel. The yield, according to Kertz, is 100,000 gallons of algae fuel per acre per year. Corn, Kertz says, yields 20 to 30 gallons.

Tjek linket: http://www.environmentalleader.com/2008/04/23/vertigro-turns-algae-into-biofuel/

Treasure from trash

Garbage In, Garden Out: Inside the High Tech Trash Disassembly Line

More than 63 million tons of US recyclables end up in landfills every year. Global Renewables might be able to shrink that number. The Australia-based company built a facility in Sydney that combines every trash-sorting technology imaginable — wind sifters, optical scanners, magnets, electrical currents. It diverts 75 percent of the city's waste stream to recycling, conserving landfill space and cutting down on greenhouse gases. Rotting garbage gives off methane, so less landfill equals less climatic apocalypse. On the strength of its Sydney plant, Global Renewables just got $627 million to construct two similar facilities in the UK. Here's how they separate the treasure from the trash.

Find linket her: http://www.wired.com/special_multimedia/2008/st_wastestream

Nyt idrætsbyggeri sparer på energien

Lokale- og Anlægsfonden har netop besluttet at uddele 5,6 mio. kr. til et nyt stort kultur- og idrætscenter i Fynshav på Als.
Arkitekturen i det nye byggeri er på flere måder nyskabende, og samtidig er byggeriet et mønstereksempel på energirigtigt byggeri.

Byggeriet er flere år fremme i tiden, hvad energibesparelse angår. Der er solvarme på taget og solceller, der skaber elektricitet. Jordvarme, intelligent varmestyring, passiv ventilation, og brintceller, der skaber elektricitet, er andre miljøvenlige tiltag.

Læs mere her:

http://www.bygnet.dk/bygnet/go;jsessionid=4291A5F9197439AD2FD2667C684EC903?action=302&id=10139&

ECOTOPIA

Abstract of Robert Costanza's Article Visions of Alternative (Unpredictable) Futures and Their Use in Policy Analysis from 2000(!)

"The most critical task facing humanity today is the creation of a shared vision of a sustainable and desirable society, one that can provide permanent prosperity within the biophysical constraints of the real world in a way that is fair and equitable to all of humanity, to other species, and to future generations. Recent work with businesses and communities indicates that creating a shared vision is the most effective engine for change in the desired direction, yet most effort in "futures modeling" has focused on extrapolating past trends rather than envisioning alternative futures. Science and economics as applied to policy are in conflict more often over alternative visions of the world than purely "scientific" disagreements. Likewise, governance has gotten bogged down in mediating short term conflicts between special interests rather than its more basic role of creating broadly shared visions that can guide dispute resolution."

Read the article here http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol4/iss1/art5/manuscript.html

or download the text Four Visions as pdf from the Download section

RecycleBank, the recycling program that pays you back, heading to Europe

If altruism isn't a good enough reason to increase recycling rates, a little extra money ought to be.

For those who are new to RecycleBank, here's a update: customers receive a 35, 64, or 96 gallon RecycleBank container which has a barcode that identifies their home.
As the truck collects the recycling it scans the barcode on the container and translates the value of the recycled items into a dollar amount -- up to $35 RecycleBank Dollars a month -- that can be redeemed though shopping coupons at participating businesses. The more you recycle, the more reward you get (up to a point, at least) and the less stuff goes to landfill. The program is available to both residential and commercial customers.

RecycleBank is taking their game across the Atlantic Ocean, to Europe. Fresh off raising $30 million, the company will expand services here in the States and will expand into Europe.

Tjek out more here:
http://www.recyclebank.com/home.cfm

Can the Suburbs make a comeback?

Ahead of the agenda seminars (Forum of the Future)

The first of our seminars focused on the sustainability challenges facing the suburbs of the future, and asked:

-What needs to change from the old model of car-reliant, individualistic suburbs in an era where sustainability is paramount?

- What do the sustainable suburbs of the future look and feel like in terms of land-use, transport, architecture, density, community and politics?

-How can retailers contribute to the fabric of these communities without creating a country of clones?

Read the panel speakers opening remarks:
Sir Peter Hall - internationally renowned expert on urban planning and Bartlett Professor of Planning and Regeneration at the Bartlett School of Architecture and Planning, University College London
Chris Leslie – Director of the New Local Government Network and formerly a Government Minister
Lord Richard Rogers – one of the world’s foremost living architects
David North - Community and Government Director for Tesco
Chaired by Stephanie Draper - Deputy Director of Forum’s Business Programme

Se bl.a. Richard Rogers tale om hvordan forstæder kan blive bæredygtige.

http://www.forumforthefuture.org.uk/node/1948

Klimaforandringer giver byforandringer

De forestående klimaforandringer rejser to grundlæggende spørgsmål for de danske byer:
Hvad kan vore byer gøre for at mindske forandringerne, og hvordan kan byerne tilpasse sig
de ændrede grundvilkår?

Allerede nu tegner der sig et billede af meget væsentlige forandringer i vores hverdag, men
der tegner sig også en række handlinger og virkemidler, som kan være med til at tilpasse vore
byer og reducere forandringerne - hvad gør vi?
Som i al anden byøkologisk tankegang er det lokale udgangspunkt essentielt. De lokale
forudsætninger og muligheder danner udgangspunktet. Selv i lille Danmark er forholdene vidt
forskellige: Klimatiske, topografiske, geografiske, trafikale, teknologiske, økonomiske etc. etc.

Artiklen har været bragt i Global Økologi nr. 1/2008
(Af Torben Gade, byplanlægger og arkitekt. Adm. direktør i GBL gruppen for by &
landskabsplanlægning aps, bestyrelsesmedlem Foreningen Bæredygtige Byer &
Bygninger)
Læs hele artiklen her: http://www.fbbb.dk/Files/Filer/Klimaforandringer_giver_byforandringer.pdf

COP15 er op-ad-bakke

Developing countries, including China and India, are unwilling to sign up to a new global climate change pact to replace the Kyoto protocol in 2012 because the rich world has failed to set a clear example on cutting carbon emissions, according to the UN's top climate official.

Rajendra Pachauri, head of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), said too many rich countries, including the US, had failed to take the action needed to convince the developing nations to sign up to a deal in Copenhagen next year that could help to stabilise global emissions.

Tjek artiklen:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/apr/14/climatechange.carbonemissions?gusrc=rss&feed=environment

Når arkitekten er gud

DR2 Tema: Utzons arv

Danmarks store internationale arkitekt Jørn Utzon fylder 90. DR2 Tema fejrer manden bag bl.a. Sydney Operaen med et stort portræt og et kig på hans betydning i dag. Flere og flere danske arkitekter går nemlig i hans fodspor med store internationale projekter, der forsøger at skabe bedre byer og boliger fra Riyadh til Beijing.

Det globale byggeboom raser, og når verden er en byggeplads, er arkitekten Gud. Men hvordan løfter man ansvaret og bygger en bedre verden? Vi følger en række danske arkitekter, der går i Utzons fodspor og prøver at gøre en forskel fra Saudi Arabien og Indien til Berlin og Beijing.

Se klippet her: http://www.dr.dk/DR2/Temaaften/Udsendelser/lørdag/2008/04/0328111041.htm

- Hvor meget betyder politik i arkitektonisk sammenhæng?

- Vil du bygge i et land, hvor lovgivningen ikke tillader kvinder at arbejde eller køre bil?

NYC To Install Solar On City-Owned Buildings

New York City’s Department of Administrative Services plans to issue an RFP for private solar developers to purchase, install, own and maintain solar panels on city-owned buildings in all five boroughs as part of PlaNYC.

The city says it plans to install 2 megawatts of solar electricity. Eleven potential sites have been identified for the developer to choose from, including five schools and a community college.
The City and the developer will enter into a 20-year power purchase agreement for the electricity the solar panels generate.
Last month, Southern California Edison announced plans to install 250 megawatts of solar panels on 65 million square feet of roofs of Southern California commercial buildings.
EL recently reported that solar companies are becoming financial intermediaries, leading companies to install solar power that wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford it.

Link: http://www.environmentalleader.com/2008/04/10/nyc-to-install-solar-on-city-owned-buildings/

What makes a city thrive?

In the Taubman Building at the Kennedy School, audience members listen intently to experts discussing 'The 'D' Word: What It Takes to Build Dense Communities in Greater Boston.' (Staff photo Rose Lincoln/Harvard News Office)

What makes a city thrive? People, lots of 'em, really, really close.

The population density of Paris is about three times that of Boston. Does this mean Paris is three times as much fun as Boston, or that if Boston's population were compounded by three, it would become another Paris? These questions are not as silly as they may sound - that is, if you start from the premise, shared by many architects, urban designers, planners, and others, that density is the secret to creating healthier urban environments - with safer streets, better schools, more vibrant cultural and commercial activity, more efficient public transportation, nicer parks, and a less degraded environment.
On Jan. 28, the Kennedy School's Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston in cooperation with the Boston Society of Architects (BSA) held a forum at Harvard to examine the concept of density and to look at ways it could be achieved. The forum was a follow-up to an earlier conference held by the BSA in September 2003. While most of those who attended the event viewed density as a cure for the city's ills, that attitude is by no means shared by all who take an interest in the welfare of America's towns and cities.
The forum's title reflected that ambivalence: "The 'D' Word: What it Takes to Build Dense Communities in Greater Boston." In certain ways, the debate between density and its opposite - sprawl - has been going on for the past half-century, said Charles Euchner, the executive director of the Rappaport Institute, who moderated and helped organize the event. "There's been an ongoing struggle to strengthen the city core, but not always to increase urban density. What's new, I think, is that we're realizing cities are really about people. The more people you bring in, the more vibrant the city will become," Euchner said. While it might not quite stack up to Paris, it can hardly be said that Boston is lacking in vibrancy. And yet, if present trends continue, there may be trouble ahead.
According to the pro-density argument, urban institutions require a certain threshold population to support them. If not enough people want to shop or eat out, there won't be many good stores or restaurants. If the audience for music, theater, or art is small, these activities will not flourish. If the tax base is scanty, schools and municipal services will be substandard. Even parks need people to use them, and if the parks are deserted, they will not receive the upkeep they need to remain attractive. Density is also considered good for the environment because it is easier and cheaper to provide heating, electricity, sewerage, and other services to people living in concentrated groups than to those in single-family homes in suburban areas. As a result, the impact of dense populations on the surrounding environment is less harmful. If density is such a good thing, why haven't more people gotten the message?
The first panel took up this question. David Parrish, who described himself as a "recovering architect," now a senior vice president at the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston, brought up the point that whether people want to take advantage of the social and cultural advantages of the city or seek the sprawling suburbs depends on where they are in the life cycle. "A wise old man once told me, if you're looking for someone to have sex with, you live in the city; if you've got someone to have sex with, you live in the suburbs. Sometimes I think it may be as simple as that."
Others spoke about the stigma associated with density. "Density used to be associated with poverty," said BSA President David Dixon. "We are part of that baby boom generation whose parents moved away from poverty by moving away from the city. The core reason for the stigma is a historical artifact." Hubert Murray, a Boston-based architect and urban planner, spoke about the visual images that the word "density" brings to many people's minds. "It's the turn-of-the-century photographs that Jacob Riis took of the slums on the Lower East Side, it's the Pruitt-Igoe housing project in St. Louis that had to be torn down in the 1970s. It's the image of the huddled masses, of disease, crime, congestion. But the statistics show that density is not a leading factor for these conditions. For example, the TB statistics show that the key elements are new immigrants and poverty. Similarly, it's poverty and the lack of job opportunities that drive crime and not density, per se." Alfred Wojciechowski, a principal in a Boston design firm, said that for density to work, people have to feel comfortable moving out into the public realm. "It's very much about walkability. Goods and services have to be immediately available. You have to be able to walk to them.
Wojciechowski quoted design theorist Christopher Alexander, who called the ineffable combination of factors that make a neighborhood pleasant the "quality without a name," sometimes abbreviated by designers as "QWAN." Developer Roger Cassin agreed. "A five-minute walk in a neighborhood where you feel uncomfortable is too far." In many cases, achieving greater density means building taller buildings, something that often proves unpopular, especially in the Boston area. "We're an awfully conservative city when it comes to high buildings," said David Lee, a partner in a Boston architectural firm and an adjunct professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. "Anything over three stories and people come out and rebel against it. We're still stuck in the 19th century. We haven't even made it into the 20th." "The dominant religion has always been the religion of short buildings," said Dixon. "I challenge anyone to claim that their lives have been harmed by a tall building." The second panel concentrated on how public policy could be used to achieve greater density. Stephanie Pollock of the Conservation Law Foundation said that the debate over density needed to be reframed. "Public policy is the art of solving problems, but density is not a problem that anyone wants to solve. In order to inject density into the public policy debate, we must propose it as a solution to other problems." Edward Moscovich, an independent economist and consultant, identified one such problem. "In the commonwealth as a whole, most public officials know that development should take place someplace else. If residential development is proposed, their job is to stop it. Why? Because it costs about $6,000 per year to educate a child, and they know the real estate taxes on a $300,000 home won't cover it." The result of this reluctance to build housing results in housing shortages, which results in higher housing costs, which tends to reduce density.
Some members of the panel spoke about using incentives to counter this tendency. Barry Bluestone, an economist who directs the Center for Urban and Regional Policy at Northeastern University, suggested that the state government offer cities a $2,000-$3,000 density bonus for each unit of housing built to help cover the cost of schools and other services. What chance is there that Boston and other communities will begin to see density as the solution to the problems they face? Euchner believes that conferences like this one may help to move decision makers in the right direction. "Communities are constantly debating the level of development they should allow. I think forums like this one create greater literacy and awareness about this subject, and when people can talk intelligently, it can have an enormous impact on the debate. I think people are more open to density than they were a couple of years ago."


http://www.hno.harvard.edu/gazette/2004/02.05/01-density.html

Dansk Center for Byøkologi - database

Dansk Center for Byøkologi har udviklet en database for miljørigtigt byggeri - med henblik på at videreformidle erfaringerne fra dansk byggeri – både nybyggerier og renoveringer, som indeholder et eller flere byøkologiske tiltag.
Databasen er for alle, der er interesserede i miljørigtige løsninger i byggeriet. Databasen henvender sig både til den offentlige og den private sektor og det er muligt selv at tilmelde byggerier til databasen.
Databasen opdateres løbende og indeholder over 200 projekter om miljørigtigt byggeri samt beskrivelse af i alt ca. 600 økologiske elementer. Beskrivelserne er oftest suppleret med fotos eller andre illustrationer (databasen kunne dog være kønnere..)

Du kan tjekke det ud her:
http://www.danskbyokologi.dk/

Debat: Forbud mod plasticposer er skidt for miljøet

Supermarkedernes plasticposer bliver fremstillet og afbrændt så miljørigtigt, at gevinsterne ved et forbud i bedste fald vil være yderst minimalt og i værste fald skabe større miljøproblemer, fastslår plast-forsker.

Plasticposer har et så godt miljøregnskab, at det er svært at finde alternativer til supermarkedets indkøbsposer, hvis politikerne indfører et forbud mod plasticposer. Det mener lektor og akademiingeniør ved Aalborg Universitet Birgit Kjærside Storm, der har forsket og undervist i plastfremstilling i 20 år.

et totalt forbud mod plasticposer, som bør erstattes af stofposer eller poser i materialer, der kan nedbrydes i naturen. Miljøpolitisk medarbejder i Forbrugerrådet Claus Jørgensen har ellers meldt sig positivt overfor forslaget og nævner blandt andet papirposer.

Men ifølge Birgit Kjærside Storm medfører en lang række alternative poser blot nye miljøproblemer – og papirposen er et skidt alternativ. Ved fremstilling af papirposer skal der nemlig udskilles lignin og hemicellulose fra træet. Det kræver både store mængder vand og et kemikalieforbrug.

Følg debatten her: http://ing.dk/artikel/86995

Alger er vores næste brint-fabrik

Alger skal genmanipuleres til at producere billig brint i store mængder. Forskerne mener, biologisk brintfremstilling kan give grundlag for en helt ny energiindustri.

Alger kan gro overalt, hvor der er vand. Hvis det lykkes at pille den brintproducerende del ud af algers stofskifte, kan en ny energiindustri vokse frem.
Forskere ved det amerikanske energiministerium forsøger nu at fremstille brint ad biologisk vej - gennem fotosyntese.

På Argonne National Laboratory i Chicago, som er ministeriets største forskningsenhed med over 1.000 forskere og ingeniører, er søgelyset rettet mod encellede alger.

Læs mere her: http://ing.dk/artikel/86936?bund

Californien i verdens største satsning på solceller

Over 100 større bygninger i Californien med et tagareal på i alt seks million kvadratmeter skal udstyres med solceller, der tilsammen vil generere 250 MW. En halvering af omkostningerne ved installation har gjort projektet muligt.

Det californiske energiselskab Edison går i gang med at beklæde seks millioner kvadratmeter af tagene i den sydlige del af staten med solceller. Samlet vil hustagene generere 250 MW, når solen skinner. Det kan give strøm til 162.000 hjem og tegner sig for det største solcelleprojekt nogensinde – ti gange større end det hidtil største projekt i Spanien.

Læs mere her: http://ing.dk/artikel/87001

Cradle to Cradle

Remaking the Way We Make Things

In addition to its provocative content, Cradle to Cradle, is printed on a polymer film instead of paper. While current materials and systems are incomplete, this book's materials suggest ways 'technical nutrients' might be used in the future, cycling safely and prosperously in the 'technical metabolism' of plastics recycling.
Read more about the book's materials in the MBDC.com monthly feature story from May 2002, "This Book is Not a Tree."

"[A] clear, accessible manifesto... the authors´ original concepts are an inspiring reminder that humans are capable to much more elegant environmental solutions than the ones we´ve settled for in the last half-century"

Publisher´s Weekly

http://www.mbdc.com/book/index.htm

Rem Koolhaas/OMAs Bryghusprojekt i København offentliggjort

Et udstillingssted. Et bosted. Et mødested. Et arbejdssted. Et legested. Et opholdssted. Et spisested. En forbindelseslinie, hvor byen møder havnen. Hvor trafikken møder og krydser bygningen. Hvor arbejdet møder fritiden. Hvor mennesker i alle aldre møder hinanden. Det er intentionerne med Bryghusprojektet, der nu er offentliggjort som dispositionsforslag.

Projektet består af et multifunktionelt hus med en række udadvendte aktiviteter – primært initieret af Dansk Arkitektur Center/DAC - café og restaurant, boliger, kontorer til Realdania og til udlejning. Hertil kommer et underjordisk P-anlæg.

Udgangspunktet har været at samle en række aktiviteter omkring ét hus, og at dette hus bliver af exceptionel bymæssig og bygningsmæssig kvalitet. Samtidig skal huset samt opholds- og legearealerne bidrage til at skabe mere liv i kvarteret omkring Bryghusgrunden og til at styrke forbindelsen mellem indre by og Københavns havn.

Læs mere her: http://www.realdania.dk/Presse/Pressemeddelelser/Pressemeddelelser+2008/Bryghusprojekt07-04-08.aspx

Stærk satsning på Lollands landdistrikter

Lolland Kommune har udsendt følgende pressemeddelelse:
Lolland Kommune og Realdania har nu fundet de fire overskrifter, som demonstrationsprojekterne i MULIGHEDERNES LAND skal falde inden for. Gennem satsninger på sanering af dårlig boliger, herregårdsarven, bosætning og energi vil Lolland Kommune og Realdania gøre det mere attraktivt at bo og bosætte sig i Lollands landdistrikter.

På et møde i Erhvervs- og Kulturudvalget den 1. april blev det besluttet at arbejde videre med fire overskrifter på mulige demonstrationsprojekter.

Projektet MULIGHEDERNES LAND er et samarbejde mellem Lolland Kommune og Realdania. Formålet med projektet er at finde nye veje til udvikling af landdistrikterne i Danmarks yderområder. Det skal ske gennem demonstrationsprojekter, der kan gøre det mere attraktivt at bo eller bosætte sig i Lolland Kommunes landdistrikter.

Læs mere her: http://www.realdania.dk/Presse/Pressemeddelelser/Pressemeddelelser+2008/Lolland+02-04-08.aspx

Elastisk planlægning kan være vejen frem i Øresundsregionen

Se udstillingen på Dansk Arkitektur Center

De to vinderforslag lægger op til en mere elastisk planlægning i fremtiden, hvor der lægges vægt på at fremme forskelligheden. Alle de præmierede konkurrenceforslag blev i dag præsenteret på Dansk Arkitektur

Lige som filmen for ti år siden skabte verdenssucceser med dogme-konceptet, skal den fysiske planlægning underlægges en række dogmer. Det er hovedtanken i en af vinderbesvarelserne i Realdanias idekonkurrence Öresundsvisioner 2040.

Besvarelsen Öresundsdogmer deler førstepladsen med besvarelsen Mosaic Region. I begge forslag er den mere traditionelle planlægning erstattet af en mere elastisk planlægning, hvor der er lagt vægt på at fremme forskelligheden. ”Et gennemgående træk for besvarelserne er, at man forkaster den mere håndfaste form for planlægning, men hvis vi skal adressere en række aktuelle udfordringer omkring miljø, klima og energi, så er der behov for effektiv planlægning. Førstepriserne til Öresundsdogmer og Mosaic Region, er blandt andet begrundet i, at de fint håndterer denne balance,” siger dommerkomiteens formand, professor Jens Kvorning, Kunstakademiets Arkitektskole.

Alle vinderforslagene kan ses på Dansk Arkitektur Center frem til 4. maj 2008. Der indbydes til debatmøde den 16. april 2008 kl. 16.00. Vinderprojekter og dommerkomitéens betænkning kan ses på www.oresundsvisioner2040.dk

http://www.realdania.dk/Presse/Pressemeddelelser/Pressemeddelelser+2008/Vinder+%C3%96resundsvisioner2040+02-04-08.aspx

Neighborliness, Innovation and Sustainability

Two approaches have tended to define the debate about sustainable prosperity in recent years. The first is conscious consumption, which manifests at the shallow end as green shopping (even greenwashing) but can prove out at a deeper level as strategic consumption. The second is green technology, which is a topic that we tend to cover here in great depth, and which covers everything from energy to transportation, housing to product design. Sometimes that technology is trivial, sometimes it is profound.

These approaches are complimentary, and both have a lot to offer as we try to negotiate our way to a bright green future. But there is a danger in thinking that all we have to do is design better substitutes for the products we already consume, and then convince people to buy them.

Læs mere her: http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/007941.html

Arkitektur & Energi

De nye energibestemmelser har medført skærpede krav til bygningers energimæssige ydeevne. Det er dog muligt at skabe god arkitektur med øget komfort og samtidig tilgodese de energimæssige sparehensyn i fremtidens lavenergibygninger. Det forudsætter, at arkitekter tidligt i designprocessen tager højde for de formrelaterede dispositioner, der har konsekvenser for energiforbruget i nybyggeriet.
Overordnet kan der tages udgangspunkt i fire forskellige temaer i byggeriet, hvor arkitektur og og energi spiller sammen. Det drejer sig om dagslys, solvarme, råhus og tekniske installationer.

Publikationen “Arkitektur & Energi” (PDF) som blev udgivet for et par år siden kan downloades her i PDF format.

http://www.sbi.dk/arkitektur/beredygtighed/arkitektur-og-energi/arkitektur-og-energi

WIMBY! - Hoogvliet Future, Past and Persent

The publication WiMBY! Hoogvliet Future, Past and Present of a New Town contains the full story, the conclusions and the lessons drawn from the project, told both for professionals and the general reader. The book includes documentation of all the events, buildings and designs and reads like a fairytale (a sometimes rather gruesome one) that openly describes WiMBY!Õs many ups and downs, which we hope is both lively and instructive. Such deprived areas as Hoogvliet are currently the focus of political attention. Many dozens of districts suffer the problems that Hoogvliet has been able to solve over the last few years. This book is of importance to everyone interested in the present-day problem of deprived areas in the Netherlands.

Læs mere her: http://www.wimby.nl/index.php

Højhus på den grønne måde

Fremtidens skyskrabere udnytter de grønne ressourcer i omgivelserne

Chicago-baseret arkitektstue Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill (AS+GG) er særligt aggressive på dette område og har tidligere i år fået opgaven at tegne hovedkvarteret til den CO2-neutrale by Masdar. De har dog også haft tid til at tegne “Clean Technology Tower” - en skyskraper designet til at udnytte især vind til at generere energi.

Clean Technology Tower er designet til opførelse i Chicago, som meget passende har tilnavnet “The Windy City”, men hvornår/om/hvis det første spadestik tages er uvist.
Se flere billeder

Læs resten af historien » http://www.labconfidential.dk/

Passivhus: Nu også i flere etager

De første 40 passiv-lejligheder med et varmeforbrug på 12 kWh per kvadratmeter per år skyder op i Kolding. Prisen ligger 10 procent over traditionelt byggeri, men varmeregningen er i bund.

For første gang i Danmark starter byggeriet af et passivhus i flere etager. I Kolding skal 40 lejligheder bygges som super-lavenergihuse, hvor varmeforbruget ligger på 12 kWh per kvadratmeter per år og dermed under de 15 kWh, som giver byggeriet status af et passivhus efter tyske standarder. Boligbyggeriet går under navnet Golfen og er et samarbejde mellem Rockwool, arkitekt Lars R. Hansen og developer Evan Nicolaisen. De første lejligheder skal stå klar allerede i slutningen af dette år.

Læs mere her: http://ing.dk/artikel/86911

Opvarm huset med varm asfalt

Har du nogensinde gået med bare tæer på en asfaltvej en varm sommerdag, ved du også, at den sorte asfalt er en ren varmemagnet. Så hvorfor ikke udnytte al den ophobede varme til noget nyttigt? Vej er der jo nok af, så den potentielle varmeudnyttelse er jo enorm. Samme tanke har et hollandsk entreprenørfirma også fået, og de bruger nu varmen fra vejene til bl.a. at opvarme nærliggende huse.

http://www.labconfidential.dk/index.php/opvarm-huset-med-varm-asfalt/

COPENHAGEN AGENDA

I forbindelse med IFHP konferencen Futures Of Cities i september 2007 udarbejdede Mandag Morgen dokumentet Copenhagen Agenda For Sustainable Cities. Download dokumentet med de 10 punkter på IFHPs hjemmeside, hvor du også kan finde en række andre publikationer om bæredygtig byudvikling

http://www.ifhp2007copenhagen.dk/World%20Congress/Publications/Special%20Issues.aspx

INDUSTRIAL SYMBIOSIS KALUNDBORG

Symbiosis means co-existence between diverse organisms in which each may benefit from the other. In this context, the term is applied about the industrial co-operation taking place in Kalundborg between a number of companies and Kalundborg Municipality, all of which exploit each otherís residual or by-products mutually.
The Symbiosis co-operation has developed spontaneously over a number of decades and today comprises some 20 projects. The exchange of residual products between the companies is laid out in the diagram.

http://www.symbiosis.dk/

The Thinking City

- International konference om fremtidens København

The Thinking City inviterer to markante internationale tænkere til at komme med deres bud på en ledestjerne for de kommende 20 års udvikling i København. Konferencen samler Borgerrepræsentationen og repræsentanter for erhvervslivet og kulturlivet i København til en dag med visionære input, hvor ingen tanke om fremtidens København er for stor eller vild. Lykke Friis, formand for tænketanken for internationalisering og erhvervsudvikling i København, præsenterer desuden tænketankens anbefalinger.

Programmet offentliggøres april 2007.

International konference mandag den 11. juni på Københavns Rådhus.

Flere boliger, mere erhverv, flere byrum og en bedre infrastruktur. Spørgsmålet er, hvordan vi bedst håndterer denne vækst og skaber en by, der samtidig er mangfoldig, bæredygtig, dynamisk og kreativ.

Dét vi kalder en tænkende by.

Til konferencen The Thinking City har vi inviteret de to bytænkere, Bruce Mau og Joan Busquets og bedt dem om at give deres personlige bud på fremtidens København, og på hvordan fremtidens udfordringer håndteres bedst.

Vi håber, at du vil deltage i debatten om Københavns fremtid og dele dine tanker og idéer med os.
Link: http://www.thinkingcity.kk.dk/

Vertical farming

Rice on the seventh floor. Wheat on the twelfth. And enough food within an 18-story tower to feed a small city of 50,000.
Vertical farms, where staple crops could be grown in environmentally friendly skyscrapers, exist today only in futuristic designs and on optimistic Web sites. Despite concerns over sky-high costs, however, an environmental health expert in New York is convinced the world has the know-how to make the concept a reality — and the imperative to do so quickly.
With a raft of studies suggesting farmers will be hard-pressed to feed the extra 3 billion people swelling the world’s ranks by the year 2050, Columbia University professor Dickson Despommier believes a new model of agriculture is vital to avoid an impending catastrophe.

Læs mere her: http://www.verticalfarm.com/

Next no. 5

Blow Your Mind
The NEXT exhibition is a once in a lifetime opportunity to see, feel and try out some of the most exceptional and mind boggling new tech demos, early products and prototypes while you get the inside from the makers themselves. Dreams are the stuff that this is made of.

Der er en spændende udstilling i denne weekend nede i filmbyen i forbindelse med koonferencen Next no. 5. Next no. 5 handler om innovation og udstillingen fremviser en række nye teknologier som prototyper.

Tjek linket: http://www.innovationlab.net/da/node/670

Kinetica

Sewn invisibly into the lining of normal clothes, Kinetica generates energy as you walk and move around, and uses it to charge up your personal electronic devices - mobile, music player or laptop. Very thin zinc oxide wires are sewn into normal clothing, down the seams of trousers or in coat and jacket sleeves. Every time the wearer moves, the wires move too, and the flexing and relaxing of the wires produces an electric current. If the electricity that Kinetica collects isn't used by personal systems, it can be discharged to the power storage systems of a home or car, or can be directed to the devices of friends or family instead.

Read more:

http://www.forumforthefuture.org.uk/lowcarbonliving2022/products/kinetica

Energy Producing Roads

Energy Producing Roads made from solar cells and glass may be the solution to carbon emissions and climate change.


Background
Although Scott Brusaw's company, Solar Roadways, is based out of his house in Idaho and in the home electronics workshop he built next to it with the income from his consulting, it may hold the key to solving climate change and global warming.

Solar Roadways
Solar Roadways is still in the concept phase, built on Brusaw’s childhood fascination with an electric race car game called slot cars. The idea of cars running on electric roads stayed with him as he went on to earn his Master's degree in electrical engineering. As global warming became established science, his wife Julie suggested he turn his obsession with electric roads into a way to conserve fuel and reduce pollution. Brusaw came up with the idea of a road that produced its own electricity, a solar highway for energy independence.
One of the nation's leading authorities on solar energy, Nate Lewis of Caltech, has calculated that covering 1.7% of the land surface of the United States with 10 percent efficient solar energy converters could supply all our current national energy demand. As it happens, this is roughly the same amount of land that is devoted to the nation's interstate highway system. Lewis believes that covering a large, barren section of some of the western states with solar panels is the best solution to our energy needs, but we would need a photovoltaic material almost as cheap as paint to make it cost competitive with fossil fuels, and we would still need to transport the energy around the country.
In Brusaw's Solar Roadways concept, instead of covering a large area of the Southwest with solar arrays, all of our roads would be paved with glass panels that could collect and distribute solar energy. Sunlight would shine through the surface onto a middle layer of solar cells. The solar cells would produce electric energy to light the road at night and heat it in winter, with enough leftover electricity to power homes and businesses. Brusaw estimates that each mile of solar panels could power 500 homes.

Solar Roadway Rationale
Brusaw's Rationale for Solar Roadways includes:
· 4.84 billion (12' by 12') Solar Road Panels would be required to replace the current asphalt road system, parking lots, and driveways in the 48 contiguous states. This is enough to provide three times more electricity than the United States used in 2003 and almost enough to supply the entire world.
· To produce a Solar Roadway Panel (not including assembly and installation) would cost approximately $5,000 for materials. Solar cell cost and efficiency is predicted to improve dramatically with thin film technologies in the next few years.
· Cost to build enough coal-fired power plants to provide a similar amount of electricity - approx. $14 trillion.
· The cost of Global Warming is unknown, but could reach 5% to 20% of global gross domestic product annually, according to the Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change.

Constructing Power Generating Roads
To answer the energy transport needs, the roadway's base layer would contain the nation's electric grid, safe from weather and secure from interruption, replacing the current crumbling power grid with a distributed network of independent power sources providing energy from coast to coast. Along with electricity, the base layer could also carry fiber optic cables for television, communication, and high speed Internet so that cities and rural areas would be equally connected and the ugly poles and wires that clutter our landscape could be removed. Smart roadways could reconfigure travel lanes to reduce gridlock, warn drivers of construction or obstacles ahead, sense whiteouts or other weather conditions, and even keep wildlife off the roads. In Brusaw's scheme, heated and lighted roadways would make travelling safer and save lives.

New Technology Requirements
Most of the technologies required for the base and middle layers are already available, Brusaw told the glass scientists and industry reps at a Washington workshop. With only a minute of his allotted time remaining, he summarized his challenges to the scientists and manufacturers: Build a transparent glass panel that absorbs sunlight without any glare, lit by low energy LEDs from within, with heating elements to melt ice and snow and a surface both fireproof and shatterproof with traction equal to asphalt, even when wet, with the ability to withstand road salt, magnesium chloride, sun exposure, vehicle emissions such as antifreeze and oil, and the strength and flexibility to handle heavy trucks. And finally, in order to make the project economically feasible, the glass should last about three times as long as most asphalt roads, he concluded.

Materials Developments
Creating solar roadways may be possible with some new enabling technologies. These new technologies include new types of self-cleaning windows with microstructures based on the lotus flower's ability to shed water, and recent breakthroughs in superconducting transmission cables cooled by liquid nitrogen that carried five times the current of standard cables.

Source: Pennsylvania State University Materials Research Institute

A sustainable city-region for Bristol

Jonathon Porritt will talk about the challenges we face in making cities more sustainable before outlining the programme’s short and longer term plans for the Bristol city region.Having immersed myself in Bristol life for the past six months, and met with a huge variety of organisations concerned about the city’s future sustainability, it’s clear that our task in Bristol is considerable. But with so much energy, enthusiasm and commitment from all parts of the community, if we can create a sustainable city anywhere, it surely has to be Bristol. The City was ranked third in Forum’s Sustainable Cities Index. Yet there are still big issues to sort out, not least with transport and new housing numbers – 90,000 new homes are planned for the area. Tackling these issues, in partnership with others, will be a big focus of our work. Managing the need and demand for travel through the use of IT, and the promotion of active travel and public transport will be early areas of work in supporting sustainable transport. In relation to new homes, we’ll be using our Sustainability Framework for Urban Extensions to ensure that new communities are planned, designed and built to the highest sustainability standards – if they can do it in China, it’s about time we started doing it here too.These are exciting times for anyone living, working or shopping in the Bristol area, and I look forward to hearing from you over the coming months.


Jonathon Porritt speaks at the launch of our Bristol project - video.
Se videoen her: http://www.forumforthefuture.org.uk/


Find out more about our work in the Bristol region here.


http://www.forumforthefuture.org.uk/blog/a-sustainable-city-region-for-Bristol





A report on emerging good practice


TCPA (Town and Country Planning Association, London UK. Published March 2007)


Best Practice in Urban Extensions and New Settlements

New town of Northstowe

Review date: 05 March 2008
Lead designer: Arup Associates
Local authority: South Cambridgeshire District Council
Region: East of England
Description: A new town comprising up to 10,000 new dwellings and associated community and highway infrastructure.

Summary
We welcome the rigour of the approach the design team have taken; the masterplan is of high quality and has potential to be a successful new town. The introduction of 9,500 new homes in the south of Cambridgeshire is a challenge that requires a clear vision as well as careful analysis and understanding of the surrounding landscape and places. We feel that there are still aspects of the masterplan that should be addressed.
At the moment we are concerned that design development of the masterplan has not fully resolved issues of identity, morphology and connectivity. We think there is further work needed by all the parties involved in this project and encourage the design team with the local authority, English Partnerships and the developer to continue working together to resolve these issues. The local planning authority has concerns regarding identity, phasing and sustainability; we agree with their views and these are discussed in more detail below.

Læs hele artiklen her: http://www.cabe.org.uk/default.aspx?contentitemid=2374

Understanding Ordinary Landscapes

(1 anmeldelse):

Understanding Ordinary Landscapes by Paul Groth is a collection of contemporary cultural landscape essays and is a theoretical basis for comprehending the mysteries of perception of the landscape, the environment, and furthering the culture versus nature discourse. It brings critical analysis, and an annotated bibliography to the relatively new area of landscape architectural theory. A must for professionals and anyone interested in the landscape.

http://www.amazon.com/review/product/0300072031/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?%5Fencoding=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

Sustainable Urbanism: Urban Design With Nature

(1 anmeldelse):

Chicago City Planning Consultant Doug Farr has written a great book, Sustainable Urbanism: Urban Design with Nature. Farr combines new urbanism with green development in a clear and logical manner. He believes that "sustainable urbanism" is more than designing new Leed certified green buildings. It also includes the creation of green sustainable neighborhoods, and includes plans for sustainable urban development. He combines the strategies and principles of new urbanism with environmental improvements very well. Farr explains the evolution of the design reform movement. He outlines strategies on how to lead and promote sustainable urbanism. Doug Farr did an outstanding on form based codes for our neighboring communities of Bloomington and Normal, Illinois, and in developing plans that enhanced the environment while creating new urban space. I strongly recommend this book.

Craig Hullinger AICP City of Peoria, Director, Economic Development

http://www.amazon.com/review/product/047177751X/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt/104-7788888-6723110?%5Fencoding=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

Building for life

Delivering great places to live: 20 questions you need to answer.

This guide explains the 20 Building for Life standard criteria. Developers can use the 20 questions as a basis for writing development briefs, with a view to speeding up planning approvals and winning local community support. Local authorities can use them to demand high standards of design. Delivering great places to live provides a valuable tool to assess design quality in new housing schemes and should be referred to when applying for a Building for Life standard.

Download publikationen her:

http://www.buildingforlife.org/apply/buildingforlife.aspx?type=publication&refid=-2&aspectid=15&contentitemid=324

Evaluating housing principles step by step
This guide was commissioned and funded by the Housing Corporation’s innovation and good practice programme to support housing designers and developers in producing well designed developments and achieving Building for Life awards.

Download publikationen her:
http://www.buildingforlife.org/apply/buildingforlife.aspx?type=publication&refid=-2&aspectid=15&contentitemid=2395

The Endless City

The Endless City

An authoritative and visually rich survey of the contemporary city.

More and more people are moving into towns and cities to live and work, altering the urban/rural balance of countries worldwide
The Endless City is an unparalleled study of the growth of six of the World’s international cities (New York, Shanghai, London, Mexico City, Johannesburg and Berlin), exploring key structural, economic and social factors
Overseen by the influential educational institution, the London School of Economics (LSE)
Features extensive research and coherent texts by world-renowned professionals in the field
The information is presented in a comprehensive and visually compelling sequence, enabling quick and efficient reference as well as offering material that is exciting to study
Each city is studied individually in its own chapter and examined comparatively in an observational chapter
Authoritatively edited by Ricky Burdett and Deyan Sudjic in collaboration with LSE and The Urban Age Project, an expanding international organisation seeking a new urban agenda for global cities
Visit the feature website at http://www.phaidon.com/endlesscity/

Yahoo Green

Yahoo recently launched Yahoo Green and is now sponsoring a contest for designers to create an icon that will be used to represent green products throughout its family of sites and networks.

Læs hele artiklen her: http://eco-centric.blogspot.com/

Galleri: Masdar City

Masdar4 Masdar City kommer til at koste 73 milliarder kroner og skal bebo 50.000 mennesker og huse 1.500 forretninger. Her ses en model over byen, som er tegnet af det prisvindene arktektfirma Forster and Partners.

Se Galleri billeder her: http://ing.dk/gallerier/96561

Verdens første CO2-fri by

I oliestaten Abu Dhabi er sultanen ved at bygge verdens første CO2-frie by. Den skal være en ledestjerne, som skal vise verden vej for mere miljøvenlighed. Men byen bliver også en stor forretning, som skal profitere på det voksende CO2-kvotemarked.

Læs hele artiklen her: http://ing.dk/artikel/86495

Norman Foster: Building on the green agenda

Recorded at the DLD Conference, Munich
Architect Norman Foster discusses his own work to show how computers can help architects design buildings that are green, beautiful and "basically pollution-free." He shares projects from throughout his career, from the pioneering roof-gardened Willis Building (1975) to the London Gherkin (2004). He also comments on two upcoming megaprojects: a pipe to bring water from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea, and the new Beijing airport.

Se film: http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/174

IBM Launches PowerUp - Online Climate Change Game

A new IBM promotion comes in the form of a free multiplayer online game, PowerUp, that challenges players to help save the planet “Helios” from ecological disaster.

The game is part of IBM’s TryScience initiative and was launched at Engineer’s Week 2008. The game features a planet in near ecological ruin where three exciting missions for solar, wind and water power must be solved before sandstorms, floods or SmogGobs thwart the rescue. IBM says that it devised the 3D virtual game to engage kids and educators in engineering, energy, and diversity awareness.

www.environmentalleader.com/2008/02/18/ibm-launches-powerup-online-climate-change-game/

Vehicle-to-Grid Plug-In Hybrids, for Free

Electricity requirements for hybrids used a projection of 25 percent market penetration of hybrid vehicles by 2020 including a mixture of sedans and sport utility vehicles. Several scenarios were run for each region for the years 2020 and 2030 and the times of 5 p.m. or 10:00 p.m., in addition to other variables.

Læs artiklen her:

http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/007902.html

Smart grid community

Xcel Energy announces intended site of Smart Grid City: Boulder, Colo. U.S.A to become first fully integrated "smart" city in the nation, Smart Grid City will be the industry’s first community to comprehensively research and develop intelligent grid technologies as we shape the future of the energy marketplace.
The current electric grid has served us well for the last half century. But the future requires a technology revolution.

Se Smart Grid City filmen her:

http://www.xcelenergy.com/XLWEB/CDA/0%2c3080%2c1-1-1_15531_43141_46932-39884-0_0_0-0%2c00.html

Living machines

Living Machines are a form of biological wastewater treatment designed to mimic the cleansing functions of wetlands. They are intensive bioremediation systems that can also produce beneficial by-products such as methane gas, edible and ornamental plants, and fish. Aquatic and wetland plants, bacteria, algae, protozoa, plankton, snails, clams, fish and other organisms are used in the system to provide specific cleansing or trophic functions.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Living_machines

http://www.livingdesignsgroup.com/green-engineering-and-living-m/

By the year 2025, 35% of the world’s projected population will live in countries facing water shortages.

ACTION ON SOLUTIONS
An ecosystem approach: Natural ecosystems have intricate and resilient mechanisms that filter and replenish freshwater resources and sustain marine environments. Although human technologies may enhance or replicate these mechanisms in some settings, protection of the natural watershed also is critical. An ‘ecosystem approach’ recognizes and ascribes value, including economic value, to the ‘services’ natural ecosystems provide in terms of water filtration and purification, and ensures their sustainability, through modern management regimes.

http://www.worrellwater.com/water_facts.html