GREEN SPACE

The ‘Dutch Mountains’ Is Expected to Be the World’s Largest Wooden Building Project

The feature-rich 'Dutch Mountains' complex combines high tech and natural building materials and competes somewhat with the world's highest skyscrapers

18 March 2018 From Paul Münzner Filed Under: 2018, Featured, Green Building

In recent times, one record followed another in the world of wooden buildings. The ‘Dutch Mountains’ project is one of the latest records in the Netherlands. Up to date, it will become the largest wooden building on our planet and rise up in the Dutch city of Veldhoven which belongs to the region of Eindhoven. The combination of high tech and natural building materials results in a natural atmosphere ensuring an immediate sense of well-being as soon as you move in, without having to waive the service of, for instance, state-of-the-art central building control systems or an energy generating facade.

There is much more than just wood

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The ‘Dutch Mountains’ complex is not the first wooden record in the Netherlands. Not even two years ago, we reported about the construction of the 21-storey timber tower HAUT in Amsterdam.

… transform the complex into a full-featured green building dream

As the production of wooden materials requires less energy and leads to fewer pollutants compared to common construction materials like steel or concrete, the ‘Dutch Mountains’ can be called a real green building. As the responsible architect firm Vermeulen states, the building materials are non-leachable, reusable and even biodegradable. Additionally, the building use is highly flexible. Thanks to the fully data-driven and experience-directed smart building technology, spaces can be used in different ways with changed functions and needs within a day.

The Dutch Mountains and the inner green area — Rendering of the green area in the center of the ‘Dutch Mountains’ (Studio Marco Vermeulen)

The Dutch Mountains - Rooftop view — Rendering of the Dutch Mountain’s rooftop view (Studio Marco Vermeulen)

The Dutch Mountains - Office to inner garden view — View from the office (Studio Marco Vermeulen)

The elongated ‘Dutch Mountains’ building will provide spaces for offices, a hotel, various conference centers, a parking lot and more. The large park in the center of the wooden project is a real enrichment in addition to the sustainable structure. It provides seating areas, a pond, walking trails and, of course, greenery. Even sheep, responsible for the maintenance, are part of the park.

A Wooden Structured High Tech Complex

And there is much more than mentioned above. The designer’s vision is a self-sufficient green complex. A naturally ventilated and illuminated parking garage, with solar generators equipped facades, a rooftop pool for swimming and firefighting in an emergency case, grey water purifying wetlands, a rainwater utilization system and the integrated geothermal power station transform the complex into a full-featured green building dream.

Layers and parts of The Dutch Mountains — Mixed use building (Studio Marco Vermeulen)

The Dutch Mountains by night — (Studio Marco Vermeulen)

The Dutch Mountains' size compared to other skyscrapers — The Dutch Mountains’ size compared to famous skyscrapers (Studio Marco Vermeulen)

The 404 Meters Long ‘Dutch Mountains’ Project Competes with The World’s Highest Skyscrapers

The Dutch Mountains placed within roads — (Studio Marco Vermeulen)

The Dutch Mountains compared to Petronas Towers (Studio Marco Vermeulen)

The Dutch Mountains with lobby hotel parking offices and short stay — (Studio Marco Vermeulen)

Bioluminescent Plants Could Enlighten Urban Farms

Bioluminescent plants could illuminate workspaces or urban rooftop farms

14 December 2017 From Paul Münzner Filed Under: Featured, Lighting

Thanks to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), it could be possible in the future to use urban greenery for illuminating the surroundings. Even urban rooftop farms could likely attract still further interest on warm summer nights if some of the plants are glowing. Bioluminescent plants are maybe able to replace power-eating lighting systems to a certain extent. Nonetheless, it will take quite some time. However, the first prototypes are already functioning successfully and strong enough to illuminate a book with the support of a reflective paper front.

Four hours light - natural bioluminescent plants from MIT — Glowing MIT logo printed on the leaf of an arugula plant by using infused nanoparticles (Seon-Yeong Kwak)

Unfortunately, it is not possible so far to create natural bioluminescent plants which are able to produce their own fluorescent elements. To let the plants shine, researchers from MIT injected specific nanoparticles with a diameter of 10 nanometers into the leaves of a watercress plant. As a result, the watercress can produce four hours dim light. Further improvements could lead to higher luminous power and a longer lighting duration – maybe enough to illuminate a workplace one day.

MIT Applied Three Components to Create Bioluminescent Plants

“The vision is to make a plant that will function as a desk lamp — a lamp that you don’t have to plug in. The light is ultimately powered by the energy metabolism of the plant itself,” says Michael Strano, the Carbon P. Dubbs Professor of Chemical Engineering at MIT and the senior author of the study.

The MIT team used nanoparticles carrying three different components. Luciferase is needed to let the molecule luciferin shine. A third molecule removes a reaction byproduct which is able to block the activity of luciferase. Allegedly, the concentration is not high enough to make the plant toxic.

“Plants can self-repair, they have their own energy, and they are already adapted to the outdoor environment,” Strano says. “We think this is an idea whose time has come. It’s a perfect problem for plant nanobionics.”

To inject the nanoparticles, the plants were dipped in a particular solution and then exposed to very high pressure. In this way, the particles in the solution can enter through small stomata pores on the surface. The researchers hope to replace this complex technical process by a painting or spraying method to make it suitable for routine applications.

“Our target is to perform one treatment when the plant is a seedling or a mature plant, and have it last for the lifetime of the plant,” Strano says. “Our work very seriously opens up the doorway to streetlamps that are nothing but treated trees, and to indirect lighting around homes.”

The Annual Value of Urban Trees Expressed in US$

Ten megacities from five continents were examined

09 September 2017 From Paul Münzner Filed Under: Featured, GREEN SPACE

What is the value of urban trees in megacities, measured in money? Is it even possible to express the value of urban trees in monetary terms? Researchers from ESF Department of Environmental Resources Engineering in the US have taken the trouble to evaluate the benefits of city trees. Their recently published study points out the findings – the value of urban trees – and puts hard facts on the table. Ten megacities from five continents were examined.

Value of Urban Trees: $505 Million Each Year and Megacity

The cleansing effect on urban environments, the more pleasurable atmosphere and the decreased urban heat island effect with all its consequences, such as a reduced energy demand for cooling, equals a mean value of US$505 million. Or to put it differently: It corresponds to a per capita value of US$35 or a mean value of US$1.2 million for each square kilometer of urban trees. The researchers analyzed the cities of Beijing, Buenos Aires, Cairo, Istanbul, London, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Moscow, Mumbai, and Tokyo. With metropolis areas ranging from 1,173 to 18,720 sq km, the median tree coverage in these cities is about 21%.

39 m²Trees Per Capita on The Average

“Megacities can increase these benefits on average by 85 percent,” said Endreny, the study’s lead author. “If trees were to be established throughout their potential cover area, they would serve to filter air and water pollutants and reduce building energy use, and improve human well-being while providing habitat and resources for other species in the urban area.”

Annual Value of Urban Trees Expressed in US$ - Italy, Sicily — In monetary terms, the soothing effect of urban trees on the nervous system is hardly measurable (Sicily, Italy)

“Trees have direct and indirect benefits for cooling buildings and reducing human suffering during heat waves,” Endreny said. “The direct benefit is shade which keeps the urban area cooler, the indirect benefit is transpiration of stormwater which turns hot air into cooler air.”

“Placing these results on the larger scale of socio-economic systems makes evident to what extent nature supports our individual and community well-being by providing ecosystem services for free,” said one of the co-authors, Professor Sergio Ulgiati of University Parthenope of Naples, Italy. “A deeper awareness of the economic value of free services provided by nature may increase our willingness to invest efforts and resources into natural capital conservation and correct exploitation, so that societal wealth, economic stability and well-being would also increase. As a follow-up of this joint research, we have created in our university an Urban Wellbeing Laboratory, jointly run by researchers and local stakeholders.”

City-State Singapore Breaks Ground for First Dual-Mode Desalination Plant

Providing 137,000 cubic meters of fresh drinking water daily

30 June 2017 From Paul Münzner Filed Under: Featured, Water

Singapore doesn’t need to hide its light under a bushel when it comes to innovative green technologies. In the past, Singapore has gathered sound experience with desalination plants. The next one, the fourth, is quite different. We now know how the latest desalination plant looks like. Singapore’s national water agency PUB and Keppel Infrastructure Holdings Pte Ltd presented their new design for a dual-mode desalination plant whose ground-breaking ceremony already took place. This variable desalination facility is the first of its kind and able to treat fresh water from the nearby Marina Reservoir as well as saltwater from the ocean.

Singapore’s 4’th Desalination Plant Appears Like a City Park

“Over the years, we have been making investments in desalination plants to bolster our water security. As a source independent of weather, desalinated water is capable of strengthening our water supply resilience, especially against prolonged dry spells and droughts. We aim to triple its capacity to meet up to 30% of our water needs by 2060,” said Mr. Ng Joo Hee, Chief Executive of PUB.

Providing 137,000 cubic meters of fresh drinking water daily

At first glance, it might not appear like a desalination plant. It is largely covered with green plants and looks more like a city park with a river. The green space on the roof of the plant stretches over 20,000 square meters and can actually be used as a public park. Depending on weather conditions, water can be taken from the Marina Reservoir or the sea in order to treat it.

Desalination Plant in Singapore - Ground-breaking ceremony — Breaking ground on the Keppel Marina East Desalination Plant (Singapore’s national water agency PUB)

“We are pleased to unveil the design of the Keppel Marina East Desalination Plant and mark another first in Singapore. Not only is this the first desalination plant in Singapore capable of treating both seawater and freshwater, the plant’s design also blends seamlessly into the environment, allowing the public to enjoy the green space above the plant along with the surrounding greenery.” Dr. Ong Tiong Guan commented.

Dr. Ong Tiong Guan adds: “By challenging conventional ideas of a desalination plant and re-imagining how an infrastructure facility should look and function, Keppel Infrastructure aims to demonstrate that engineering and design excellence can go hand-in-hand as we push for sustainable urbanization.”

Liuzhou Forest City in China – Can’t See The City For The Trees?

Forest City absorbs 10,000 tons of carbon dioxide and 57 tons of pollutants yearly

30 June 2017 From Paul Münzner Filed Under: Featured, Green Building

If you are familiar with the latest architecture trends, it is very likely that you think about buildings planted with trees and bushes on each floor in case you hear the name Stefano Boeri. In 2015, his architecture firm announced to build the first Cedar Trees Tower in Switzerland. Some months later, the Italian designer presented a planned building project – a high-rise park called Vertical Forest – for the Chinese city of Nanjing. But only one with trees planted multistory building doesn’t seem to be enough. China recently started construction work on Liuzhou Forest City in the southern Chinese Province Guangxi west of Hongkong. It stretches over 175 hectares along the Liujiang River. Very likely the first ever planned city consisting of plenty buildings with extensive facade greenery.

40,000 Trees – Nearly 1 Million Plants – More Than 100 Species

Liuzhou Forest City from a birds eye designed by Stefano Boeri Architetti — Liuzhou Forest City stretches over 175 hectares along the Liujiang River (Stefano Boeri Architetti)

Liuzhou Forest City with station from a bird's eye — (Stefano Boeri Architetti)

Commissioned by Liuzhou Municipality Urban Planning, houses, hotels, offices, hospitals and educational institutions will be completely covered by shrubs and trees. It will not only offer homes to around 30,000 people. Liuzhou Forest City is able to improve the air quality by absorbing almost 10,000 tons of carbon dioxide and 57 tons of pollutants yearly. Roughly 900 tons of produced oxygen contribute providing healthy air for the inhabitants of this innovative city. But all the greenery fulfills a further function: The countless leaves and branches on every floor work as natural noise barriers. Also birds and insects will like the new habitat.

Liuzhou Forest City from a bird's eye designed by Italian Designer Stefano Boeri — Liuzhou Forest City from a bird’s eye (Stefano Boeri Architetti)

According to the Master Plan, Stefano Boeri Architetti aims to connect Forest City with electric cars driving on a fast rail line. But the focus is not only on greenery and emission-free mobility. The objective of energy self-sufficiency can probably be achieved through renewables like geothermal energy or solar panels on the roofs.

Liuzhou Forest City from the side view — Liuzhou Forest City from the side (Stefano Boeri Architetti)

For residents, it is interesting to know how the maintenance and plant care is organized. Furthermore, how is about the safety? Actually, there should be a reliable solution to protect people from falling branches.

GREEN SPACE

There is much more than just wood

Switch Between Day and Night

… transform the complex into a full-featured green building dream

A Wooden Structured High Tech Complex

The 404 Meters Long ‘Dutch Mountains’ Project Competes with The World’s Highest Skyscrapers

MIT Applied Three Components to Create Bioluminescent Plants

Value of Urban Trees: $505 Million Each Year and Megacity

39 m2 Trees Per Capita on The Average

Singapore’s 4’th Desalination Plant Appears Like a City Park

Providing 137,000 cubic meters of fresh drinking water daily

40,000 Trees – Nearly 1 Million Plants – More Than 100 Species

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39 m²Trees Per Capita on The Average