Archives for December 2015

Mapping the worldwide city populations 1950-2030

It is not necessary to study statistic tables anymore

20 December 2015 From Paul Münzner Filed Under: GIS

Between 1960 and 2015 the worldwide urban population was never growing less than 2 percent per year. In 2016, more than 54 percent of the worldwide population is living in cities. Especially the urban population in East Asia was growing rapidly in recent years.

For more precise information regarding the growth rate of cities from all over the world, it is not necessary to study statistic tables anymore. Duncan Smith, an urban geography researcher, created and published an interactive map about worldwide city population growths. It records the individual city population between 1950 and 2014 plus a forecast up to 2030. A substantial part of Duncan Smith’s map are datasets provided by World Urbanisation Prospects.

Growths of city population in Lagos (Nigeria) (Duncan Smith)

The radical transformation of a city is visualised through circles for 1950, 1990, 2015 and 2030. Each is proportional to the number of its inhabitants. Particularly striking are cities in South East Asia, Africa or Latin America. Their extremely fast growths is eye-catching.

Additionally, information like Largest Cities (in 1950, 1990, 2015 and 2030), Lowest Absolute Growth and Highest Absolute Growth (in 1950, 1990, 2015 and 2030) are provided on request.

Vertical Farm 2.0 – Urban Farming on a Large Scale

An annual yield of more than 630,000 kilograms of lettuce or 95,000 kilograms of tomatoes per floor

19 December 2015 From Paul Münzner Filed Under: Featured, Urban Farming

For more and more people, urban farming is certainly not a foreign word anymore. The advantages, such as shorter transport distances and fewer emissions, are well-known. However, the lack of space compared to conventional farming, especially in city states like Singapore or Hong Kong, restricts opportunities for efficient cultivation. Acreages are often too small or not very compact.

Researchers from the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) together with international partners are offering a breath of fresh air. With Vertical Farm 2.0, they create an opportunity which enables multi-level cultivation of plants in large cities. A well organized urban cultivation of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers or herbs would be possible all year round.

“We would grow the plants in our production factory under precisely controlled and ideal conditions,” explains Conrad Zeidler, Project Leader at the DLR Institute of Space Systems. “Our lettuce and tomatoes would not taste any different to the food that people buy in supermarkets today.”

Within the scope of an interdisciplinary study conducted over several days in the Concurrent Engineering Facility (CEF) at DLR Bremen engineers, biologists, technicians and architects progressed satisfactorily. The study was carried out together with the Association for Vertical Farming.

The vertical farm with a ground area of 74 by 35 square meters and six-meter high floors is not comparable with common residential buildings or office complexes. It enables a very area efficient use. According to DLR, an annual yield of more than 630,000 kilograms of lettuce or 95,000 kilograms of tomatoes can be obtained per floor. It is possible to organise the cultivation on different shelf levels due to the high storeys. This enables a cultivation area of 5,000 square metres for lettuce or 1700 square meters for the comparably high tomatoes, on each floor.

Growing lettuce in the EDEN laboratory (DLR)

The optimal plant growth can be achieved with LED light and a precisely controlled nutrient solution. Currently, the DLR scientists investigate perfect growth conditions with their ‘Evolution and Design of Environmentally closed Nutrition sources’ (EDEN) laboratory.

Only the upper four of five floors of the vertical farm are used to cultivate plants. For example, the logistic centre, the cold store and the administration are situated in the ground floor. The centre of the vertical farm houses the elevators and tanks.

“It is particularly important that the high-rise ‘greenhouse’ has a modular structure that will enable its adaptation to suit the specific requirements of each location,” says Zeidler. The vertical farm should be easily adaptable to local conditions and individual needs of vegetables and fruits. The principle that parameters such as humidity, light and nutrients are precisely controlled remains the same for each location. “This means that the plants will grow faster and therefore the growth process is more productive. We can even influence the taste by adjusting the parameters.”

Flourishing in a controlled environment (DLR)

All nutrients are provided in a liquid form. For this reason, no soil is needed. “We have a clean cycle, sealed from the outside world, and therefore do not need any pesticides or chemical insecticides.” The system will only need a relatively small amount of process water, as it is continually re-used. This kind of self-contained ‘greenhouse’ will also allow the scientists to do their research independently of the weather and the season.

There is still considerable need for further research with a view to the amount of energy that the LED lighting requires. “Out in the field, the Sun provides this energy free of charge.” Nevertheless, Zeidler remains confident: “LEDs are becoming increasingly efficient, which means the relative cost of their energy consumption will also drop over the next few years.”

“Our objective is ambitious – to build, together with our partners, a pilot vertical farm in Europe,” says Daniel Schubert, Team Leader of the EDEN Group at DLR. A vertical farm of this kind could be used in many different areas: “Areas where arable land is not available due to poor soil quality and insufficient water, such as a desert, would be conceivable, for instance. The system would also be suitable for regions with very low temperatures, where traditional agriculture is extremely restricted.”

Source: German Aerospace Center

Self-sufficient floating home becomes reality

A salt hydrate fireplace provides heat on cold winter days

06 December 2015 From Paul Münzner Filed Under: Featured, Green Building

The expansion of human habitats from the land to the water, sea or lakes, is not a new idea. The search machine Google supplies an overwhelming number of results for the search term “life on water” by now. A well-known example from practice are the artificial islands on the coast of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Many different concepts were designed by architects, artists or engineers from all over the world. Some of them are realistic. Some of them are unrealistic ideas.

Real self-sufficient floating homes, used as permanent residences, are probably a novelty. Two Fraunhofer Institutes based in Dresden, the Fraunhofer Institute for Transportation and Infrastructure Systems (IVI) and the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems (IKTS), as well as other partners work together in the autartec® project. Their aim is to build a self-sufficient floating home on Lake Geierswalde, to the northwest of the city of Hoyerswerda (Germany) in the Lusatian Lake District, by 2017.

According to Fraunhofer, this floating home will not only look elegant. It will also be independent of external water sources as well as energy supply like electricity and heat. “These kinds of energy self-sufficient floating homes do not exist yet,“ says autartec® project coordinator Professor Matthias Klingner of IVI. Many lakes in the Lusatian Lake District are cut off from infrastructure such as water and energy supply. “We want to find a solution for this kind of environment,“ says Klingner.

The self-sufficient house extends over two floors, offers 75 square meters of living space on the ground floor, and another 34 square meters on the first floor. A 15 square meter terrace overlooks the entire lake. It is based on a 13 by 13 meter steel pontoon. Solar cells will provide electricity. They are integrated in the building envelope. In order to save space, the rechargeable lithium polymer battery system is integrated into the textile concrete walls or into the stair elements.

Researchers at IVI develop an efficient heating and cooling systems. A salt hydrate fireplace provides heat on cold winter days. A tub, filled with water and salt hydrates, is placed above the fireplace. “When the fireplace is on, the salt hydrates liquefy and begin to absorb heat,“ Dr. Burkhard Fassauer of IKTS explains. The thermal energy can be stored almost indefinitely in case of completely liquefied salt hydrates. In order to release the heat when required, radio-based technology is used to induce crystallization. The principle is known from pocket warmers. A clicked metal disc inside induces crystallization so that the pocket warmer solidifies and gives off heat. When heated in water, the crystals liquefy and the heat is stored until the next click.

But a fireplace is not enough to ensure a comfortable air temperature during the winter. In this case, a zeolite thermal storage unit in the pontoon might help. The zeolite minerals are dried during the summer. This is a purely physical process in which heat is stored. “In winter, the moist air is enough for the storage unit to give off heat,“ Fassauer explains. An adiabatic cooling system provides cool air in the summer. It does not require electricity compared with conventional air conditioning systems. It can use the principle of evaporative humidification to cool. One surface on the side of the house is planted and moistened. The evaporation process will cool the building envelope.

The experts at IKTS are responsible for the water supply in the houseboat. “We are currently developing and experimenting with a closed loop system for drinking and service water,“ Fassauer explains. To accomplish this, the scientists rely on a combination of ceramic membranes and various electrochemical and photocatalytic processes. Land-based wastewater treatment is usually using biological processes. This is not possible in a floating house. “We must rely on physical and chemical methods. Thus, ceramics provide very efficient ways to bring together processes like photocatalysis, electrochemistry and filtration in a confined space,“ says Fassauer. Such processes are very aggressive. Other materials like steel and plastic will fail. The equipment for the circulatory system will be accommodated in the pontoon of the self-sufficient floating home.

Source: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.

Ecocapsule Launched – One Year After Building Its Prototype

EUR 79,900 each - The price includes warranty and service costs for a certain period of time

05 December 2015 From Paul Münzner Filed Under: Featured, Green Building

Nice Architects from Bratislava unveiled its Ecocapsule in May 2015 at the Pioneers festival in Vienna. It is probably the most self-sufficient mobile accommodation. As announced in mid-2015, it is possible to order this innovative option for independent housing from now on. Delivery of this series is limited to European Union and associated countries, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and will start in 2016. Customers will get Ecocapsule not later than end of Q1 2017.

Fifty Ecocapsules are initially available for EUR 79,900 each. The price includes warranty and service costs for a certain period of time. “Our mission is to offer first-class product to all our future customers. Most of the technologies we use are still rapidly evolving, but year 2016 is perfect for Ecocapsule to be finally born,” says Igor Zacek, CEO of the project. For those who are patient, can reserve this cute house and wait for a better price. In addition, bulk orders are possible, too.

The Ecocapsule team has also published an exhaustive Frequently Asked Questions document and Technical specifications, providing comprehensible answers on most typical inquiries, such as undercarriage availability, shipping costs or network connection.

The compact mobile house weighs approximately 1.9 tons with full water tanks and can go off-grid under specific conditions and in specific environments. It was designed as a self-contained system which is able to sustain long periods of time without external resources. Something in terms of Swiss-army knife. The high efficient 2,6 m² solar cells (rated output: 600 Watt) and a silent wind turbine (rated output: 750 Watt) provides electricity for the capsule dwellers, all onboard systems or the rechargeable 9,744 watt-hour battery.

Thermal losses are reduced through a thick layer of efficient thermal insulation (R=min. 6.5) and energy recuperation. The windows with hardened security glass (triple glass, U=min. 0,6) are covered with colored polycarbonate. The round shape helps to collect rain water and series of membrane filters are allowing to fill tanks from any natural water source. Organic waste is collected in the composting toilet. Manual water pumps were installed as a backup system for the unlike case of depleted battery. All these small tricks together are creating a system able to sustain without resources for long periods. According to the company, two adults are able to live on roughly 8.2 square meters (gross floor area).

The capsule can be quickly shipped and used as an urban dwelling for singles in the high-rent, high-income areas like Tokyo or New York. It can be placed on the rooftop, if possible, or vacant parking lots, if available, and substitute studios for a longer period of time.

Ecocapsule was founded by Igor Zacek, Sona Pohlova and Tomas Zacek. The first prototype is currently to be seen near Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia.

Singaporean Rail Corridor – The beginning of a new era

The new Rail Corridor will include a kaleidoscope of several user experiences

03 December 2015 From Paul Münzner Filed Under: URBAN PLANNING

Open space and fallow land in a city or its outskirts are wonderful opportunities to create something new with comparatively few restrictions. It gives free rein to the imagination. In the following an example from real life.

Between 30 November 2011 and 9 March 2012, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) of conducted its “Journey of Possibilities” – Ideas Competition for the Rail Corridor seeking ideas from the public of Singapore on what they though should become of the 24 km-long decommissioned Rail Corridor, spanning the entire nation of Singapore. Formerly the Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) Railway Line, it was built in 1903 to transport goods like rubber and tin.

More than 100 years later, on 30 June 2011, the last train departed from the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station in the south. Following on from this extensive public consultation process, and having established the Rail Corridor Partnership to explore and promote community activities along the Rail Corridor, on 18 March 2015 the URA launched the ”Rail Corridor – An Inspired and Extraordinary Community Space” Request for Proposal (RFP), inviting design professionals from all over the world to develop a Concept Master Plan and Concept Proposals for the 24 km-long Rail Corridor. 64 teams responded with their submissions in the Stage 1 Pre-Qualification exercise that closed on 15 April 2015 with the Evaluation Panel shortlisting five teams to proceed to the second Stage.

The Rail Corridor is a 24-kilometre long former railway line that stretches the entire breadth of Singapore, from north to south (Nikken)

The five teams’ proposals were assessed by a 12-member Evaluation Panel chaired by Mr. Ng Lang, Chief Executive Officer of URA, on the quality and strength of their design principles and concept designs towards achieving the Planning and Design Goals for the Rail Corridor. Besides assessing the robustness and feasibility of their design methodologies and proposals, the Evaluation Panel also paid particular attention to the effectiveness and creativity of the proposals in integrating the 24 km Rail Corridor with its diverse surroundings to benefit the surrounding communities and offer differentiated experiences to Singaporeans.

Lines of Life is a people-centric spine that stitches the nation with a collection of lives (Nikken) — Lines of Life is a people-centric spine that stitches the nation with a collection of lives – Click to enlarge (Nikken)

The Evaluation Panel awarded the Concept Master Plan on 9 November 2015 to the design team comprising Japanese firm Nikken Sekkei Ltd, local landscape firm Tierra Design and local engineering firm Arup Singapore Pte Ltd, together with other supporting firms. According to URA, their proposal, titled “Lines of Life”, they were able to strengthen the Rail Corridor’s identity, connectivity, landscape and heritage, while providing a more inclusive and vibrant public space that offers a great variety of quality experiences and activities for different segments of the population.

The Station Garden accommodates amenities like a bicycle station, and a café, as well as spaces for larger events like the Green Corridor Run within a lush, green environment (Nikken)

The team developed a clear vision and mission statement for the Rail Corridor, supported by a comprehensive set of planning objectives and strategies that serve as guiding principles for the design and programming of the Corridor. Their plan makes life on the Rail Corridor an enjoyable experience. It includes a kaleidoscope of user experiences and activities along 10 nodes and 8 distinctive stretches that depict the Corridor’s different landscapes and characters. Each node strikes a balance between the built environment and greenery.

21 modular 'platforms' along the entire Rail Corridor provide varius combinations of amenities such as lighting, toilets, showers, resting points, water points and cycling facilities (Nikken) — 21 modular ‘platforms’ along the entire Rail Corridor provide varius combinations of amenities such as lighting, toilets, showers, resting points, water points and cycling facilities (Nikken)

Mr Wataru TANAKA, Director of the Integrated Public Design Studio, at NIKKEN SEKKEI LTD said, “We approached this design opportunity, not merely as a landscape design assignment but more as a ‘Public Space Design’ project, where we consciously took the design approach to integrate the communities that the Rail Corridor touches into the design itself to make a truly meaningful public asset within a broader urban context. To this end we undertook a specifically coordinated team effort for public design where the broad consulting resources of Nikken Sekkei in Urban planning & Design, Landscape and build environment design have been fully integrated and supplemented with the knowledge and skills of our local Singapore based team members to provide a clear vision and execution plan for an immensely complex design task. I think this was essential to our success.”

At the moment, the Singaporean Rail Corridor is a stretch of greenery without most of its tracks, sleepers and railway equipment.

Archives for December 2015

Singaporean Rail Corridor from the eyes of a drone