GREEN BUILDING

The Rise Of The Grotius Towers – Completion Expected 2022

A 3D landscape of greeneries and terraces - Completion expected in 2022

10 May 2019 From Paul Münzner Filed Under: 2019, Featured, Green Building

Soon we will see the rise of residential towers, Grotius I and Grotius II at Grotiusplaats, which is currently an underdeveloped area in The Hague, Netherlands. The two towers will be created by developer Provast in collaboration with the MVRDV. The towers will feature a 3D landscape of greeneries and terraces which will give it a distinct look even from afar. The sun’s orientation is where the design of this crowing feature is based as well as the sea and city center’s view.

“A Three-Dimensional Landscape of Terraces and Greenery”

Despite serving as a significant connection between the Beatrix Quarter and Bezuidenhout area, the structure’s location remains underused. The addition of the Grotius towers will pave the way to its extensive transformation into a vibrant and energetic city district. The towers will soon offer around 655 residential apartments of the utmost quality. Parts of it will also have social housing with cafes and restaurants in the plinth, as well as an underground parking space.

Night view Grotius Towers designed by MVRDV developed by Povast in The Hague Netherlands — (MVRDV)

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According to Winy Maas architect and MVRDV co-founder, “The two towers are, as it were, ‘broken’ to create a series of roof terraces, which together form a human neighborhood.” She also added that “You can pass coffee or tea to the neighbors, so to speak. Residents will soon have fantastic views from the tenth floor over the sea to the north and Rotterdam to the south. The Grotius Towers represent a makeover of the station quarter.”

The design of MVRDV also proposed to lower, cover, and transform the highway near the Grotiusplaats into a lovely park. The team made a thorough study to ensure that its footprint will be most favorable to the environment.

The Grotius Towers represent the successful partnership of MVRDV and Provast which began with the opening of Markthal in 2014 which provided the Rotterdam Blaak station neighborhood with a major transformation and a significant tourist attraction.

Library and Grotius Towers designed by MVRDV developed by Povast in The Hague Netherlands — (MVRDV)

Grotius Towers by night designed by MVRDV developed by Povast in The Hague Netherlands — Grotius Towers by night (MVRDV)

Roof of Grotius Towers designed by MVRDV developed by Povast in The Hague Netherlands — (MVRDV)

Medical City For Healing: Fifth XiangYa Hospital Surrounded by Natural Environment

Completion Expected 2020

08 May 2019 From Paul Münzner Filed Under: 2019, Featured, Green Building

China’s healthcare delivery will have a new face as the Fifth XiangYa Hospital designed by Payette is about to implement a new world-class standard for it. The hospital – situated in ChangSha, China – considered to be nested building segments and network of systems, houses over 2,500 rooms for patients and can cater to more than 10,000 patients each day.

Completion Expected 2020

The hospital will also have a new campus that has a VIP Hospital to its north side and a General Hospital to its south side. It includes an array of gardens and buildings interconnected with each other which covers about 30 acres of site that integrates with its neighboring Xianguling Park.

Birds eyeMedical City For Healing - XiangYa Hospital in China desifned by Payette — (Payette)

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The systems may be incorporated tightly and dependent on each other, but it is shown that parts of the building are separate volumes, distinguished, and clearly exhibits the workflow and programs of the organization.

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The hospital is set amidst the location’s topography, overlooking the mountains encompassing it, as well as Xianguling Park. On the podium shared by diagnostic and treatment, there’s a couple of patient towers floating above it. It’s an embedded nest where nature’s pervasive presence unifies the array of structures.

The superstructures have ample windows that allow plenty of natural light in and provide stunning framed views of the building’s natural environment that surround it. Its light monitors, courtyards, and gardens, also embed nature further into them.

Every patient room here has a window known as the Family Nest which is the facade’s main component. It alleviates the massive scale variation between a specific patient and his family and the hospital. Every aspect of its design serves various purposes, from sunshade and façade articulation to family seating.

Each Family Nest slightly differs in frame calibration from one room to the other to maximize natural ventilation and solar performance while at the same time still offers a comfortable area for all family members.

Topview Medical City For Healing - XiangYa Hospital in China desifned by Payette — (Payette)

Outdoor Facilities of Medical City For Healing - XiangYa Hospital in China desifned by Payette — (Payette)

outdoor Medical City For Healing - XiangYa Hospital in China desifned by Payette — (Payette)

side view rendering Medical City For Healing - XiangYa Hospital in China desifned by Payette — (Payette)

CPH Common House First Upcycled High-Rise Building in the World

17,577 tons of waste can be upcycled to build the complex enabling to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 1,174 tons

03 May 2019 From Paul Münzner Filed Under: 2019, Featured, Green Building

Due to the Danish architecture firm TREDJE NATUR, their latest proposal CPH Common House is the first upcycled high-rise building in the world. Situated in the Ørestad area of Copenhagen, its designers Lendager Group and TREDJE NATUR aim to set totally new standards for sustainability. Incorporated circularity played a pivotal role right from the very beginning. With a total residential area of 21,000 square meters and 30,000 square meters of commercial space in the building’s base, topics like a well-thought-out microclimate, resource use and material recycling are core parts – instead of annoying trivialities – of the architectural concept.

Danish architecture firms Lendager Group and TREDJE NATUR - CPH Common House in Copenhagen — (TREDJE NATUR)

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Reusing rainwater to cultivate the terraces and the roof garden

”With CPH Common House, we want to show that you can easily build high and densely without losing the connection to history, context and the human scale. The project is based on a strong understanding of the site, resources and the microclimate, which results in an empathetic benchmark for sustainable high-rise buildings in Copenhagen,” said Ole Schrøder, partner at THIRD NATURE.

Community Meeting Spaces in the Courtyard and On the Roof Terraces

But why TREDJE NATUR calls CPH Common House the first upcycled high-rise building in the world? Due to the architects, 17,577 tons of waste can be upcycled to build the complex. This enables to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 1,174 tons and reuse resources like tiles, concrete, window frames or wood paneling to an unprecedented extent.

Danish architecture firms Lendager Group and TREDJE NATUR - CPH Common House Rainwater — Reusing rainwater for planting and cultivating terraces and the roof garden (TREDJE NATUR)

CPH Common House provides several recreation areas on the different roof stages and greenery-infused courtyard. According to TREDJE NATUR, the many grass plains, plants, flowers, bushes and trees improve the bio factor by 5 percent.

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The client of the project is SOLSTRA Development – Bellakvarter A/S. ”For SOLSTRA Development, it has been crucial to collaborate with architects that could provide the best possible basis for the further process. Here THIRD NATURE and Lendager Group have exemplified how to build a distinctive high-rise building with great qualities and values in both the housing units as well as the outdoor spaces,” said Søren Raae Teisen, Development Director at SOLSTRA DEVELOPMENT A/S.

Danish architecture firms Lendager Group and TREDJE NATUR - CPH Common House bio factor increased — Green roof areas, edge zones and a green a lush courtyard increase the bio factor by 5% (TREDJE NATUR)

Danish architecture firms Lendager Group and TREDJE NATUR - CPH Common House balconies — (TREDJE NATUR)

Danish architecture firms Lendager Group and TREDJE NATUR - CPH Common House Courtyard — (TREDJE NATUR)

Canada’s First Net-Zero Vertical Farm Planned in Toronto

Allegedly, "cleantech is one of the fastest growing sectors of the Ontario economy"

30 April 2019 From Paul Münzner Filed Under: 2019, Featured, Urban Farming

The University of Toronto (U of T) Scarborough and Centennial College, Ont., will together develop Canada’s first net-zero vertical farm called the Environmental and Related Technologies Hub (EaRTH). It is primarily intended for research, academic programming and commercialization in order to make progress in the cleantech sector. This net-zero vertical farm will be situated at U of T Scarborough in Toronto, Canada.

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“We know the future belongs to sustainable, clean technology and this partnership complements the strengths of both Centennial College and U of T Scarborough,” says Andrew Arifuzzaman, U of T Scarborough’s CAO. “This commitment is also an exciting opportunity to bring economic activity and jobs to the Eastern GTA in a sector that is only going to become more important in the future.”

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“Every single component of the building, from the heating and cooling to the lighting to the vertical farm, is an element that students, industry and the community can interact with,” says Andrew Petrou, director of strategic initiatives and external relations at Centennial College. “The goal is that they would be able to engage with this facility at all levels through programming, research, testing and experiential learning opportunities.”

Roof of Canada’s First Net-Zero Vertical Farm Planned in Toronto - Scarborough Centennial — (U of T Scarborough)

MoU Signed Beginning of 2019

“The vertical farm will become a key resource in assisting communities across Canada in tackling issues related to food, water, air, energy, waste, and advanced design and integrative systems,” says Professor Bernie Kraatz, vice-principal research at U of T Scarborough. “These are all key areas in understanding how to create resilient communities in the face of climate change.”

Green Roofs in New York City Mandatory on New Buildings Due to Climate Mobilization Act

New York Follows Cities Like Denver, Portland, Toronto, and San Francisco

28 April 2019 From Paul Münzner Filed Under: 2019, Featured, Green Building

New York City, New York – From high-rise residential building to the iconic Empire State Building, any structures over 25,000 sq ft may face massive fines if they do not adopt a greener structure. The result of the city’s latest green building ordinance by 2030 is comparable to that of taking out over a million vehicles off the streets of New York.

Green Roofs in New York City Mandatory Due to Climate Mobilization Act - Rockefeller building — Rockefeller Rooftop Garden (Rian Castillo – Flickr)

The Climate Mobilization Act, which is a set of resolutions and laws specially created to improve New York city’s energy efficiency drastically, was approved last April 22 preceding Earth Day. The historic bill will transform the city literally green. What will see in the years to come is a Big Apple with a skyline abound with plants, wind turbines, and solar panels, instead of its trademark glass-dominated one.

The so-called “New Green Deal” aims to reduce as much as 40% of GHG emissions by 2030 and more than 80% by 2050 in New York. The focus of the legislation is the structures in the city with green roofs being pushed in the spotlight.

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Cities such as Denver, Portland, Toronto, and San Francisco have already taken the leap. New York City not far behind in their footsteps is requiring brand new commercial and residential buildings to incorporate their rooftops with either solar panels, plants, mini wind turbines, or if possible combine all three due to dwell.

Green Roofs in New York Reduce Cooling Demand and Absorb Dust

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It may seem like modifying the material of a rooftop is a tiny step, but it will have an overall profound impact. Green roofs with vegetation can help reduce the Heat Island Effect (HIE). Solar radiation which is stored in the building masses and roads can now be used to grow plants instead of heating up cities. And since there will be moderation in heat gain, power plants demand will also decrease as well as the energy consumption of the building. Green roofs are also absorbing dust and dirt and nearby places for relaxing moments.

According to one of the sponsors of the bill and member of the NYC Council, Rafael Espinal, the bill they passed will not just make Big Apple’s skyline more beautiful, but New Yorkers and future generations will also benefit from it by improving the quality of their lives. Aside from covering new structures, the Climate Mobilization Act will also include those going through particular large-scale improvements and renovations.