ecological awareness

The performance of two demonstration houses, built and occupied throughout 2013, were measured through a combined quantitative and qualitative assessment. Two families occupied the houses over a 9- & 12-month period of assessment. The factors measured were temperature, relative humidity, CO2 concentration and daylight levels. A Building Management System monitored the readings at quarterhour intervals and the living experiences of the occupants were documented through bimonthly questionnaires, phone interviews and blog entries.

Botticelli is a Smart NZEB built in Passive House Standard. It is on the island of Sicily near Etna Vulcan int he village of Mascalucia which is located in the Catania Province. It is a firs example of Net Zero Energy Building (NZEB) adopting complete integrated design of Passivhaus Institut concepts in a Southern Mediterraean climate. It is also the first Passive House in Sicily and has additionally become an Active House with positive energy generation. It is residential building that has been occupied since December 2012.

This year Grosvenor commissioned five ‘smart’ historic retrofit projects in London designed to achieve the EnerPHit standard, the world’s leading sustainability standard for refurbishment that employs passive house principles. All five buildings are typical London terraces with attractive brick frontage and traditional single glazed windows.

The raingarden is to provide a sustainable source of treated stormwater for the parks mature trees and sporting fields in a way that added to the existing landscape character of the park and added interest for users. Melbourne has experienced drought conditions for a number of years now and this project was to replace the existing need for potable water being used to irrigate our parks and gardens. This raingarden is designed to remove 16,000 kg of annual total suspended solids per year of operation.

Beginning in 2006, a new urban district, Qunli New Town, in the size of 2733 Hectares, was planned to be developed at the east outskirt of Haerbin City of North China. 32 million square meters of buildings will be constructed in 13-15 years. More than one third of a million population are expected to live here. While only about 16.4% of the developable land was zoned as permeable green space, the majority of the former flat plain will be covered with impermeable concrete.

Zollhallen Plaza is new counterpart for the historic customs hall which was restored in 2009. The plaza is a fine example of water sensitive urban design, as it is disconnected from the sewer system. Beautiful planters provide infiltration points, and subsurface gravel trenches with innovative in-built filter medium reduce the hydraulic overload on the sewer system. Indented plaza areas create a surface flood zone. No rain water is fed to the sewer system, instead the ground water table is recharged. The design plays with the historic past of the site which was a rail yard.

The iconic Potsdamer Platz bridges the scar left by the wall between East and West Berlin. A veil of shallow flow-steps create a rhythmic surface of shimmering waves, providing multiple opportunities for people to cross and interact with the water. This urban waterscape has contributed to making Potsdamer Platz one of the most visited places in Berlin. The idea behind this important urban waterscape is that the rainwater should be used where it falls. At Potsdamer Platz, a combination of green and non-green roofs harvest the annual rainfall.

The serious game "Flood Control" is used by FloodCom for training and workshops to improve the communication- and disaster management during an (imminent) flood. The current version of the game is focused on Rotterdam and surroundings. The goal of the game is to help regional government bodies communicate better, let them practice in taking decisions under stress and based on conflicting information. With the use of "events" a disaster scenario develops during the game to which the players need to respond.

Amsterdam Rainproof is a platform that activates and stimulates different stakeholders to improve watermanagement in Amsterdam. The main goal is to collect water out of rain and make better use of it. The still growing density of the city of Amsterdam in combination with the climate change makes the city vulnerable for the consequences of heavy rainfall. Citizens, companies, institutions and the municipality have to find an innovative way to deal with this natural water. Waternet took the initiative to start the program Amsterdam Rainproof.

The strategy addresses key issues of flood management and water quality, while seeking to create the greatest possible synergy with the urban environment. A “cloudburst” tool box of urban interventions, such as cloudburst boulevards, cloudburst parks, cloudburst plazas, provides the basis for a dynamic and multifunctional system. This new generation of blue-green infrastructures addresses essential city services such as mobility, recreation, health and biodiversity, creating a strategic and feasible approach to ensure long-term resilience and economic buoyancy.