Hamburg-Harburg Harbor, Germany, is on the cusp of it’s first nearly entirely sustainable creative-industrial complex. The development ECO CITY, designed by tec architecture with the help of ARUP, aims to attract industry, entertainment and pedestrian life back to the neighborhood. ECO CITY’s ten major structures, ranging in size from studios to large warehouses, offer a variety of “different spaces for different purposes, bringing both large-scale industry and creative start-ups together in one, cooperative, and eco friendly business community.”
More about ECO CITY after the break.
“ECO CITY represents a synergistic approach to urban development,” explains tec Principal Sebastian Knorr. “By working in close cooperation with all the stakeholders and taking into consideration the immediate environmental context of the project, we’ve created a different type of sustainable, creative-industrial complex. We hope that iconic ECO CITY project becomes a model for sustainable urban development.”
As for some of the sustainable functions, the ECO CITY will include large wind turbines to generate more than 10% of the complex’s power; solar water heating; solar technology; environmentally friendly materials; and passive design techniques and efficient façade design to reduce energy consumption by about 30%.
The project stresses the need for a small carbon footprint as over 40% of ECO CITY’s footprint consists of open air. Green roofs will be elevated to gain more access to air and sunlight and more than half the site will be covered with vertical gardens.
ECO CITY is seeking the highest level of environmental certification for the three major green building rating systems in the world: USGBC’S Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Program, the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method, and the German Sustainable Building Councils Program.
The first phase of the project is complete, and the second phase, which includes plans for the high-rise tower and a major office complex will be completed around the summer of 2010.
**sigh**
If this is what “living green” looks like, I want no part of it…
wht the funny shapes?
why the funny projections?
oh coool!, so that means if i put a turbine on the roof of my house, …..I’d be living in a green eco building! sweet. eco city here i come
if that turbine generates the energy that you consume, well yes
Read the article, johnny.
Actually, the real problem with wind energy is that the wind is never constantly blowing and also those turbines generate a significant amount of noise. Like the article says, they’ll only generate 10% of the complex’s total energy. Frankly, I think that number would be slightly less..
is that Tom Selleck?? awesome, can I project that on to my wall? sorry, I can’t say that I have much constructive criticism to add either…
If BREEM s accessible, procurement methodology was adopted as an international style, we might then, and only then talk of paradigm shifts in terms of true, human development.
Bespoke BREEAM http://www.breeam.org/page.jsp?id=96
I only hope we get quickly to a time when “eco-design” won’t be anything more than normal…
…Normal? Normal what? …Sounds dreadfully boring to me, I’m sure any other designer would agree…
I just meant that people would stop presenting their project as “alternative”, or “new” or “revolutionary” or anything like that just because it’s eco-friendly…
The idea is an interesting one, but to be honest I dont feel visualization translate your work into viewer well enough. Particularly front view is quite flat. Strength of this design is unusual exterior shapes and this should be made as strongly visible as possible, in my humble opinion. Thanks, Lumiges
ah… just spotted the ferrari in the rendering… that will help the sustainable approach….
y want to live there
no ferrari’s in the rendering just smart cars…..smart!
The project is nice, and poses a lot of questions that need large space to be discussed. I will only give my opinion on the concept of “ecocity”, say, the title of this project. To be honest, indeed, I feel a bit confused with this term”. I read 5 days ago an article of a French journalist in a French web newspaper “Rue 89″ on this concept of ecocity (“écoville” in French, but you can also say ecopolis). The article mentioned Songdo, in Korea, as one of the most fascinating examples of “ecocities”. The key element of Songdo, if I don’t mistake, is to combine new technologies, or computing, and sustainability. The French journalist proposed a reply that could be interesting if it was not defeatist — we French love to be sceptical. He said more or less: “the problem with these projects is that the designer and his client want to deal with the issues as a whole, but they finally fail.” The problem, and this is my own opinion, is the concept of “ecocity”. What I see here is more technology, a little bit of sustainability. Why am I saying that? I agree with some architects and theoreticians who envision “ecocity” as open source, and more specifically as reactive, like an organism — I am thinking of charismatic François Roche (R&Sie(n)) whose a part of R&Sie(n)’s research examines the relation between ecology and city. In its catalogue I’ve heard about he wrote a script as follows: “the primary function of the biostructure is to serve as a dwelling place. Its secondary function is to be reactive rather than proactive (etc.”), say, the city must develop its own adaptive behaviour.
We all know R&Sie(n) works on relation of innovation, architecture, sustainability, and the city. He usually uses computer and complex softwares. I think his vision of “ecocity” seems be more clear than Tec Architecture + Arup’s project of Eco City that tends to be the continuation of 20th Century-style city.
it looks surprisingly pretentious
are those windmills on the right a “product” of the ETH Zurich?? I know that they developed wind mills that are looking very similar……
Hmm, ok, I understand that it is a eco city, but, come on, it is so ugly. People just stay for a moment and think about where the architecture is going. And I’m not talking about the turbine from the roof, or I’m not an eco man, but come one, let’s be honest with our selves this is a big bullshit. I really don’t like the shape, or they are different, they are not mergeing with anything. I don’t know what to say anymore, but I don’t like it. I hope that I will find moderation arownd here.
i dont feel standing on the same earth. it’s too much for me. a common ppl.
don´t you realize that changes?? it makes the day a day living so much esier it so cool but those building are kinda ugly but its the first CITY
Unfortunately we live a big lie in the US. ,