There are more and more smart homes, zero emissions and with international certifications. In addition, architects and engineers are looking for new forms of construction that are much more respectful of the environment, using solutions based on nature and cheaper than traditional ones. We are also seeing gardens in large cities being transformed and expanded, with innovative solutions that offer large green areas in the middle of highly inhabited neighbourhoods, which help to lower temperatures in summer and encourage walks and sustainable transport. The fight against climate change has long become a necessity.
This is the case of the most sustainable house in Europe, designed by Arquima, a company dedicated to the industrialized construction of homes, equipment, facades and envelopes, with criteria of passive construction, health, sustainability and maximum energy efficiency. Located in Sant Andreu de la Barca, its design has achieved Passivhaus Premium certification and five Green Building Council Spain sheets. The Passivhaus Premium is the most demanding in the world and requires designing the buildings so that all the energy comes from renewable sources, until reaching a positive balance of five times the energy consumed.
The mycotecture is a type of living architecture that takes advantage of the possibilities of the mycelium of fungi for sustainable and low-cost constructions. Its spores are mixed with other components, such as agricultural waste, the fungus consumes the nutrients and becomes a mass that is placed in molds. It is a fireproof material, resistant to mold and water, and which can reach a hardness greater than concrete at the same weight. One example is Biohab, a project created in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The pilot has been carried out in Namibia and they use invasive shrubs such as the very common acacia mellifera, which are processed to create bricks.
On March 24, the exhibition "Garden futures" opens at the Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein (Germany), where the history and importance of gardens is explained through examples from different fields, from design, culture popular or landscaping. The last part of the exhibition deals with future projects, where the garden is shown as a healing element. To do this, the Argentine artist Alexandra Kehayoglou has created a walkable textile garden that raises awareness about the threat of global warming. The Vitra Design Museum, designed by Frank Gehry, is dedicated to design research, exploring its relationship with architecture, art and everyday culture.
Oslo, Stockholm, Tokyo, Copenhagen and Berlin are the most sustainable cities in the world according to the latest report from the consulting firm Arcadis. The study highlights Oslo for its transportation system, green spaces, and use of renewable energy. In second place is Stockholm also for its transportation, the reduction of air pollution, for being a city that promotes green business and finance, and for the wide wi-fi connection. It is followed by Tokyo, where once again sustainable transport is the key, and Copenhagen, thanks to the Danish government's innovation in making the capital a much more livable place. And from Berlin, from Arcadis they remember its green spaces and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
