SWITZERLAND AN ECO-DISTRICT IN THE CANTON OF GENEVA
In the heart of the canton of Geneva, Switzerland, French architect Vincent Callebaut is designing a car-free eco-neighbourhood with a 10,000 square meter urban park. Called The Greenhouses, the area under study will host public services shared with the surrounding urban fabric and at the same time it will ensure the continuity of soft mobility north south between Renens station and the Federal Polytechnic of Lausanne.
Therefore, the architecture provides future residents with terraces and duplex balconies, installed in a staggered manner. All flats are also comb-oriented, systematically arranging the living areas towards the south and the lake and the sleeping areas towards the north.
On the buildings, rain flows choreograph the gravity flow of rainwater from the green roofs to the orchards through the balconies. Osmotic pumps in the basement also filter grey water coming from the kitchens and bathrooms to ensure a continuous supply of water for drip irrigation, cleaning, and toilets.
Landscaped terraces include planters for growing plants and vegetable gardens as an extension of living rooms. This ‘revegetation’ helps to eco-cool the temperature, lowering it by 3-5 degrees thanks to evapotranspiration and the filtering of solar radiation. In addition, residents can cultivate more than 30,000 plants and shrubs, thus removing 170 tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere each year.
From a structural point of view, the architect chose a solid wood construction with flexible framing, which allows for reversible office/living quarters configurations. The modular design, prefabricated off-site, optimizes construction time and cleanliness, and offers the possibility of customization.
From: Domusweb.it
Courtesy Vincent Callebaut
