Tag: Luftqualität

  • Wood City – a milestone for the cities of the future with wood

    Wood City – a milestone for the cities of the future with wood

    The renaissance of timber construction as a symbol of ecological building
    The decision to use wood as the primary building material is at the centre of Stockholm Wood City. This step reflects the growing awareness of environmentally friendly construction methods and emphasises the many advantages of timber constructions. In addition to enhancing the aesthetics of the urban space, timber buildings help to improve air quality, promote well-being, increase labour productivity and act as a natural carbon sink.

    “Stockholm Wood City is a manifesto of our vision for the future,” explains Annica Ånäs, CEO of Atrium Ljungberg. “The project not only marks a significant step forward for our company, but also sets a historic milestone for Sweden’s innovative strength.”

    Innovation and sustainability as guiding principles
    Stockholm Wood City goes beyond the mere use of wood as a building material and takes a holistic approach to sustainability. The project integrates advanced technologies to increase energy efficiency and promotes the careful use of resources through the self-production and shared use of energy as well as the use of resource-efficient construction techniques.

    As a flagship project for future-orientated urban development, Stockholm Wood City will not only enrich the cityscape of Stockholm, but will also provide significant impetus for the construction industry worldwide. With its fusion of innovation, sustainability and community spirit, it offers an inspiring blueprint for the design of future urban living spaces.

  • How data is changing our cities

    How data is changing our cities

    They know what we buy, who we meet and where we drive or walk. Airbnb, Amazon, DriveNow, Google Maps, Lieferando, Lime and Uber are just a small selection of platforms and services that collect data on mobility and purchasing behavior. With the help of this wealth of data, technology groups are redesigning urban spaces for the optimal use of their services. A phenomenon that can be described by the term platform urbanism. “Technology companies have immense knowledge about urban mobility. They use this know-how in contact with city administrations, for example to create new transport systems,” explains the art and architecture theorist Peter Mörtenböck. He knows: the architecture departments of Alphabet and Amazon are creating the data-supported districts of tomorrow.

    Peter Mörtenböck and his team wanted to know: How do data, the public and urban spaces change each other? Supported by the Austrian Science Fund FWF, the researchers conducted basic artistic research over a period of five years, held conferences, developed exhibitions, published two books and established collaborations. During this project period, more than 100 people were involved in research.

    International artistic research
    The process was international. Knowledge about video surveillance was collected in London. A trip to Tallinn provided insights into e-governance, another to Mumbai about environments that are only rudimentarily shaped by technology groups. The core team visited Silicon Valley several times. The researchers held discussions with architects and employees from Apple, Meta and Alphabet. “In particular, we looked at the campus architecture and the plans for expanding it with new residential areas. These are prototypes for future housing estates,” explains Mörtenböck. The role of patents was also presented. "The Steve Jobs Theater on the Apple campus and the design of the Amazon department stores are just a few examples of patented designs," explains the visual culture professor.

    Artistic research approaches, for example in the form of drawings and animations, helped the researchers to question their own assumptions on topics such as the public nature of data. Creative approaches also have other benefits. “One of our major concerns was to convey how each and every individual is involved in data production. Knowing how the environment is changing insidiously gives you an idea of what data is being collected and what it can do. Artistic research helps to find an interface with the public,” says Mörtenböck. For example, the project team members Lovro Koncar-Gamulin and Christian Frieß developed video installations and animations as visual translations of the research process. Discussions were held with interested parties in Carinthia, Styria and Vorarlberg. Debates were held with international researchers and experts at conferences in Vienna, London and Los Angeles.

  • Zurich is the most sustainable city in Switzerland

    Zurich is the most sustainable city in Switzerland

    The British IG Bank has compiled a list of the most sustainable Swiss cities. According to this, Zurich is considered the most sustainable city in Switzerland. Lausanne, Bern, Lucerne, St.Gallen, Lugano, Geneva and Basel follow Zurich.

    For its ranking, the bank used government data sources from the eight largest cities. She then combined the results with evaluations from international agencies. The focal points in determining sustainability included air quality, the use of public transport, the proportion of recreational areas, the population density and the proportion of populated areas.

    IG Bank emphasizes that Zurich is not only the most sustainable, but also the largest city in Switzerland. This makes the top position all the more impressive. Zurich did well in all areas. However, the use of public transport was particularly decisive. According to the bank, 67.1 percent of residents use some form of public transport. This is one of the main reasons for the good air quality in the city. As a further highlight, IG Bank highlights the fact that Zurich has its own government department for sustainable building. This focuses on creating a 2000 watt society.

    IG Bank is convinced that current and future investments will be strongly oriented towards sustainability. The aim of their ranking is to "highlight Switzerland's commitment to sustainability". In addition, the data should serve as an “indicator for future trends and show what other big cities could do to repeat Switzerland's success”.