CITIES OF THE FUTURE

As long as the urban population increases, the pollution and the consumption of resources are gradually rising up too. Although, we have the necessary technology in our hands to benefit from free of charge resources such as sun, wind and water, the balance of the ecology is lost with overpopulated cities.  Resources are usually not as efficiently as used or adapted into architectural projects.

I would like to introduce you Vincent Callebaut, a Belgian Architect who thinks a lot on ecological architecture projects. His “Hydrogenase” project is one of the good examples to show how far it is possible to develop an ecological space. Basically, the project proposes millions of seaweeds producing hydrogen in the middle of the sea on an island. As crazy as it sounds, we need natural sources more than ever; and I think it is worth to listen to. The project consists a vertical zeppelin which produces 100% of its own energy, can be used as a transport and accommodation at the same time. The zeppelin has hotels, laboratories, social areas and gets its electricity and hydrogen from seaweed farms, which can be build in different areas on the ocean.

Another of Callebaut’s exciting project is a coral reef that he proposed to build an eco village concept for earthquake survivors in Haiti, in 2010. Built on seismic piers, the coral island could feel and avert people when an earthquake would approach. The project is comprised of two apartment blocks where each family would have its own land, and could grow up their own fruits and vegetables. The design is inspired by the organic structure of actual coral reefs, and will be built on an artificial island in the Caribbean Sea.

Callebaut is recently working on “Swallow’s Nest”, an eco-designed city cultural center/public library and fine arts museum for Taiwan. Thermal pool in France, a swimming garden, which is going to clean waterways in Europe, skyscraper farms for New York are some of the ecological projects that Callebaut proposes to safe the life of the World.

View from Begovaya, Moscow, recent settlements...

Instead of keep building new habitat blocks without soul it is time for us to think about our environment and get more creative in using our resources. If you look settlements around Moscow you will notice a lot of blocks of buildings, which serve only to accommodate a lot of people, the rest is just a block of concrete without design, taste or any other worries. They don’t say anything new, I think it is time to worry about how cities will look like in future and we should accept that at the end, green house is not going far than a label, which helps real estates to sell their merchandise. On the other hand, as in Callebaut’s case, scientologists, architects and ecologists collaborate to find out real ecosystems, which can save the planet.

To sum up, I invite people to open their minds to the real meaning of the adjective “ecological” and accept that is bigger than a marketing label for a standard building but a multifaceted solution for future habitats where scientists and architects can work together.

by Zeynep Kun Dundar