Jukka Noponen
firstname.lastname@sitra.fi
+ 358 40 587 4323
firstname.lastname@sitra.fi
+ 358 40 587 4323
Constructing an ecological urban life.
Low2No comes from the phrase “from low carbon to no carbon”. The Low2No approach includes low-energy, low-carbon engineering and construction. It seeks to promote a gradual transition from low-carbon to carbon-free urban construction.
Besides low-carbon, energy efficient construction, a key priority is to enable lifestyles and consumer habits which increase well-being and minimise the burden on the environment.
With a total floor area of 22,000 sq m, the city block under construction in Jätkäsaari, Helsinki, will be the first site where the Low2No approach will be developed and defined in practice.
Low2No is an approach to engineering and construction which results in a sustainable built environment and creates the preconditions for ecological urban life.
Low2No comes from the phrase “from low carbon to no carbon”. It is an ongoing development project which seeks to promote a gradual transition from low-carbon to carbon-free urban construction. The goals are the real-time monitoring of carbon dioxide emissions and a continuous decrease in energy consumption.
The approach promotes a healthy and welcoming living environment and encourages people to adopt a sustainable lifestyle, helping to create a diverse and collaborative urban community.
The aspects of the model include a holistic approach to development and planning, which combines the construction industry’s planning traditions with functional planning during the in-use phase. Over the years, the points of focus of the Low2No approach will shift and develop, and different projects will focus on different aspects.
Low2No development includes low-energy, low-carbon engineering and construction, yet energy efficiency here is only one dimension of sustainability in urban planning. Encouraging consumption patterns which minimise the burden on the environment is the key. The goal is to affect people’s preconceptions about residential areas and to create new preconditions for construction and living. These development efforts will give rise to a new urban culture and a new way of living.
The smallest unit to which the Low2No approach will be applied is a city block. Low2No is also an ideal approach to the development of an area comprising several blocks, or even an entire district. The thinking behind it is to promote multiple or shared use where different types of functions are housed in the same area. Through local service providers, functions and services are made available to everyone. The community approach finds new expression in the city block. Instead of each building having its own sauna, laundrette or social room, there will be communal spaces where services are provided by local entrepreneurs.
A city block in Jätkäsaari will be the first site where the approach is developed and defined in practice. The block will also be constructed according to Low2No principles.
SRV and VVO will build about 200 homes in the block, and Sitra will have its new premises built there. More than half of the apartments will be owner-occupied, and some will be funded through the Hitas system. The rest will be rented apartments owned by VVO. Sitra’s premises will account for slightly less than one-third of the permitted building volume of 22,000 square metres. In addition to a regular supermarket, space is reserved for shops offering local food, a public sauna and a green laundrette, as well as small-scale allotment gardens for residents.
The block will be developed in the lines of “c_Life – City as Living Factory of Ecology”, the winning entry of the international competition on sustainable construction design. From among the 75 international teams which registered for the competition, five groups were invited to submit an entry, with ARUP-Sauerbruch/Hutton-Experientia-Galley Eco Capital taking home the prize. Construction will begin by the end of 2011, and the project is scheduled for completion by the end of 2013.
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