Sustainable construction, with all its potential, was only adopted by
clients like real estate developers, listed companies and investors as
late as 2007. The demand for sustainable buildings continues to grow.
At the same time, people wonder whether it isn’t a hype that will
eventually blow over. During the Architecture Conference 2.0
of November 2007 in the Netherlands Architecture Institute, which
focused on the future of the architect, sustainability was hardly a
topic of debate. Why not? Could it be that sustainable construction is
viewed as a threat to architecture? In our opinion, sustainability can
actually enhance the quality of architecture, provided we are able to
define what is meant by the term sustainable construction.
Nine sustainability aspects
Taking
our views on sustainable construction as a point of departure, we have
formulated a number of aspects that together determine the
sustainability of a specific building. Thanks to increasing insight
into the issues at hand, in due time certain aspects will disappear or
actually be added to the list, and points of specific interest will
shift. For the Zuidkas, we have decided to focus on the following nine
aspects, which at this point in time we believe to be particularly
relevant for this project – for this assignment.
CO2 emissions aim for minimum CO2 emissions, including by limiting traffic movements through combination of functions.
Healtha comfortable interior climate, sufficient daylight and view promote people’s wellbeing and health.
Lifetime
flexibility of function and layout of the building offer the
possibility for modification in the future. The materials should also
be selected with an eye to their expected lifetime, adaptability or
re-use based on the cradle to cradle principle.
Connectivity connectivity means that the building is connected with its surroundings in a logistical and sociocultural sense.
Beauty
beauty contributes to the appreciation of a building by its users.
People will take better care of the building. They will feel better in
it.
Surroundings because of increasing
building density in urban spaces, landscape areas do not have to be
sacrificed to low-density urban developments.
Energy flows
by combining energy flows, among other things, light, heat, cooling and
ventilation can be handled intelligently and efficiently.
User value
people must be able to make a building their own. For this reason,
functionality and adaptability are important points of concern.
Innovation: new (technological) developments will lead to new concepts (of work),
in the same way that ICT has led to flexible workspaces, for example.
Anticipating new developments is therefore important.
Working on the basis of our views on the material, we formulated nine
sustainability aspects, from which the Zuidkas concept emerged almost
as a natural conclusion. Taking issues like CO2 reduction,
energy savings and public health into account, we arrived at a
functional mix in the building that is far from ordinary: homes,
offices, a school, parking facilities, retail, restaurants, a park and
a biogas electrical plant. All of these functions can be connected by a
glass envelope that accommodates a variety of ‘greenhouses’: CO2
greenhouses, hybrid greenhouses, a buffer zone and various atria. The
objective was to make an intelligent autarchic building that allows for
the exchange of energy and CO2 streams and the conversion of
waste streams into heat and energy. As well as minimising the
building’s total emission levels, bringing back the building’s energy
requirement to minimum levels, and above all creating an attractive,
comfortable and healthy environment for people to live and work in. To
develop the building as a miniature city, embedded in the proposed
urban structure of the Zuidas. A sustainable Unité d’Habitation.
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Lohas-Magazin 4 
