How can we ensure that the 1,000,000 new homes that are needed in the Netherlands before 2030 exert as little pressure as possible on the already difficult-to-achieve climate targets? Even if all future homes are built according to the current agreements (BENG [nearly energy-neutral building], and 4% emission reduction in the industry), the CO2 budget for construction (under a 1.5-degree warming scenario) will be used in 2026 already.

As the construction sector, we are currently responsible for 38% of all greenhouse gas emissions. The problem is definitely gaining momentum in the debate; however, the focus within our professional community seems mainly to be on single methods or materials - whereas the solution lies in an integral approach.

Carbon-Based Design is this approach. It provides insight into the CO2 cycle and what role the construction sector and the circular construction economy play in it. The focus is on embodied carbon (or material-related emissions during the production and construction process) in residential construction. By gaining insight into the construction process and which parts of it have the most impact on the total emissions, we can adjust our design and development strategy accordingly. The aim is clear: to design and realize buildings with the lowest possible CO2 emissions, or ideally even CO2 storage.

With a focus on the emissions of production and construction and the ratio of operational and embedded energy, we found solutions for the way from carbon exploitation to carbon sequestration.

A very special project in our portfolio is the Chalimbana Local Government (CLG) Training Institute in Chalimbana, Zambia as it can be seen as a good example of a passive and self-sufficient city. The aim of the masterplan was to increase the quality of life of both students and academic staff of the Institute, to structure the campus for the long term, and to provide the grounds with a clear, recognizable identity.

Low-tech in construction but high-tech in designing, we created a plan that included everything needed for an autarchic project. In a very sustainable manner, we used the excavated soil to press it into bricks contributing to the buildings being passively cooled and heated. To achieve that we mainly used the sun energy. From a special angle and material of the roofs to the orientation of all buildings to strictly East-West, with the main facades (North & South) avoiding the low angles of the sun, CLG Training Institute became an eco-friendly vision made into reality. Also, we made sure that the rainwater and the cleaned sewage can drain into the groundwater locally, granting a precise water cycle.

The existing road provides access to the campus by car. Simultaneously, a new main route for pedestrian connections is established as the new 'heart' of the campus. It runs between the mostly residential area on the North and the educational program on the South side of the grounds. These two clusters - housing and education - at the two opposite ends of the campus are surrounded by the lecturers' houses, and by leisure activities. By closing off some of the student housing blocks, small neighbourhoods are created, with inner gardens and courtyards providing atmospheric living quarters.

Tourism, which is important for many countries and regions, harbours the great danger of destroying nature and culture that is worth protecting. At Unveiling The Riviera, we have therefore paid particular attention to using the great potential of the region to create a strong economic base for the population and, on the other hand, to respect, protect and preserve the rich heritage of the Riviera. Our proposal aims to unveil the hidden potentials with three different goals: Restoring, connecting and activating the area, starting from the existing.

Restoring aims for a rehabilitated and revitalized landscape next to touristic and environmentally sensitive areas. Connecting beaches, hills and mountains with each other and the hinterland is achieved by connections on different scales. We increase the accessibility of the various landscapes of the southern Riviera through hiking trails, a cycle connection following the EuroVelo network as well as a network of new thematic trails along the coast. These connections will increase tourism, targeting different groups in extensive areas that activate the whole Riviera.

Using the good local climate conditions and local attractions will help tourism extend all season. Our proposal uses the existing panoramic road as a backbone for a new system that can expand the recreation potential of the area. The strategy aims to reconnect the local population with their land, make it tangible in a sustainable way, and give the region the place in the international attention it deserves.

The fringes of the city hold the promise to live in connection to nature, surrounded by landscape, open space and informal structures. At the same time, areas like these are criticized for their lack of functions, their boredom and their consumption of natural resources. How then – in the spirit of Ebenezer Howard - to create a "green urbanity" which is more diverse, dense, socially mixed and productive while at the same time maintaining the special qualities of the city edge? For the German BBSR, The Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development we developed scenarios on How the Garden City can be translated to the 21st Century?

A viable model can only ensue when spatial principles and specific qualities are brought and thought together with the processes, structures and stakeholders that shape the city. The planning approach for Garden City 21 therefore draws its topics, concepts and strategies from the context. Four sample areas illustrate how built and unbuilt intertwine, how aspects of a Garden City can be developed not only on the fringes of the city and how it can embrace local competences, programs and structures.
Scenario-based designs and strategic stories are the starting point, and are used to illustrate the qualities of urban and open spaces, so as to be able to discuss them with stakeholders.

Link to publication: 'Gartenstadt 21', Bundesinstitut für Bau-, Stadt- und Raumforschung

With its amazing food, its multitude of untouched nature and its rich ancient history Albania deserves a much broader public that comes to visit, than the 'off the beaten track tourist'. International tourism is a sector in constant development: More and more travellers are looking for authentic experiences which enrich them as individuals and also do something good for the country they are visiting.

Sustainable tourism can provide these experiences through unique learning experiences directly tied to a country's people and culture. Having this in mind the Dutch Embassy supported the cooperation of Cityförster with MVO Nederland and partners, to work on an inspiring concept for sustainable tourism in Albania, combining it with agriculture. The goal was to strengthen one destination by a multi-stakeholder approach to create a better place to live and visit. After comprehensive analyses Qeparo, an old village along the coastline of Albania has been chosen as a concrete area and in March 2016 a one-week workshop consisting of field visits, interviews with local entrepreneurs and design and business planning sessions with entrepreneurs on agriculture, hospitality, tourism services, urban planning and product design was organized. It resulted in potential projects, business cases and future scenarios for Qeparo. The project is currently being prepared for follow-up, up-scaling and replication.

You can find the online version of the report here.

In the beginning of May 2018 students and professionals from Albania and the Netherlands went on a trip to Nivica, exploring the village and the region, and drafting first ideas. The team included architects, urban planners, archaeologists, landscape architects and architectural historians. The workshop results built the foundation for the further development of a masterplan for Nivica.

The goal of this masterplan is to develop a model for a sustainable and prosperous rural economy, with touristic potential within Albania but also on an international scale. As a Living Lab, Nivica allows to experiment with alternative forms of (slow) tourism, small scale investment, renewable energy and local food and waste chains. The masterplan combines the preservation of buildings and structures related to the rich history of the region with a sustainable, diverse expansion of the touristic potential.
Nivica is meant to be the prototype for Albania's "100 villages" plan, which sets out to fundamentally rethink rural development in the country

The project is located on the western outskirts of Tirana, an area which has seen major development in recent years due to its prime location close to the main entrance corridor to Albania's capital. With a total of approx. 400.000 m2 built floor area the new district will house approximately 7.000 inhabitants. It stretches between two large parks, whose conceptual design also formed part of the competition brief. Runway Park is a 1,1 km long former landing strip and Lana Park is an extension of the city's main green axis. The design proposes an urban layout that forms a hinge between these two parks, making them accessible, as well as connecting them, whilst strengthening the distinctively different character of both. The urban structure reflects a combination of three typologies: 4 storey stripes, 12 storey towers and 8 storey 'urban rocks'. The aim is to offer a broad variation of lifestyles, as opposed to the prevalent development paradigm of 9 storey broken perimeter blocks in Tirana.