| In the South of Germany, in the middle of the Black Forest, Freiburg gets over 1 800 hours of sunshine a year. Photovoltaic solar panels on the roofs the " solar city’s " houses provide the residents with more energy than they need. In the 1970s, Freiburg's population was mobilised against the implantation of a nuclear power station in this region close to the French border and chose to use renewable energy. In 1992, large amounts of land and barracks were freed by the French army. This made it possible to develop the Vauban ecoquarter where 5 000 people now live on 38 ha. It was conceived by the German architect Rolf Disch. The roofs on this housing scheme's "excess energy" houses are turned towards the South and so are their insulating picture windows that absorb the sun's rays in winter. These houses which are well insulated do not consume much energy and the excess electricity that is produced is bought by the local electricity company. The future inhabitants of the quarter were involved in the project's development. The houses and small buildings were conceived and built with renewable materials and clean energy, the roofs are vegetalised and rainfall is collected. To get around, people prefer to walk, cycle and use tramways rather than drive cars. With 200 000 inhabitants, Freiburg im Breisgau is a pioneer town in envronmental matters and so are the Bedzed Centre in London and Malmö, Bo01, in Sweden.
Visit the YAB Gallery for books and signed prints |
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