ESC, the first prototype of a sustainable and smart city-campus for transforming cities in Romania
EFdeN is one of the most well-known student NGOs in Romania that works in the field of sustainability, having over 10 years of experience. Aiming to transform the cities we live in for the next generations, we have started the ESC project, which will allow visitors to experiment what it would be like to inhabit a city like this. We follow the SDG's proposed by the UN for 2030. We are showcasing elements of a smart and sustainable city by representing 8 of these components in physical format.
National
Romania
Bucharest
Mainly urban
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)
No
No
Yes
2021-04-06
As a representative of an organisation
Name of the organisation(s): Asociatia Solar Decatlon Bucuresti - EFdeN Type of organisation: Non-profit organisation First name of representative: Ioana Last name of representative: Csatlos Gender: Female Nationality: Romania Function: General Manager Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Bd. Pache Protopopescu, No. 66 Town: Bucharest Postal code: 021407 Country: Romania Direct Tel:+400720222232 E-mail:ioana.csatlos@efden.org Website:https://efden.org/esc/
Cities play a pivotal role in achieving climate neutrality by 2050, the goal of the European Green Deal. They are home to 75% of EU citizens. In addition, cities consume over 65% of the world’s energy and account for more than 70% of global CO2 emissions.
In order to make a real impact, sustainability has to become accessible for the general public, otherwise, it remains merely a rich man’s privilege and cannot influence the building sector to the necessary degree in the era of rapid urbanisation and large energy consumption. Our vision is to create a place where the abstract concept of sustainability comes to life, through innovation, education and co-creation, allowing citizens to experiment living in a city that puts nature and communities first, as well as inviting them to reconsider their relationship with nature in a life centred perspective, as an alternative to the human centred one.
Aiming to transform the cities we live in for the next generations, we have started the ESC project, which will allow visitors to experiment what it would be like to inhabit the desired city of the future. We follow the SDGs throughout all our activities, ESC showcases 8 out of the 17 SDG, transformed into physical, innovative projects, that have the power to educate on sustainability, and moreover, offer credibility and inspiration for the new development model, showing that it can be done. In order to stronger connect the importance of education in sustainability, ESC was created in The campus of the Faculty of Installation Engineering in Bucharest was to also be a welcoming place for students, professors.
We are showcasing elements of a smart and sustainable city, by representing 8 of these main components through practical projects and themed areas, testing them and communicating the results.
Education and Awareness
Smart & Green Homes
Urban Farming
Waste Management
Renewable Energy
Urban Transportation & Mobility
Health and Wellness
Sustainable art
Reconnecting with nature
Education
Innovation
Sustainable development
Good practice models
The ESC purpose itself encapsulates sustainability objectives, by showcasing, experiencing and educating on key industry areas for sustainable, smart cities. First, we follow sustainability principles in the development stage of the project, through a multidisciplinary and educational approach, bringing together volunteers, students in technical and non-technical universities, to co-create. Second, we aimed to offer concrete best practices for transforming cities, showing how new, renovated or regenerated built environment and public spaces may contribute to protection, restoration and regeneration of natural ecosystems (including soil and water cycles) and biodiversity, as well as increase citizens' health and wellbeing. This is why ESC does not design from scratch a new, entire city, a utopia that diminished credibility and faith in transformation, but uses existing buildings, models and infrastructure to upgrade and innovate on, in order to demonstrate feasibility.
Last, we focused on 8 industry areas, reflecting 8 SDGs
Our concept is focused on integrating nature into our homes and surroundings. Providing green spaces for recreational and educational activities is one of our main focuses when designing the concept for EFdeN Sustainable City. We try to keep as many of the natural resources available on site as possible, while also planting trees, plants and developing permaculture areas. In order to meet this objective, we also aim to set a good example for public administrations in terms of increasing and improving green spaces
Wanting to build prototypes that would pollute less, we focus on using reusable materials, for the structures. The homes, which are an example of scalable potential, were designed with materials inspired by nature. Both houses are active homes and they produce more energy than they use. For the EFdeN Signature house, we followed the LEED standards, being awarded the Platinum certification with a score of 105, ranking first in Europe
Our main goal is to inspire those who visit EFdeN Sustainable City to further seek sustainable approaches for living, after familiarizing them with the concept of energy efficiency, while also offering a subtle ode to nature. Our idea includes the design of a creative meeting space and integrates traditional aesthetic patterns to promote not only mental health, but also physical health.
Inspiring though a living lab
Energy efficiency is met with skepticism by the public due to its futuristic allure, making the mainstream audience stay away from concepts of living that alienate humans from their designs. With this in mind, ESC is envisioned as a fragment of future urban areas, easily integrable in the cities of today.
Creative community spaces
Spacious benches around the photovoltaic trees that have panels seamlessly integrated in the upper part, plants that blend harmoniously with the cooling system are all available for people who wish to relax in our Solar Garden. The modular benches are designed so that two friends can socialize or work comfortably together.
Integrating traditional motifs
To furtherly attract fellow citizens to this kind of living, we incorporated motifs from traditional patterns in our houses as perforations in the facade, and the summer shading of the entrance gives an interesting play of lights and a cooler space.
Healthy mind & Healthy body
The comfort of the mind and body are key points of the campus that seeks to juxtapose spaces with a natural and biophilic design where nature surrounds you not only due to the existence of plants, but also by color palettes inspired by nature that give the sustainable design a more humane approach; and colorful interactive areas that elevate the spirit.
Sustainable art
We have designed a stage for outdoor concerts and theater representations, we are a place for sustainable art exhibitions, and we create pieces of art from recycled materials.
Transformations should also favour social inclusion, for instance by considering affordability and accessibility of the place, using the preservation and restoration of its environment as a common task for the whole community to work together, or using green areas as connectors / common and shared spaces across different districts.
Our objectives are to promote inclusion, creating a city for everyone, where students from different backgrounds feel welcomed. In our team, we are keen on respecting gender equality and diversity. Regarding the recruitment of our volunteers, we want to eliminate the possibility of unconscious biases.
A city for everyone
The campus is a place for recreational activities in an oasis of peace in the center of the capital. Spaces are specially designed to host both sports and intellectual activities, representing an interdisciplinary hub. We aim to grow a community with the same sustainable values.
We organized a co-creation contest in which we offered people from outside the organization the possibility to include their needs into our design. Their ideas were implemented in our city.
Creating communities
A location where you can discuss your ideas with colleagues or you can sit in a quiet place to stay focused on your project, your activities, and stay motivated on tasks. Information and awareness campaigns about renewable energy are sources for people who want a better future for their city. Hosting outdoor conferences on environmental protection and climate change or promoting campaigns with public figures about the benefits of urban mobility help popularize the concept of sustainability
Gender Equality
At this time, our Management & Board Unit is composed of 3 women and 4 men and in generaly we have more women than men in our team, which is a utopia for construction field
Equality & Diversity in recruiting
We are offering everyone an equal chance to be part of our team and we assure objectivity, fairness and transparency.
ESC comes to life through The “Points of Interest” that managed to combine the 3 aforementioned dimensions - sustainability, inclusion and aesthetics. We created aesthetically appealing prototypes, displayed at various events, using materials for which the life cycle was calculated
The project aspires to be a creative hub for the citizens of Bucharest and a best-practice model, that can be replicated in Romania's cities. But in order to design a space for the community, we also aimed to include those benefiting from the project in the conceptual phase of our lab. Thus, our team held a co-creation competition where teams enrolled to design the city of tomorrow. Architecture students worked alongside engineers to harmoniously combine elements of aesthetics and functionality into the concept. In this competition was part 8 finalist teams from different fields of work and formation, for example, one of the most known NGO in the field of waste management and recycling. They won the implementation budget and possibility to build their projects with us in ESC
As for the impact of our project, we followed 2 main goals. Firstly, the educational component of the project is achieved by the highly informative value of the project. Visitors do not only come here for leisure activities but also to learn about energy efficiency and sustainability. However, the most valuable achievement is that those who come here learn to view sustainability as an integrated aspect of the urban space and grow more and more accustomed to ecological alternatives and further implement them. Secondly, the recreational component is a valuable asset of ESC, due to the fact Bucharest vastly lacks green spaces and especially functional green spaces
The prototype is both a museum and a working hub, providing a space for multiple activities. More flexible, spaces provide efficient land usage that is an open resource for students, the public, or private and public events in the roam of sustainability.
EFdeN Sustainable City is a pilot project, a place where we develop ideas, projects and collaborations with other organisations, universities, citizens, civil society, professionals, companies, public administrations and everyone who aims to co-create the cities and communities of the future we all envision.
The project aspires to create a creative hub for the citizens of Bucharest. But in order to design a space for the community, we also desired to include those benefiting from the project in the conceptual phase of our urban lab. In order to do so, our team launched a co-creation competition where teams enrolled to design the city of tomorrow.
Their submissions are not only relevant in the scope of the contest, but also in the design process of some of the areas such as the creative area, the mobility area, the study area, and many more. Their proposals was taken as inspiration for future development of the Sustainable City whilst also involving the creators in the manufacturing of these Points.
On the other hand, the Houses Zone from ESC was developed by EFdeN volunteers, but professors, professionals and people from Romania and from France and Dubai (where the Solar Decathlon has been) were an important part for the relevance and sustainability of our projects.
The Mobility Zone from ESC, wouldn't be possible without public administration and citizens, so we developed this in partnership with them. We started some public questionnaires, to know what problems, difficulties and struggles citizens have every day. After this, we made some plans, ideas and solutions and we signed partnerships to competent authorities to resolve it together.
EFdeN Sustainable City is a pilot project, a place where we develop ideas, projects and collaborations with other organisations, universities, citizens, civil society, professionals, companies, public administrations and everyone who aims to co-create the cities and communities of the future we all envision.
The project aspires to create a creative hub for the citizens of Bucharest. But in order to design a space for the community, we also desired to include those benefiting from the project in the conceptual phase of our urban lab. In order to do so, our team launched a co-creation competition where teams enrolled to design the city of tomorrow.
Their submissions are not only relevant in the scope of the contest, but also in the design process of some of the areas such as the creative area, the mobility area, the study area, and many more. Their proposals was taken as inspiration for future development of the Sustainable City whilst also involving the creators in the manufacturing of these Points.
On the other hand, the Houses Zone from ESC was developed by EFdeN volunteers, but professors, professionals and people from Romania and from France and Dubai (where the Solar Decathlon has been) were an important part for the relevance and sustainability of our projects.
The Mobility Zone from ESC, wouldn't be possible without public administration and citizens, so we developed this in partnership with them. We started some public questionnaires, to know what problems, difficulties and struggles citizens have every day. After this, we made some plans, ideas and solutions and we signed partnerships to competent authorities to resolve it together.
We are an education-based NGO that seeks to promote the creation of sustainable communities so it’s in our best interest to help people know what they need to do for that purpose.
The EFdeN name comes from f[N] - where N is Nature. Nature is at the core of everything we do as we try our best to protect it and bring it closer to people so that they are much more considerate towards it, like in ESC project also. The story of EFdeN is unique. Not because we say so, but because so does the academic body, hundreds of partners, the authorities, the business environment, mass media and the public at large.
What started as a singular project 10 years ago, with the occasion of the participation in the Solar Decathlon Europe 2014 competition, is now the most important sustainability NGO in Romania and the only one in the country to develop construction projects for educational and research purposes, along with educational modules for students, specialists and the general public. Moreover, the students developed practical skills while working on the construction site.
Most often we measure the impact by the number of visitors and media appearances. The number of visitors from the beginning to now would be over 65 000 people, counting the visitors from Solar Decathlon competition. In 2021 we had more VIP visits than public visits. Here we could list: + 100 C level from companies, + 10 ambassadors of European countries + USA, +10 representatives of the French Ministry of Energy Transition, including the Minister, + 6 representatives of the European Commission in Romania, + 6 mayors, + 6 ministers, + 60 representatives from the presidential administration, government, civil servants, councilors, + 100 representatives of the press, influencers, public figures. On the other hand, through the more than 350 participations in events, conferences and over 150 TV and radio shows, we reached more than 100,000 people with our presentations.
EFdeN Sustainable City is an innovative concept- from the model itself, to the promoted and showcased focus areas and the way they are implemented.
Starting with the model:
- a sustainable and smart city-campus, a pilot project for transforming cities in Romania, designed through co-creation with students, professors, auhorities and NGOs, with 8 feature areas dedicated to the main urban challenges, to educate, inspire and bring credibility and trust in the sustainable development. Followed by the focus areas and the innovation from withing.
ESC is not only a prototype city but also an environment, a playground, for testing technology and innovation and putting them in the spotlight, so that society can stay up to date with recent developments in the field of sustainability and technology, not just through theoretical concepts, but by actually testing them in day-to-day life context.
ESC is a research & development lab as well, on energy innovation, sustainable building materials, waste management etc.
There are already two components of this city in the EFdeN campus built in biophilic design which is thought of as a cell (cell wall-facade, cell membrane-structure, nucleus-technologies used). These are the houses (EFdeN 4C & Signature) prototypes that we built within the Solar Decathlon competition and have been recognized internationally as innovative and sustainable solutions for the inhabitants.
Renewable energy is everywhere on this campus. Besides the possibility to visit the houses, people can come to power their electric car at a station, they can relax while charging their phone standing in a Solar Garden or enjoy a basketball game with friends standing in the shade of the photovoltaic trees.
On the road to EFdeN Sustainable City we were begining with small steps. We started with brainstorming & research, continued with design & build, trial & error and until now the process is on demand, because we are testing and upgrading the solutions. In the meantime, we are creating partnerships with public and private sector to do all the above.
At the same time, the EFdeN Sustainable City benefited from continuous research, design, and implementation from our volunteers.
Our approach is based on process optimization, from beginning to implementation and testing. We address the issues in two different directions: through a physical project that can be scalable and replicable at various levels and through media campaigns aimed at raising awareness on a national level.
ESC was designed from the beginning to be a replicable model for Romania’s cities and further, being one of its main purposes. . We really want to see every part from our prototype in cities in real size. For this purpose, we are involving public administration to replicate good examples from ESC with public and private capital. More than this, we have every project open source, to be an inspiration and our dream come true.
The first step in this long way will be possible in May this year, when we will launch a network of public and free charging stations for electric scooters and bicycles. These will be powered 100% by solar energy and will be placed in some of the most important points from Bucharest for encouraging electrical mobility and the ”last mile” concept.
Our next replicable project will be more ambitious. We want to introduce a sustainability curriculum in every school, high school, college, university or public institution or private companies. We are working to develop the content adapted for every kind of public that was mentioned and we have already opened discussions with the educational system in Romania and with some private companies. Until now, we have a pilot program with the Romanian National Agency of Public Officials through which we train them to be more sustainable. We are testing it, we are collecting feedback from participants and we are improving the quality of learning.
In all activities we follow the UN Agenda for 2030, adhering to the SDG's. We are showcasing elements of a smart and sustainable city by representing main components through practical projects, testing them and communicating the results.
Education and Awareness
We address students, children, companies and the general public. We host events and develop educational programmes in a non-formal environment.
Our projects provide volunteers with a great opportunity for practical and accelerated development.
Smart & Green Homes
The 2 houses EFdeN working as a research center for new projects. We have participated with these at the most important competition in the world for architecture and integrated technologies, Solar Decathlon and we gained a lot of international prizes.
Urban Farming
Both EFdeN houses were designed to integrate the urban farming concept. We support domestic productive plants in the urban area, as a healthy and economical alternative for the inhabitants.
Waste Management
We encourage reducing your generated waste, using recycled materials and selective collection.
Therefore, we want to integrate recycling and composting stations to divert as much landfill waste as possible.
Renewable Energy
We have 2 solar houses that are 100% electrical, 2 solar trees, an urban wind turbine and geothermal energy
Urban Transportation & Mobility
We encourage micro-mobility, which is why we integrated charging stations for this kind of vehicles with renewable energy and we are working on a project for retrofitting public transport stations.
Health and Wellness
We spend 80% of our time inside and this affects our health and productivity. We developed The Guide of Comfort Conditions and we want to extend our activity range, in the field of Health & Well-being.
Sustainable art
We have designed a stage for outdoor concerts and theatre representations, we are a place for sustainable art exhibitions and we create pieces of art from recycled materials.
