By the year 2050, Europe is going to become carbon-neutral and the high-speed rail network would replace airplanes. A lot of infrastructure will become obsolete. A great solution is to recycle it by creating energetically self-sufficient communities. Such a project will be a great playground to test out different green technologies before applying them to the rest of the city.
In a nutshell, turning an old airport into a village helps Paris to create a cultural space to kick-start creativity.
Local
France
Île-de-France
It addresses urban-rural linkages
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)
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No
As an individual in partnership with other persons
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Long story short, turning an old airport into a village helps Paris create a cultural space to kick-start creativity. It would provide an excellent solution for recycling the infrastructure that will be left after the high-speed trains would have replaced airplanes for short travels. This is because the European Green Deal aims to lower transport-related greenhouse gas emissions by 90% by the year 2050 and such trains are the way to go.
The current buildings of the airport will be refurbished to encompass various businesses and facilities that rely on green and sustainable technologies. The living part of this community would provide a smaller-scale city-like playground to test how different solutions may be implemented on a larger scale. Is algae-based air filtering ready to be introduced to condominiums? How small could vertical farms be to stay profitable? Can we make filtering bacteria to produce nutrients for the said farms? How to preserve heat better? Do mycelium bricks help with that? This is only a small list of problems that an eco-lab village can present a solution to.
Of course, such a place cannot exist only as a laboratory. To really prove the concept, the village must provide enough heat, electricity and plant-based foods so the surplus could be sold to the city. This is where solar panels and thermoelectric materials come into play. People with special dietary needs, such as the elder, junior or sick, can find enough food supply from the hydroponics facilities. The village could easily accommodate and welcome people with special needs because the buildings already have such an option. Also, a variety of supplement small businesses would be present not only in the village itself but also along the transportation routes that are now connecting the city with the airport.
Infrastructure recycling
Interdisciplinary
Transformation
Nature-based solutions
Socio-economic development
One of the main goals is to satisfy the current needs without compromising those of future generations. From the economical point of view, the most weight would come from the implementation of existing technologies. The use of advanced materials, joint water-warmth systems, vertical farming and sources of energy with less greenhouse gas produced per kW/h.
Climate change is addressed by the future technologies yet to be implemented. This is ranging anywhere from bacteria-based air filters that produce fertiliser for local farms, to thermoelectric compost tank that provides enough biofuel and energy to power the houses that use it, or an advanced film that traps moisture inside the nutrition brick for the crops.
What really makes this village stand out is the fusion of different technologies and nature-based approaches to contemporary problems, which leads to the rise of the quality of life here and now. Something that a person has seen only on futuristic posts on social media would be an individual experimental area. Every household would be a part of a program of greener energy production. Some of them would use solar power, the other would utilise biofuel. Some will filter their water with plant-based materials, some would treat it with algae and bacteria. What would unite them is the use of sustainable tech which wouldn’t require landfilling byproducts as it goes.
Apart from that, the quality of life in the surroundings would be increased just by the removal of the great source of noise and carbon dioxide.
Charles de Gaulle airport is a prime example of the architectural style that embodies the timeless esthetic traits of French heritage. The design of the airport, specifically its Terminal 1, reflects the balance and harmony that are hallmarks of French esthetics, incorporating traditional elements in a modern context.
One of the key elements of the terminal's design is the use of concrete as the primary building material. The concrete construction creates a clean and modern look that is accentuated by the play of light on the surface of the material. The game of light and shadow on the concrete surfaces creates a dynamic atmosphere that changes throughout the day, adding to the overall esthetic experience of the terminal.
The use of concrete, combined with the high ceilings and large windows, also creates a sense of spaciousness and openness, making the terminal a bright and airy place to spend time. The combination of materials and design elements creates a unique atmosphere that sets Charles de Gaulle airport apart from other transportation hubs.
On the other hand, we have self-expression through work and help.
Each person would have a chance to help with the project they desire. At first, it seems that all and every project should take scientists to complete. But it takes construction, engineering and maintenance to make some tech come to life. Also, even if a person is passionate about air cleaning, but doesn’t have technical skills, they could help by opening a cafe or a bakery for the workers.
Small communities are more prone to helping each other. This leads not only to a closer bond between neighbours, but also employers creating job opportunities both for the elderly and undergraduates.
On top of that, every member of the village is a participant in the project to test and implement more green and sustainable technologies, which adds emotional value by itself.
Inclusion states that all members should have the ability to reach their full potential with whatever they desire. The village would operate as a self-sustained community, meaning it would have basic facilities to deal with illnesses, fires, technical malfunctions and crime. Of course, it will not be autonomous, due to it still being a part of the city.
But the variety of supporting businesses will provide anyone with an opportunity to help the specific project of their liking. Say, it takes a big and strong individual to work with steel construction, but the sourcing of the said materials could be done by anyone with a computer and the internet. You probably need a PhD to create a proper mixture of bacteria but just an instruction will suffice to put different samples in use at your farm and collect some samples afterwards.
The village would only benefit from the differences in its people since it is ultimately a project to test how various green technologies affect daily life and what they miss to be introduced to the city scale.
Change of perspective in head, meaning you can live carbon-neutral here and now, no need to wait until the cities are totally rebuilt anew
There are two main benefit points.
The first one is the project itself. The whole point of it is to provide a playground to test out what could and should be scaled up the city size use, where one can implement new approaches to achieve better results and which technologies are yet to come due to their complexity or price.
The second it the shift of the paradigm. Participating in or even watching a project like this would show that reaching the goal of carbon neutral continent is possible without levelling the old cities to the ground and constructing an alien-looking structures on top. One does not need to wait to become more sustainable, one can do it right now. This also greatly advertises the idea of sustainability. Since everything, even an airport, could be reused in a new way we as a society should create new structures with that in mind.
The project would instantly affect the local population with the production of its vertical farms. Also, as mentioned earlier, the situation with local CO2 and noise pollution would drastically become better due to the removal of the source.
The regional level will benefit from the project’s core purpose. This means the region can also submit its ideas to be tested at the playground. For example, a nearby region has a problem with retaining water. A special setup can be created near the eco-village itself, so the infrastructure and technological capabilities can be used answer what technique should provide a solution to that. Also, sustainability startups would be glad to have such a place where they prove the characteristics of their product to an early investor. Apart from creating new jobs, the first region to implement such recycling of infrastructure would receive an economic boost since the finances are arranged in a way to aid the Green Deal. This usually means cheaper loans and softer taxation regimes.
Nation-wide, the project will create an example for similar cases in other countries. Yes, it may not be another airport, but an old factory can be recycled with a similar idea in mind. Most likely, the first-to-implement country would be asked to carry out the same project somewhere abroad. So Europe can ultimately become a step closer to its environmental goals.
First of all, the architecture will help to place new differently purposed spaces inside the old buildings. It will form the interconnections between the vast areas of the village and provide it with its final look.
Then, it will take various companies and start-ups that specialise in green technologies to create a list of possible things to test. After, they will have to interact with each other to create an area with one specific major trait. For instance, it can be a big greenhouse over several small buildings or an alley of plant and algae farms. At this stage, the city should stress the most important questions and, if any, introduce the specific problems.
This step already mixes up chemistry, materials and IT and tasks them to work together to create a solid solution that will be immediately implemented in real-world use. Such fusion implies that the result would be interdisciplinary by its nature and optimised to work as a whole.
There are two mainstream ways to deal with infrastructure like this when it becomes obsolete: demolition and addition.
The first one is self-explanatory. The second one tends to cling to an existing solution even if the problem has changed substantially. In the airport example, with the train substitution for short flights, it can make more sense to merge two airports and move them to a better place, than to keep them as they are.
One should keep in mind that the concept isn’t about only airports. Every obsolete facility that has a tight connection with the city could be subject to such recycling.
The main idea of the project is to become a testbed for different technologies, so they can be implemented on a larger scale. Of course, this could be done with any old airport, but the main point is to create a community with a shared goal of achieving sustainable development.
The fact that their solutions are immediately put to life and evaluated by people on a daily basis is crucial.
As mentioned before, neighbour towns and cities can present specific problems they are facing, which means that one eco-village affects the life and technology within the range of its region, not only the city it is based on.
At its core, the village is meant to be reproduced in different countries of the EU to address various local problems while utilising the knowledge accumulated by its predecessors. The long-lasting goal is to provide each country with its own means of developing and upscaling sustainable technologies.
The eco-village is meant to be an example for various reasons.
First of all, it must show that there is a way to deal with old buildings and roads that is different from destroying them completely. Apart from being economically challenging, the demolition process is also harsh on the environment overall. Zero waste architecture would be achieved only through the shift of our vision as a society. It is true that no building lasts forever, but it’s also true that no building shall see only single use.
The second reason is global warming. There are plenty of promising ideas on how we can reduce our carbon footprint. For example, we can use algae to capture the carbon from the exhaust of power plants. But before this technology will be ready for industrial use, it should pass the test on a smaller scale. The village directly addresses this step and helps to not only prove your concept but get refined it to a new quality of daily usage.
The last reason is the vision. For most people, green technologies are either a marketing strategy or a space station module. The eco-village can be presented as proof that our society can live a sustainable life right now and that we must use every opportunity at hand to do so.
