Eco Factor: Sustainable development for the World Sustainability Center.
R204Design has proposed a sustainable facility for the World Sustainability Competition held in the Netherlands. The development focuses on natural forms and processes and aims to be the “Silicon Valley” for sustainable technologies.
The overall planning of the center, dubbed The Afsluitdijk World Sustainability Centre, focuses on two user types – inhabitants and visitors. For the inhabitants the center provides high-end research and presentation facilities, maximizing the potential for synergies between various combinations and continual sharing of information and inspiration.
For the visitors the center provides an engaging, interactive, immersive and ever-changing experience that instills the fascinating potential of nature to address human problems. The proposal is a series of 6 ““Ecopelagos” or man-made island groups that are distributed across the entire length of the dike.
These six zones include – Sun, Wind, Water, Land, Life and Earth. The Sun Zone features a research center and support facilities dedicated to the advancement of solar technologies. It includes a solar garden and a sculptural garden made entirely of sun collecting devices. The Wind Zone is dedicated to the advancement of turbine technologies and harvesting power of the wind. It also includes a Windmill Island that is composed of wind farms. The Water Zone includes facilities and attractions dedicated to the conservation and management of water.
The Land Zone is dedicated to researching and sharing knowledge on geothermal studies and environmental infrastructure projects. The Life Zone is dedicated to the study of flora, fauna and local marine life and habitats. The Earth Zone is the heart of the center and houses the Visitor Center, exhibit hall, theaters, learning facilities, parks, gardens as well as the Research Center for Global Warming.
Via: ArchiCentral
