Circular Community Luxembourg

In the highly urban business district of the Kirchberg Plateau an ambitious circular housing project with will be realized the coming years. The design features e.g. an innovative technology for wooden construction elements that can be disassembled, re-usable façade and construction materials and technology to produce renewable energy. Also, an underground waste recycling system is integrated, as are bee-hotels and urban farming functions. The goal is to create adaptable buildings, that integrate mixed urban usages, including affordable housing, working, shopping, leisure and culture, thus creating the start of a living city community. Social interaction will encourage sharing of resources, spaces and equipment among neighbours.

The biggest step for sustainability is to stop using new, natural resources. Conform the 10R-principles of circularity most of the building elements in this project will be dismountable and suitable for re-use, refurbish or re-purpose. The innovative building structure, designed specifically for this project, allows to integrate the installation pipe system into the construction system of concrete columns and double wooden beams with a wooden floor and central wooden shaft-columns. By simplifying the geometry and configuration of all elements, this superstructure can be adapted or disassembled easily. Another feature is that things like façade components or elevators will be delivered by the producers on lease or service basis.
Heating and cooling will be realized by using thermal heat pumps, connected to the city-offices-grid. To fulfil all energy needs the roofs and parts of the façades and balustrades have integrated PV thermal cells for electricity and heated water. Measuring the use of energy will create the awareness that it is necessary to reduce energy consumption and eventually making it an energy delivering community. The diverse systems of clean water, grey water, and filtering water will be maintained by the community itself.
We studied the impacts of our decisions and developed strategies and implementation plans that balance potential and practicality, while avoiding burden-shifting and rebound effects. Design partner Metabolic specifically analysed the actual impact of the proposed materials and
implementation strategies.
These are just some examples of how the design assures that the ambitious circular goals will be reached.