Turning Torso: the anchor of Vastra Hamnen

you can't spend several weeks in Malmo and not take pictures of the Turning Torso.  in fact, many would argue you can't spend several hours in Malmo and not take pictures of it.  you may even recall that I took a picture of it the first night I arrived in Malmo.  once the tallest apartment building in Europe, the Turning Torso twists upward 54 stories and 623 feet, the top floor at a 90 degree angle from the ground floor.  the Torso was envisioned by the government of Malmo as a new beginning, a fresh start, and a much needed strengthening of the skyline to the north of the city center.  it rises 2 times higher than Kronprinsen, the previous tallest building in Malmo.

the Turning Torso approached from the southern main access road to Vastra Hamnen from the city center.  the Torso, designed by Santiago Calatrava, rises 623 feet and 54 stories.

the Kockums crane (Kockumskranen) which was sold to a Korean company in the early 2000's was the last and highest symbol of the working class city of Malmo's shipbuilding industry.  it's last duty was to assist in the building of the Oresund Bridge, the lifeline connection between Copenhagen, Denmark and Malmo, Sweden.

looking up at the Torso from the street

in the years leading up to the decision to construct the Turning Torso, there were three major focused objectives of the city of Malmo, partly in an effort to move forward after the financial collapse caused by the shipbuilding industry abandoning the city (among other financial challenges), partly to jump into the 21st century, and partly to recreate and rebrand the city and its identity.  the three objectives were, at first blush, quite simple:

1. improve education and heighten the focus of the city on advanced education
2. strengthen connectivity and interconnectedness of Malmo within the region of Skane and beyond
3. use sustainability and sustainable initiatives as a method to advance the city and its planning

these three objectives were simultaneously addressed starting in the 1990's and moving into the first decade of the 21st century.  though the Turning Torso was not, in itself, a cornerstone of any of these three specific objectives, it played a significant role as a new symbol of Malmo, the city of the future.  the Torso is an excellent example of how cities use architecture (tall, unique, or important buildings, often designed by famous architects) to promote an agenda and "put themselves on the map" as Malmo has been doing for the last 15-20 years.

Turning Torso in Vastra Hamnen, Malmo as seen from the neighborhood

the three most obvious physical manifestations of the three objectives are quite powerful, and together have helped shaped Malmo as a growing, changing city with an eye toward the future.

1.  one of the brightest examples of the city of Malmo putting a new focus on higher education was the creation of Malmo's first University, Malmo Hogskola.  the University, now a central hub of the Dockans neighborhood adjacent to the central train station and Vastra Hamnen, has grown to more than 24,000 students in just over ten years of operation (the school opened officially in 1998).  the school has many disciplines and areas of study, including several in sustainability such as master's degrees in "Leadership for Sustainability" and "Sustainable Urban Management".

the style has been called "structural expressionism" and is most evident in the exposed structural elements on the building exterior 

2.  the most obvious physical manifestation of the idea of interconnection in Skane and beyond is the Oresund Bridge and the improvements in the train transportation into Malmo.  the Oresund Bridge, completed and opened in July 2000, has created amazing opportunities for growth in Malmo as well as the opportunity for people living in Malmo to commute easily to Copenhagen.  besides the construction of the bridge itself, Malmo created new and improved train stations and rail lines from the bridge through the city center (called the City Tunnel Project) that simplify, enhance, and speed up travel to and from Malmo as well as through it up the western coast of Sweden and beyond.

the Turning Torso sits in a pool of water at the base (the parking complex in the background contains a sustainable grocery store and restaurant on the ground floor)

3.  in terms of sustainability, the list, as you may have seen from earlier entries in this blog, is endless.  I would argue that the most notable catalyst for the physical manifestation of making sustainability part of the city's future is Bo01, brought about as part of the European Housing Exposition in 2011, and evidenced in the European Village as well as the surrounding neighborhood and corresponding infrastructure.  this neighborhood, anchored on one corner by the tallest building in Scandinavia, is a beacon of hope for the future of sustainable cities and neighborhoods.

the Turning Torso as seen from the neighborhood school.  the top is 90 degrees twisted from the base.

feedback: the next evolution in energy

in the afternoon during the CLICC Conference, Stina Wessman of the Interactive Institute of Sweden gave a very interesting presentation about feedback focused on sustainability.  though the entire presentation was in Swedish and the slides were rich with text (also in Swedish), I did manage to get the gist of some of what she was saying.  I also used this thing called "the google" to look up some of what she was talking about to learn more.

Stina Wessman, from the Interactive Institute of Sweden, talking about feedback and energy awareness at the CLICC Conference at Malmomassan in Hyllie

the Interactive Institute of Sweden is an experimental company that combines Information Technology, design, and research together and applies this learning and knowledge to a wide variety of fields and applications.  as usual, their website describes themselves better than I can:

Interactive Institute is a Swedish experimental IT & design research institute that conducts applied research and innovation through creative and participatory processes.

the Interactive Institute works ons lots of stuff, more than I can even get into in this post, so I will focus on what I gleaned from Stina's presentation and from reading a little on their website.  the Institute has a focus on sustainability (among other topics) and has engaged in many research projects and experiments about behavior and feedback, which ties in perfectly to the idea of CLICC, which is all about engaging city inhabitants on the issue of carbon footprint and helping people living in the city understand their own individual role(s) as a part of the citywide effort to become carbon neutral in the next 20 years.  yes.  I said it.  the city of Malmo would like to be carbon neutral in the next 20 years.  and the city is actively aiming toward that goal.

Stina talked about projects that are geared toward helping people see (and therefore better understand) their energy use and consumption.  she cited some very cool examples that are prototypes and/ or soon to be marketed and sold ideas that connect people and energy use.  much of what she talked about reminded me of the thinking and initiatives that were undertaken as part of the 2009 Solar Decathlon competition that I worked on through the BAC and Tufts.  our project, entitled curio, focused on sustainable living and awareness as much (if not more) than designing and constructing an 800 square foot zero energy house.

here are a couple that were neat.  there are many more on the website.

"The Power Aware Cord is designed to visualize the energy of the current use of electricity of the appliances connected with it through glowing pulses, flow, and intensity of light."  this picture is from the Interactive Institute website 

the Flower Lamp is another example of innovative thinking around energy use and visualization.  the lamp changes form and becomes dimmer/ brighter based on energy use.  the lamp is an attractive and interactive monitor of energy consumption that can, in turn, affect behavior.

the Element is an attempt to change energy from an unseen source to a visible source.  in this case the energy is heat, as evidenced in a radiator.  the experiment is to showcase the amount of heat being emitted from a radiator in a new form, light.  the light emission is directly matched to the heat emission, thus the brightness of the "radiator" tells you how hot it is.  from the flikr site:

It is usually hard to tell whether radiators are on or off except by laying a hand upon them.  This prototype is made out of glass, metal, and enough light bulbs to reach the same efficiency as an electric radiator, and the current energy level is visible at all times.

I will tell you about two more, but I recommend if you are interested to read up on the Interactive Institute.  they are doing some amazing work in the field of interaction, sustainability, and energy.

the Energy AWARE Clock is an electricity meter that resembles an ordinary kitchen clock.  it measures your energy consumption and tells you the time simultaneously while also allowing you to compare previous energy use to today's consumption, thus you become aware and notice improvements and changes in consumption.

lastly, BoEL is a chance to compare your energy use to your neighbors.  a web based interface and simple glowing orb in your window shows how much energy you are consuming.  red, green, and yellow are comparative measurements that allow each user as well as the neighbors to see how one unit performs.  this could lead to healthy competition, shared knowledge and team building, or even a little pang of guilt, all of which have been shown to affect behavior.  according to the website:

BoEL is an experimental social ambient interface and web service that presents daily consumption figures to home owners and neighbors to promote joint savings and foster competitive energy saving bahaviors.  The service includes an ambient lamp that provides feedback on the energy consumption in the household and these interfaces are installed so that the neighbors can observe each others energy status.

check out the Interactive Institute of Sweden's website for more cool strategies about using interaction and communication to affect behavior and sustainable living.

energy company builds (8) showcase apartments

imagine this: NSTAR (or NGRID or whichever energy provider) decides to build (8) showcase experimental apartments as one block, each unit utilizing a different source of energy and systems.  the goal: an experiment to see which systems perform better, how each unit interacts with the grid, and to learn valuable lessons about energy use.  it seems unimaginable, implausible, downright crazy.  crazy like a fox.

E.ON's energy provider experimental apartment complex with 8 units, each utilizing different methods of creating and collecting energy.

E.ON, a German energy company with a strong foothold here in Sweden, has not only proposed the idea, but bought the land and has begun construction on the apartment complex.  on my tour of Vastra Hamnen, Roland points to the building and explains the idea behind it.  "genius" I say.  "yes" he says.  this will provide key data for the energy company as it moves forward with providing energy to many people in Malmo.  this showcase will help support the company's choices as it decides how to provide energy to its consumers and what strategies the consumers can use to be most efficient.  genius.

E.ON builds 8 showcase experimental apartments in Vastra Hamnen in the Bo04 area across from the skate park

What Boston can Learn from Malmo: (re)Developing a zero energy city

hello again.  I thought before I get into the actual experience of traveling to, living in, and studying sustainable and zero energy neighborhoods, I should give a little information on the background of this project.

for starters, the John Worthington Ames Scholarship and selection committee is what made this experience possible.  the John Worthington Ames Scholarship was established in 1955 by Mrs. John Worthington Ames in memory of her husband, a distinguished Boston architect and dedicated supporter of the Boston Architectural College.  "the scholarship is used to further personal development through educational experience related to architecture and design.  the Ames Committee defines 'educational experience' as one that would develop mental, artistic, or cultural capacities."

secondly, I need to start by thanking my wife, Lauren, who has supported me through this process even though I told her I wanted to go to Sweden and not Spain, Italy, or some warm, beautiful, deserted island to study sustainable design.  I also need to thank Anne, Lauren's mom, who put the idea back into my head that I should apply for this opportunity.

so what's the idea?  the idea is simple and the story I told to the Selection Committee was broken into three parts (thanks Zach C):

1. there's this problem (thanks Chip P) which is that sustainable design is being addressed one building at a time and therefore we are not making improvements fast enough to combat global warming and other negative trends.  
2. there's this place where people are working to solve this problem (Sweden, specifically Malmo and Stockholm).  in this place they are creating neighborhoods that are aiming to be (or already are) zero energy, thus paving the way for others to learn from their experience, enterprise, and experimentation.
3. someone needs to go to this place and study this solution so that we (here in Boston) can learn from their experience.  that someone, in this case, is me.

the original essay that led to being selected by the Committee to present on the "short list" is also very simple.  there are three parts (this is an abstract that I created describing my idea rather than showing you the whole essay):

the more we build the more harm we cause to the earth.  we need to look beyond simply making an energy efficient building and attempt to approach the built environment in more of a holistic manner by addressing the community, the surrounding environment, and the people who inhabit that environment. we don't need another green building that does good for its tiny footprint; we need a network of green buildings, we need green neighborhoods, green cities, and green people.

one of the best examples in the world of a successful city parcel redevelopment is the neighborhood of Vastra Hamnen in the seaport district of Malmo, Sweden.  started in 1998 in preparation for the 2001 European Housing Exposition, the Western Harbor was redeveloped from a once vibrant shipbuilding port into a (mostly) residential community, revitalized by a comprehensive master plan that catalyzed around energy use, shared systems, and livable streets.  this super efficient, zero energy neighborhood on the waterfront serves as a successful jumping off point for Malmo as a whole, which aims to rely 100% on renewable energy by 2030.  cities such as Boston and Cambridge have much in common with Malmo and much to learn.  similar in size, scale, density, diversity of inhabitants, focus on academic and intellectual capital, physical features, and climate, Boston is a prime candidate to download the rich and extensive experience that has already taken place in Vastra Hamnen and Malmo over the last ten years.

I am going to Sweden to study Vastra Hamnen and other zero energy neighborhoods.  I will connect with people who live, work, and experience these communities first hand.  I will meet with stakeholders, policy makers, and people who envisioned these neighborhoods to learn about their process and hear more directly about the successes and failures of their work.  with this information I will return to Boston to share my findings to the public with local stakeholders in community development in an effort to facilitate a similar transformation and positive growth in Boston and beyond.