IUCN, Gland, extension using new technologies for zero emissions concept (photo, Alain Bucher, Holcim)
Zurich, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – It’s time to shift from trying to simply save energy in our buildings to a “zero emission building” approach, the Zurich federal polytechnic institute, ETH, is arguing 19 November, presenting its concept to the public.
“People have been heating with the help of combustion processes ever since man discovered how to make fire, using wood and fossil fuels like coal or natural gas to keep their homes warm and snug. The CO2 problem and climate change, however, have put a major question mark over the method. The Department of Architecture at ETH Zurich is therefore urging a paradigm shift: not just away from combustion technologies and towards seasonal energy storage, but also from simple energy-saving towards zero emissions,” members of the department of architecture state in a press release.
One of its example of how this can work is the extension of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) building in Gland.
The zero emission concept suggests buildings that don’t need thick layers of insulation in the building shell unnecessary and that are thus free from standardized regulations.
Panay Monitor Lizard (Varanus mabitang) © Tim Laman
Gland, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – A major new assessment of the threats to the world’s biodiversity shows that the continuing encroachment on many species’ habitats is increasing their vulnerability. The 2009 edition of world’s most comprehensive list of life under threat of extinction, the Red List of Threatened Species, was published Tuesday 3 November. The Red List is published yearly by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), in Gland, near Geneva.
“The scientific evidence of a serious extinction crisis is mounting,” says Jane Smart, Director of IUCN’s Biodiversity Conservation Group.
