Madrid’s Social And Ecological Urban Development

madridEcoBoulevard by Ecosistema Urbano

Cities need clean air and public space to make them inhabitable, but sometimes developers, governments, and even architects forget that.Density, mobility, and profit have too often trumped gardens and trees when planning for new urban environments. Not so Eco Boulevard, a new development in Madrid’s Vallecas neighborhood designed by Ecosistema Urbano.

madrid2EcoBoulevard by Ecosistema Urbano

The architects used recycled industrial materials such as plastic, greenhouse fabric, and rubber tires to construct the air trees. And the structures aren’t only made of sustainable materials; each pavilion is itself sustainable as well. A crown of photovoltaic panels supplies energy for water fountains as well as power outlets for computers, concerts, and other activities. Excess electricity produced by the solar panels is sold to the municipality and pays for maintenance of the boulevard. Plants ring the interior of the column, purifying the air and supplying humidity. This results in a system of evaporation and condensation that supplies natural air conditioning making the inside of the each pavilion 8 to 10 degrees cooler than the surrounding environment.

Read the full article on Architizer here.

madrid1EcoBoulevard by Ecosistema Urbano