'the District of Tomorrow'
the District of Tomorrow - le Quartier de Demain - das Viertel von Morgen
may 2011 -The District going Inernational: Researchers and students  from Finland, Russia, China, Spain , and Nepal are doing internships and research at the District.
- A russian district of Tomorrow is under development, in the city of Wyksa. Students from partner university Nizhny Novgorod  designed the winning first house.
- A EU project has been awarded to develop education modules for master students and professionals, based on the design process of the District of tomorrow buildings. 15 universities throughout Europe are involved.

okt 2011 -Construction site at Avantis, Science and Business park, in Aachen/Heerlen, on the Dutch- German border.
Left the start, on the right, 1st building ready, the passive house, and 0-energy.
As a result of co-operation between faculties and professors, and with external partners, we have launched a research institute, focussing at the transition for 0-impact buildings and Built Environments: RiBuilT, research instutute for Built Environments of Tomorrow. The Institute wil support -with research- the Distcict, and other projects aiming at high ambition levels.  Website: www.ribuilt.eu

jan 2011
- The District of Tomorrow acts as a demonstartion site for the transition we have to make towards Sustainable Built Environments. The ambitions are high: a 0-impact Built environment and buildings. Which was also the theme of the International conference organised in 2010. See for more background on ambitions, the conference and 0-impact apprach, the website www.ribuilt.eu. The illustration shows a rough indication of ambitions for the buildings., and 2 impressions of the site. 
sept 2010
- House 2  will be a exergy optimised building, to house elderly people. The winning design is now further detailed for final design and construction next year. Design:
- Econnect, the  exposition/office building, had to meet  0-energy requirements and 50 pct of materials of renewable or recycled  origin. The building will house the service centre for the district:  where cars are rented out, a central laundryshop is foreseen and the office of the district's local energy company. Main issue is the productive roof . With greenhouses on the roof, a combination of food production energy production and water collection can be made. In fact the consumed land by the building is given back as a productive roof. (0-land use) . This winner was selected by a international ( euregional) jury, and is now detailled for construction next year.  ( in the end it will be 0-energy, the total mass is only 590 kg/m2 and 51 % is coming from "renewable" materials) Pictures show some details and facts about the building.   "eco/nnect",  by Leroy Merks & Roel Derkx
Four buildings, each year one and each more ambitious then the previous one : energy producing, and up to 100% made of renewable and recycled materials, partly grown in the garden. The (small) district itself, should be 0-energy as well, and produce and clean its own water.  Together developing a 0-impact district, and a learning and research environment for the students, market stakeholders and the region together.
Its a project initiated by Zuyd University and coordinated by RiBuilT, the Research Institute Built environment of Tomorrow.  Its part of a Transition programme for the region, to cope with climate change, fossil fuels depletion and resource scarcity. It becomes very special due to the fact that Students design the projects ( the winning design form the University graduation project) And is costructed by pupils of construction schools.
The professional market is involved by helping constructing the projects, and research for innovative products and management . The whole area is seen as an open innovation platform, where market stakeholders, education and local government can kick of a transition towards a more sustainable region.
ALL PICTURES: Click to enlarge
Febr 2012
-This February we have installed two Urban windturbines, Raywaver type. The masts have a amorphous PV banner around it, and are equipped with LED streetlighting as well. The Turbines are connected to the new installed smart grid .
we have installed a a grid connected PV powered loading station for the electric car. Its  the first in the Netherlands!
Sustainable Building Support centre
sept 2011
- House 3  will be 100% renewable materials, biobased, and 0-material…   Currently we are detailing the third house called MAXergy house. This will be made of 100% renewable materials, or biobased. In the basis it's a wooden structure building, for student start up companies and small workshop facilities.  The basic materials are all from renewable material, but in many details and finishing's we are searching for alternatives. In design or by new biobased products. See the call on the right. Besides this has to become the first 0-materialbuilding in the world, by producing its own materials on site. For this reason we are developing a garden behind the building where the material will be regrown on a 50 years return basis. This is following our own developed Embodied land calculation method. This method will soon be published as open source, some background is already available in the papers in the Theory section.


jan 2013
-  The Design of House 3 " MAXergy house"   has been adpated, due to several considerations, like the use and test of thin film PV, a " installation poor" design, and other reasons.
- There is also a innovative foundation construction developed. Since the aim is to go for a 100% biobased house (3)  , a concrete foundation on piles was out of the question.  We will now have a "Lasagna foundation" , based on loam and layers of geotextile.  Before applying in real a test has been set up, to measure the behaviour under pressure. ( See the Picture. )
- Since the market can not deliver all products from biobased materials, a student project has been set up to design and produce several products by biobased 3D printing. first results are there,  Very exciting project!


 
links

to follow

june 2013
- House 2, the Exergy house, has been opened this month. Still some work to do, but things are moving fast now.
- Students of the HAS, ( applied science university for agriculture) have presented their plans for the building materials production garden, for the MAXergy house.
- a start has been made with the test fields for  Bamboo production: the first three of seven species are in production...

march 2013
- House 2, FlExhouse, nearing completion. Watch the windturbine: one of the blades  broke of during strong winds.
- still a lot of steel connection elements used in the wooden house 2. We can do better, and will, in house 3, MAXergy House .
- a very succesful and interesting workshop was held in the District of tomorrow, bringing together all parties involved in the biobased production chain. ...

location
De Wijk van Morgen B.V.
Tesla 1
6422 RG Heerlen (Avantis European Science and Business Park)
tel: 0031 6 42 75 66 81
downloads

For  House 3 ( MAXergy) in the District of Tomorrow, we are searching renewable materials or biobased products . So far 82% of the building's weight is biobased, we are searching for the other 18%.
download leaflet


activities
every second tuesday of the month: sustainable Cafe: networking event with 2 or 3 presentations, from 1530 on.


september 2013
- construction works for building 2, the office and exhibition centre, are in full swing now. In 4 weeks the main structure should be finished, opening is foreseen before end of the year.
- the final plan for the 0-water district has been adpoted. We are now looking fpr ,areket parties to join for the demontsration and research of each part of the plan. the picture shows the proces to create several water qualities from rainwater.
- Last week the climate chamber for  the 5th generation  strand woven bamboo was opened at Zuyd university. standarised Specimen are prepared for testing, when at the right temperature and humidity.