What’s land recycling? Read about this German example
The city of Flensburg got a grant from the regional government of Schleswig-Holstein so that it would avoid building on new land
In addition to distributing heat without any carbon emissions, Hot Heart will offer citizens and tourists tropical forests and hot water pools
Last week, the Mayor of Helsinki Jan Vapaavuori announced the four Award Winners of the Helsinki Energy Challenge: HIVE, Beyond Fossils, Smart Salt City, and The Hot Heart. The challenge tasked teams with finding a solution to one question: “How can we decarbonise the heating of Helsinki, using as little biomass as possible?”
While all four teams found innovative solutions to this problem, the Hot Heart project received particular praise and attention.
The Hot Heart system comprises of 10 cylindrical reservoirs of 225m diameter. These reservoirs will be filled with approximately 10 million cubic metres of hot water. To do this, Hot Heart will first use energy from existing renewable sources, converting them into heat using seawater heat pumps. Then, it will store this thermal energy in the reservoirs for when it is needed.
Finally, the reservoirs will be connected to Helsinki’s existing district heating system in order to distribute heat across the city at lower prices, without any carbon emissions. On its website, the Helsinki Energy Challenge explains that by the end of the decade, Hot Heart expects to cover the full heating demand of the city (6,000 GWh).
In addition to decarbonising the city’s heating, the project will also attract tourists as four of the ten cylinders will house all-year tropical forests and hot water pools at sea. Taking this idea further, the Hot Heart system will also perfectly embody various elements of Finnish Culture: islands, nature, etc.
The Hot Heart project aims to become known as “the Helsinki model” by 2028. In other words, it hopes that by the end of the decade, other countries will be able to apply the system to their own cities in order to benefit from its numerous advantageous features.
The Hot Heart project video (Carlo Ratti Associati)
This project has been developed by a diverse and multidisciplinary team as Carlo Ratti Associati (Italy) collaborated with Ramboll (Finland), Transsolar (Germany), Danfoss/Leanheat (Finland), Schneider Electric (Finland), OP (Finland), Schlaich Bergermann Partner (Germany) and Squint/Opera (UK).
TheMayor.EU stands against fake news and disinformation. If you encounter such texts and materials online, contact us at info@themayor.eu
The goal is to preserve these traditional features in the urban landscape while finding new purpose for their existence
His name is Adrian-Dragoș Benea from Romania
Find out her vision for the next five years and what’s in store for the European Union
Gotland wants to be at the forefront of this emerging mobility technology
It’s all about preventing the habit of slowing down just for the radar
Landkreis Heilbronn will also enlist the help of sensors to identify incorrectly filled organic trash bins
Apparently, that makes it the most progressive city in that respect in all of Finland
Residents couldn’t handle the noise pollution anymore
The Old Continent gets ready for the largest festival of sports
Apparently, that makes it the most progressive city in that respect in all of Finland
The goal is to preserve these traditional features in the urban landscape while finding new purpose for their existence
Residents couldn’t handle the noise pollution anymore
Urban dwellers across the EU are having a say in making their surroundings friendlier to people and the environment.
Forests in the EU can help green the European construction industry and bolster a continent-wide push for architectural improvements.
Apply by 10 November and do your part for the transformation of European public spaces
An interview with the Mayor of a Polish city that seeks to reinvent itself
An interview with the newly elected ICLEI President and Mayor of Malmö
A conversation with the Mayor of Lisbon about the spirit and dimensions of innovation present in the Portuguese capital