An old freight train line runs over an elevated railway line between the New York districts of Chelsea and Hell's Kitchen. The last train ran there in 1980. Today there is a lot of activity on the so-calledHigh Line. However, it is not trains loaded with industrial goods that are responsible for this, but rather park visitors wandering through nature. Part of the High Line is now a unique 2.5 kilometer long green space in the middle of Manhattan.
Since it opened in 2009, more than 20 million visitors have strolled across the blooming wildflower landscape in the previously structurally weak areadie High Linehas become an expensive trendy district - business around the park is doing well and tourists and residents alike are enthusiastic about the concept, which is finding numerous imitators around the world. Green insteadGray is the trend, which is becoming increasingly popular both for large projects and for designing your own four walls.
The concept of nature is defined quite broadly. Two well-known graffiti artists embellished the facade of an apartment block in the Tegel district of Berlinwith a 42 meter high mural. The motif: A colorful bird of the star genus. This is a work of art filled with many detailshereto be seen in all its glory.
Designing walls with organic material is no less spectacular and additionally functional: Vertical gardens turn facades into vertical biotopes. The Southeast Asian city state of Singapore is a pioneer in this area. The government there has been subsidizing the greening of skyscrapers for several years. The quality of life should increase and the city graduallybecome the “greenest city in the world”.. An ambitious project that works well even on a small scale. Vertical planting is ideal for giving your home a green “paint”, both outside and inside. We have five tips on how to successfully build a vertical gardenin this articlesummarized.
If that doesn't just seem like a bit of a climb because of the high walls, you can also enjoy nature horizontally - urban gardening is a trend that is particularly popular in big cities, where having your own garden in front of your house is often an unattainable dream. In short, you move the gardening facility to the roof, be it in the form of aRoof terrace with plantsor a small vegetable garden. Another variant is collective gardening in public areas. This not only contributes to the beautification of the same, but alsofor communication among residents.
When it comes to architecture, the development is also moving towards nature-friendly, sustainable construction processes. The “cradle to cradle” principle is a promising approach: the core idea is that as many components of a product as possible can be recycled after use. One example is the Hamburg residential building“Woodcube”. It is built exclusively from environmentally friendly materials that can be completely recycled. The building is also particularly energy efficient.
The energy question also drives the architects of mega-buildings like the ones we are currently seeingPhoenix Towers planned in Chinaaround. The futuristic-looking twin towers will be one kilometer high and will be able to be completely self-sufficient through wind turbines, solar systems, fuel cells, wastewater and waste treatment.
The increasing focus on proximity to nature and ecological compatibility will change the face of many cities in the future, both large and small. The portal offers further information on the topicUrban Hub, which deals with sustainable concepts for urban development.
Image rights:
New york – Highline park Kārlis Dambrāns / Flickr
Gerhard Rolinger / pixelio.de
Lupo / pixelio.de
Stefan / pixelio.de
Dieter Schütz / pixelio.de
Andrea Damm / pixelio.de
