Forum Chriesbach - "green building" [1]

Forum Chriesbach is a high-tech research and development center near Zurich, Switzerland. It exemplifies how “green buildings”, which consume a minimum amount of energy, water, and other resources, need not conflict with unique ambiance, comfort of the users, nor with architectural expression. Forum Chriesbach is energy efficient and relies on passive energy sources instead of fossil fuels. In fact, it consumes roughly as much heating energy as a normal single-family house although it is forty times larger. It produces a third of its own electrical power needs. Because the building has no conventional heating and air-conditioning systems, CO2 emitted by the building itself during operation is near zero. Forum Chriesbach shows that “green buildings” need not be an exception, but that they can become mainstream, state-of-the-art, contemporary architecture. It exemplifies a good practice example for future building construction in urban areas to promote future sustainable urban development. Once widely adopted, these practices become tomorrow’s standards for future low carbon cities around the world.