Spain’s Carbon-Neutral Ecotopia  

Inhabitat has a post on a new eco-city development in Spain - Spain’s Carbon-Neutral Ecotopia Gets the Green Light.

While Rioja is a name that is normally associated with red or white, the autonomous Spanish province will soon be just as synonymous with green - building green, that is. This week the local government gave the green light to the Logroño Montecorvo Eco City project, an ambitious carbon neutral development north of its capital city, Logroño. Designed by Dutch firm MVRDV and Spanish firm GRAS, the stunning development will feature enough photovoltaic cells and wind turbines to produce 100% of it’s energy.

The Logroño Montecorvo Eco City will sit on a large 56-hectare site that spans two hills, Montecorvo and La Fonsalada. The development will follow the contours of the hills, affording each of the 3,000 carbon neutral homes views of the city below without disfiguring the natural landscape. Logroño Montecorvo will also feature sport facilities, retail, restaurants, and both private and public gardens. A museum and viewing point hidden in the top of one of the hills will house a research and promotion center for renewable and energy-efficient technology. The structures will only occupy about 10% of the overall site.

The remainder of the property will be an eco-park that will include wind turbines at the crest of each hill and a tapestry of photovoltaic cells spanning the southern slopes is expected to generate 100% of the energy needed by the new eco city. Of the 388 million euros ($558 million) it will cost to build this project, 40 million euros ($56 million) will be invested in renewable energy technology. The onsite production of clean energy and quality and efficiency of construction will allow the Logroño Montecorvo Eco City to save an excess of around 6,000 tonnes of carbon emissions annually.