Energy conservation and green energy sources
In the midst of the energy transition, designing a neighbourhood that will still be just as attractive in several decades’ time requires sustainable solutions for supplying energy.
Some of the innovative energy solutions in the pipeline include:
Heat pumps: Air-to-water heat pumps and geothermal heat pumps
Heat pumps are efficient in more ways than one. With an air-to-water heat pump, it is the calories from the outside air that are used to heat the building.
With a geothermal heat pump, it is the heat energy from the earth’s subsoil that is used. The strength of the Rout Lëns geothermal network will lie in the use of the 5 underground car parks that will be used for the network of probes.
Heat recovery from greywater
One particularly innovative solution involves the heating network for the buildings using the residual heat from greywater (waste water from showers or sinks). This will generate a significant amount of heat, and could contribute up to 10% of the heat needed by inhabitants.
An urban heating plant
An efficient way of limiting infrastructure costs and streamlining consumption, the entire Rout Lëns heating network will be managed from a single heating plant. This will be able to distribute the heat supply according to demand at different times of the day and year. In order to meet demand at peak times, an urban wood boiler will be installed.
Home automation
There are plans for the new buildings to be equipped with the latest home automation solutions. The goal is to tweak the equipment to optimise and limit energy requirements. Examples include automated shutters, smart lighting systems, smart radiator controls, air quality sensors etc.
BIPV (Building Integrated Photovoltaics)
Studies are looking at the use of BIPV, which could be used at specific locations on the site. This technology is designed to replace certain building materials, mainly glass, with photovoltaic cells. Each glass roof or window designed in this way captures solar energy to produce electricity.
In Rout Lëns, BIPV could complement the solar energy provided by the photovoltaic panels fitted on some roofs.
Responsible waste management
A sustainable neighbourhood that respects the environment also means intelligent waste management!
A household waste and recycling centre will be created at Rout Lëns, to encourage recycling. A number of drop-off points (points d’apport volontaires or PAVs) equipped with sunken containers are also planned at key locations.
Cleanliness and good waste management are one of the project’s priorities when it comes to enhancing the quality of life of residents while preserving nature.
Innovative architecture
We are committed to creating a neighbourhood that is a pleasure to live in for current and future generations, so we want all of the architectural and urban design to be innovative!
One example is the layers created by the different heights of the buildings. As well as breaking up the monotony, this allows us to let light in and reduce the use of artificial lighting as well as the need for heat.
Greenery is also an integral part of the project. There are plans for a number of green roofs and facades. They play an integral part in the energy strategy by providing shade and creating buffer zones.
Innovative mobility
When it comes to innovation, mobility has not been forgotten!
Indeed, it is essential that we anticipate future means of transport and encourage soft mobility.
For example, Rout Lëns provides a bicycle hub to help you hire, repair and park your bikes, EPACs (electronically power assisted cycles) and cargo bikes. The location is particularly handy for the national express cycle network “Vëloexpresswee”.
Other facilities such as electric vehicle charging stations and car sharing services are also planned to promote environmentally friendly private transport.
Questions about the neighbourhood
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Obviously this new neighbourhood is also designed to meet the growing demand for housing. The focus is on quality of life as well as on integration into the environment. This means that new buildings are designed to occupy a small surface area in order to free up public space and open spaces and limit soil sealing. The site will offer a number of different housing options, distributed throughout the project. You will see, for example, that there will be “overlapping houses” with some “Émergences” accommodation, “emerging” from the ground and livening up the landscape. As well as this, although our masterplan guarantees a level of consistency, we will also be organising architectural competitions for some plots to ensure architectural diversity. There are 2 tower blocks for the whole site. These will be strategically located to minimise their visual impact on the environment. The new Rout Lëns neighbourhood is destined to become a friendly, enjoyable place to life. That’s why there will be a range of things to do, both during the day and in the evening, and as much during the week as at the weekend. It will be an active, vibrant neighbourhood that will promote intergenerational diversity with a new school, homes available for sale and to let, student accommodation, a retirement home and co-living. The emphasis will be on shared spaces such as community gardens, multi-purpose rooms, public squares, urban furniture etc.
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The new Rout Lëns neighbourhood has been identified as a priority sector for housing developments in the Housing Plan, so 30% of the housing built on the site will be low-cost in order to respond to Luxembourg’s housing crisis. In addition to this, a huge amount of work has been done on the variety of solutions offered in order to cover all accommodation needs that people will have throughout their lives. So there is accommodation for students; when you get your first job, you will be able to rent an apartment; you start earning more and want to get on the property ladder, so you can buy your first apartment; you start a family, which grows, and then you’ll be able to buy somewhere bigger. The different layers of the neighbourhood mean that we can offer this diversity. So for example, there will be ground-floor apartments, which will be in collective dwellings, but which will be designed for individuals, with a private entrance and a garden. There will also be housing on the higher floors, offering inhabitants the chance to live among the trees. Then there will be apartments on the top floors, where residents will be able to enjoy unobstructed views of the wonderful landscape. So this project is offering a particularly diverse range of solutions, thus meeting everybody’s different needs.
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Among other things, the project includes a school complex for everybody’s benefit. Working with the Esch-sur-Alzette municipal authorities, this was included from the very start of the project, and will be located at the entrance to the site so that it will connect all the neighbourhoods with each other. It will include a school, a day care centre, a crèche and a gym. Right next to the site, and at the heart of the project, there will be a number of sports and leisure facilities that will complement this offering (football stadium, fencing room, music conservatory etc.)
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The project has been designed to make sure that the new neighbourhood fits in harmoniously with existing residential areas. The peace and quiet of the Hiehl/Grenz neighbourhoods will be preserved and the new configuration will even offer them better links with town, especially for pedestrians and cyclists, thanks to a temporary footbridge, while the future Bus Rapid Transit line (BRT) is being built. Rout Lëns will also extend the centre of Esch. The shops and businesses it will house will complement those found in the town centre, and in particular on Rue de l’Alzette. The type of shops and businesses in the new neighbourhood will be different, including, for example, local stores focusing on short supply chains (urban farming). It’s not about building a new shopping centre, but rather a local community of shops and businesses, and an urban neighbourhood that it’s a pleasure to live in.
