Urban incubator

University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Technical Sciences, Novi Sad, Serbia

Project idea

The need for better waste management in Serbia was a starting point for the project Urban Incubator. The technology that our facility uses to achieve sustainability is the incineration of bio waste.

The main goals of the project:
1. to offer a sustainable energy concept as a closed circle, where there are no by-products that pollute the environment. All of the energy, generated from bio waste, is used to operate different parts of the building;
2. to improve student life by increasing the number of facilities that students need/use;
3. to put people in the first plan;
4. to reduce carbon footprint;
5. to introduce the future life of factories in the cities, incorporated in everyday life as the new standard. Factories should evolve into, as Bjarke Ingels said: "good citizens" of the contemporary cities.

Project description

Current studies show that Serbia is at the bottom of the list of European countries in terms of the amount of municipal waste recycled and composted per capita. The need for better waste management in Serbia was a starting point for the project Urban Incubator. The technology that our facility uses to achieve sustainability is the incineration of bio waste. The aim of the project was to offer a sustainable energy concept as a closed circle, where there are no by-products that pollute the environment.
All of the energy, generated from bio waste, is used to operate different parts of the building.
The second part of the research is based on a survey, where citizens of Novi Sad were asked, which institutions our city lacks. The answers we got showed that the Boulevard of Liberation deserves to be, as once promised, center of activities. Locals, students, as well as passengers were included in the project. The Urban Incubator is an educational, recreational and artistic platform for all of them. The concept of merging the factory part of the building with the mixed-use part creates a raw, genuine structure, revealing both characters of the building at the same time.
As the Boulevard becomes the center of activities, it appears necessary to put people in focus. By lowering the car traffic underground, a square is created at the intersection of the Boulevard of Liberation and King Peter, to which our building is connected via an amphitheater.
The tower comes as a clear reference to the proportions of context towers. It is enclosed and solid, for smaller groups or individuals.
The space is defined by human activity, the concept of the project is a space based on atmospheres, rather than formal typology. It allows connection and independence at the same time.

Technical information

Bio waste is collected on the city level, where the residents of Novi Sad separate bio from other waste. Then, all waste is delivered with
trucks to the warehouse, then is transferred to the incinerator. The heat generated by this waste-burning process heats up pipe system filled with water. Heated water is delivered by pipes to various places in the building, providing the necessary heat. The heat is also used to operate the spa and wellness center, which has a sauna, swimming pools with hot water, etc. All heated water is delivered to the steam turbine which is in charge of producing electricity.
In our building, CO2 is reused by solidifying it into a snow-like consistency, that is compressed into the blocks of dry ice.
Dry ice is used for preserving food for the canteen, polyclinic, and in the winter for skating rink.

Documentation

Show PDF 1Show PDF 2Show PDF 3Show PDF 4Show PDF 5Show PDF 6Show PDF 7Show PDF 8Show PDF 9Show PDF 10Show PDF 11