Introduction
Switzerland is pursuing an innovative policy in this field. In 2012, the Swiss Federal Office of Energy launched a pilot project called Smart City Switzerland, which has brought together Swiss universities of applied sciences, universities, public administrations and companies to rethink our urban environment. Over 60 projects are currently under way under the umbrella of Smart City Switzerland. Responding to an urgent challenge, the project is facilitating new scientific partnerships and boosting innovation in this area.
Swiss know-how is also attracting interest abroad. At the invitation of the Swiss Confederation, the Swiss start-ups Smixin and TreaTech presented their work in this field at the Smart Cities India 2017 exhibition in New Delhi from 11 to 12 May 2017. India, which is expected to have 500 million new city dwellers by 2050, is launching its first programme to create some 20 smart cities. Let’s zoom in on four projects that have aroused a lot of interest in India.
Green architecture in Zurich
Details
Smart building management systems are already a reality in Zurich. Since the autumn of 2015, interconnected heating, electricity and cooling systems controlled automatically by an intelligent management system have been installed in several buildings, including the Swisscom building. The result is a significant reduction in CO2 emissions, coupled with living spaces in greater harmony with the natural environment. Switzerland’s economic capital is taking the smart city approach even further: construction of a new district in the south of Zurich – dubbed ‘Green City’ – is close to completion, with the first residents expected to move in by July 2017.
The project will be completed three years after the first shovel broke soil at the construction site on the old industrial zone of Sihl-Manegg. The new district covers eight hectares for 13 buildings, including eight residential buildings. Green City is the first city district certified as a 2,000-Watt site by the Energiestadt/Cité de l’Energie Society. Green City will obtain 100% of its supply of energy from renewable energy sources and will produce 70% of its electricity within district boundaries through roof-mounted photovoltaic panels and other means. A smart grid will control the generation, distribution and storage of electricity. Surplus electricity will be used for electric vehicles or stored to meet future needs.
An innovative cooperation agreement has been concluded with the electric power plant of the City of Zurich to supply renewable energy for heating and cooling the entire district through a system of groundwater wells and geothermal probes. Another city in the German-speaking part of Switzerland, St Gallen, has a smart and interconnected city project for the district of Remishueb. With the support of the federal government, Winterthour has embarked on various projects involving the recycling of waste, mobility, green IT and the optimisation of operating processes.
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