• Energy Research
• 13. Climate action close
• 7. Clean energy close
• Serbian close
• Arhitektura i urbanizam close

Three urban redevelopment projects recently undertaken in Europe-Ria 2000 in Bilbao, Spain; Emscher Park in Germany; and Gasometer in Vienna, Austria, are presented and discussed in the paper. All three innovate on three independent levels culture, economy and urban organization, and provide high quality places to assist their cities and regions to cope with a global competitive environment. All three were also designed to represent the best of the sustainable practice in Europe at the time. In the same time, the basic philosophy of all three is deeply rooted in creative economies and elaborate their basis principles. The paper explores their design solution in order to identify the points where creative industries and sustainability meet, and investigates if, and to what extent, they comply with the principles of sustainability. Urban design and physical space are in focus, while other areas are considered as long as they contribute to the design, or reflect a credo that architecture and urban design are among those that play a central role in building cities' reputation and character. The author argues that all three materialized some of the basic principles of sustainability, by elaborating ideas of genius loci and the relationship between identity and locality. Emscher Park has been the most successful in demonstrating how the Brownfield site and devastated area could be transformed into the cultural landscape. Ria 2000 brought in a new interpretation of balance between the man made and natural environments. Gasometer has been least successful, and rather its solutions go after the traditional redevelopment paradigm.

Refurbishment of existing building stock using energy-saving phase-changing smart materials and technologies, in addition to improved indoor climatic conditions, offer an opportunity for increasing housing energy efficiency and value. This fast developing technology becomes increasingly cost-effective with much shorter payback periods. However, it is undertaken only on a limited scale; because of lack of knowledge about their changeable properties and dynamism in that they behave in response to energy fields. Main characteristics, which make them different form others, are: immediacy transience, self-actuation, selectivity and directness. Phase change processes invariably involve the absorbing, storing or releasing of large amounts of energy in the form of latent heat. These processes are reversible and phase-changing materials can undergo an unlimited number of cycles without degradation. Since phase-changing materials can be designed to absorb or release energy at predictable temperatures, they have naturally been explored for use in architecture as a way of helping deal with the thermal environment in a building. Technologies based on sealing phase-changing materials into small pellets have achieved widespread use in connection with radiant floor heating systems, phase change wallboards, mortar or facade systems. Thermal characteristics of existing buildings can be improved on increasing their thermal-stored mass by implementation products of phase-changing smart materials. In addition to contributing to carbon reduction and energy security, using phase-changing materials in the building sector stimulates innovations.

Buildings are among the top of energy consumers. It is estimated that over 50% of the overall produced energy is consumed in buildings, mainly on heating and cooling. Application of air conditioning systems saw an important expansion in the past decade. These systems are used, not only for cooling but for heating, or supplemental heating, as well (as heat pumps). While there is virtually no alternative to their usage as cooling systems, heating applications should be reconsidered in a more subtle manner to maintain the principles of energy efficiency. Mass consumption of air conditioners has as an effect a significant rise in consumption of energy, mainly during the summer. Aesthetic consequences are another important problem. Since the placement of these appliances is not regulated by law, and left to the citizens they are commonly self-initiated and misaligned which undermines aesthetic values. Additional problem is placement of air conditioning systems on protected objects (religious institutions, object under protection) which undermines not only aesthetic, but historical value as well. On the other hand, many new buildings represent a positive example, since this problem is adhered from the very start of conceptual design, and these appliances are covered with adequate architectural solutions. This paper will try to cover positive and negative examples of Serbia, Montenegro, and some other Balkan and Western Europe's countries. It will also give recommendations in solving the negative energy and aesthetic consequences of these problems. Non-controlled application of air conditioning systems is becoming a health problem. Large differences between the interior and exterior temperature leads to an array of health problems registered by many medical reports. Improper maintenance of air conditioning systems could lead to bacterial propagation which could seriously damage health.