For us, it all started in 1992 with a conviction that the only responsible way of dealing with our environment was to abandon the use of nuclear energy, conserve fossil fuels, and increase utilization of solar energy and other renewable energy forms.

The annual report for 1989 on primary energy in the Federal Republic of Germany showed that building heating accounted for nearly one third of the nation’s overall energy needs. This drew our attention to the field of building design; it was a call to action, a challenge.

The message
In 1998, WWF began its Living Planet Reports showing the state of the natural world and the impact of human activity upon it. The 2006 edition of the report confirms that we are using the planet’s resources faster than they can be renewed — the latest data available (for 2003) indicate that humanity’s Ecological Footprint has more than tripled since 1961. Our footprint now exceeds the world’s ability to regenerate by about 25 percent.

The other index in the report, the Living Planet Index, shows a rapid and continuing loss of biodiversity — populations of vertebrate species have declined by about one third since 1970.

The message is clear: we have been exceeding the Earth’s ability to support our lifestyles and we need to stop. If we do not, we risk irreversible damage. The biggest contributor to our footprint is the way in which we generate and use energy. The Living Planet Report indicates that our reliance on fossil fuels to meet our energy needs continues to grow and that greenhouse gas emissions now make up almost half of our global footprint.

Demanding buildings
About 40 percent of the final energy demand is for buildings. This means that more than 15 years after Transsolar was founded, the purpose of climate engineering for buildings has not changed, but acquired a global meaning: ensuring the highest possible comfort in buildings with the lowest possible energy use will lower the impact on our environment.

Transsolar accomplishes this by developing and validating innovative climate and energy concepts and strives to go beyond the limited idea of energy conservation based upon maximizing thermal properties of the building envelope or skin. Our approach also recognizes the interdependence of the built and natural environments, and ensures that natural laws are respected, even with the building intervention. We employ sustainable strategies in our concepts as they apply to specific site, building type, and user needs.

Master plan
As member of the design team for the Masdar City Master Plan in Abu Dhabi, we were introduced to a new and most holistic approach of defining sustainable urban development: The six square kilometre city, designed by Foster and Partner for the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company, is to house an eventual 50,000 people in accordance with WWF One Planet Living sustainability standards which include specific targets for the city’s ecological footprint.

Masdar City — which will be zero-carbon, zero-waste and car-free — plans to exceed the requirements of the 10 sustainability principles of the One Planet Living programme, a global initiative launched by WWF and environmental consultancy BioRegional. Independent and public verification of Masdar City’s performance in meeting these standards is just one of the features distinguishing the project. Another is the commitment that the project will not just preserve existing regional biodiversity but enhance it.

One Planet Living is based on 10 principles of sustainability. The design team developed targets that are to be achieved by the time Masdar City is completed and fully functioning, in 2012 (see box).

Replication
The involvement in the Masdar project has given us the chance to view the possibilities of our work differently. Up to this point, we saw ourselves as experts in planning highly comfortable environments for the building user with a minimised energy demand. Through our work in the design team for Masdar City we were challenged to set the highest targets possible for energy savings, enabling the team to plan a self-sufficient sustainable city — by realizing high density living and working space, which will still allow a luxurious modern lifestyle. If this can be showcased this will have global impact. The high standard living society in the world is responsible for the tripling of our ecological footprint. To prevent irreversible damage, we not only need to see our personal life style and its impact in a global context but also the chances that lie in our work and in the way we work. We see the vision of the Masdar Development for a carbon neutral city as a concept demanding replication in other location around the globe.

Matthias Schuler is a founder and managing director at TRANSSOLAR Energietechnik GmbH and a visiting professor at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design.