Dutch investor Aedes, research institute KWR and the municipality of Amsterdam join forces to fight the consequences of climate change

AMSTERDAM, July 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Amsterdam has been dealing with more extreme heat, drought, and rainfall. To ensure that Amsterdam remains livable and safe, we need to adapt to the consequences of climate change and its increased pressure on the city. Roofs of buildings are an ideal setting for this. Dutch investor, Aedes, has taken the initiative to develop residential property, Mannoury, and collaborated with the municipality of Amsterdam, ECOFYT, Permavoid, Techniplan Adviseurs, SDR Elektrotechniek and KWR Water Research to set up the TKI (Top consortia for Knowledge and Innovation) Project Urban PhotoSynthesis on the building's roofs.

Mannoury

Mannoury is a unique 64 apartment building in Amsterdam that contributes to biodiversity, quality of life and energy transition by combining a blue-green roof, gray water treatment and efficient solar panels. The building helps to cool the city and the solar panels, reduces the risk of flooding during heavy rain, reuses shower water in dry periods and above all, creates pleasant and healthy living conditions for residents. To explain the technique of this project, a movie has been made: www. mannoury.nl/en/project-synthesis/. In addition to Project Urban PhotoSynthesis, Aedes also offset the CO2 emissions from the Mannoury building. By planting 28,000 trees, the investor compensates for the integral CO2 emissions of both construction and 25 years of residence.

Esther Mouwen, Head of Sustainability at Aedes: "With this project, we want to show that a blue-green energy roof is feasible and that it makes a relevant contribution to climate adaptation in the city. With this we innovate and deliver scientific results. We hope that these results will encourage the construction sector, municipalities, water managers and property owners to take their responsibility to work together and adapt their way of working. Something that matters now more than ever."

Operation

The roofs, balconies, and roof garden are covered with a diverse range of plant species. These are supplied with water from a buffer layer that lies underneath the soil. We research whether the solar panels installed above the plants generate more electricity than solar panels placed on a standard black roof due to the cooling caused by the evaporation of water by the plants. Because a lot of water is needed for the plants during drought periods, the shower water from the apartments is also collected, filtered, and returned to the highest roof, from where it flows to all roofs and balconies to replenish the water storage for irrigation.

Research

Mannoury consists of 2 identical buildings, which is ideal for full-scale comparative research. Project Urban PhotoSynthesis compares the amount of solar energy generated on the blue-green roof versus a standard blacktop roof, the water-filtration properties of a rooftop wetland compared to a bio membrane reactor water treatment system in the basement of the other building, and a fully computer-controlled water management system compared to a more passive system based on natural overflows and gravity. This unique research study will last two years, and the results will be announced at the end of 2023.

SOURCE Aedes