Integrated Urban Solutions

ECONOMY, ECOLOGY AND TECHNOLOGY WITH AN EXCELLENT QUALITY OF LIFE AND ENVIRONMENT

Our lives have changed radically in recent decades: We have become more mobile and the work environment is undergoing profound change. At the same time, demographic shifts and migration pose major challenges for cities and local authorities. Worldwide, ever more people live in cities, where the effects of climate change, such as global heating, are more pronounced than in rural areas.

We therefore need new, interdisciplinary approaches to urban development to master the challenges that lie ahead. With the ‘Blue City – Integrated Urban Solutions’ suite of services, Drees & Sommer bundles its comprehensive urban development expertise for the development of specific solutions for the future.

To be future-proof, these solutions have to include holistic concepts to deal with a wide range of stress factors. This includes taking the economic, ecological, functional, social and esthetic aspects of urban spaces into account:

NUMEROUS STRESSORS IMPACT OUR CITIES:

Energy

How do we generate, transport and store energy? How can we save energy using more efficient technology? How do we ensure efficiency and safety? Which sites do we use to generate energy?

Water

Heavy rainfalls and dry spells present us with new challenges. How do we integrate sustainable infrastructure and sponge city principles into our cities? How do we reduce drinking water consumption, use rainwater and protect ourselves from extreme weather?

Climate

How can we make global warming manageable? How do future buildings contribute to the solution with a minimized carbon footprint and - in the medium and long term - with a beneficial footprint? How do we use climate-adapted construction?

Waste and Rescources

How do we use raw materials properly? How do we reduce land consumption? How do we increase the use of ecological materials in interior design? How do we organize material flows in cycles - for example with Cradle to Cradle®?

Mobility

How can different modes of transport be meaningfully linked to form mobility networks? How do we manage to build the necessary infrastructure for new drives, such as e-mobility or hydrogen?

City Structure and Real Estate

What sustainability criteria do we use to plan our cities and buildings? How do we succeed in transforming the portfolio? Will our facades all be green in the future, and all our roofs energy producers? Will we all be living in high-rise buildings in the future?

Biodiversity

How do we combine humans and nature - and incorporate biodiversity into buildings and cities? Do we need the edible city? What does bees' dying off mean for us? Does the word urban jungle take on a new meaning?

Digitization

Entire neighborhoods and buildings, individual rooms, components or objects are migrating into the "Internet of Things". Many new business models are emerging. How do we network large-scale structures and everyday objects?

Finances

Which subsidies are eligible and what are the requirements for green bonds? How do we use this information to make urban development cost-effective and feasible?

Society

Numerous trends have an effect on life in the urban environment. Will we visit shopping malls in the future or will we let drones deliver to us? Will we still work in offices tomorrow or only from home?

CHALLENGE FOR MODERN URBAN DEVELOPMENT

Urban districts play a key role in the transformation of society as it moves towards greater sustainability. They form the space in which people live and work. This is where social networks are created, urban infrastructures operate, and urban development and architectural visions are developed.

So the ultimate goal must be to achieve effects and synergies that promote sustainability in urban development. Solutions are required that combine economy, ecology and technology, and that meet the requirements for an excellent quality of life and environment.

How can this be achieved? Urban districts can be restructured and optimized through innovative approaches. New projects involving densification or the development of disused sites offer an opportunity to implement pioneering solutions. Equally, established neighborhoods must be upgraded, for example by improving the energy efficiency of buildings.

TECHNICAL MASTER PLANNING

Groundwork and Analysis

Discuss relevant legislation and standards
Consolidate in fact sheet
Include all project-relevant basics
Evaluate associated factos
Outcome: thorough assessment of the current situation

Goals and Strategy

Develop guidelines and define goals and the added value for the of the project
Joint workshop with the client
outcome: clear objectives, criteria and indicators as well as a process to track the project objectives

Scale and Solution Level

Examine goals based on the solution approach
Develop and calculate various technical development scenarios
Adopt a Broad are of investigation for each goal
Outcome: Overview of the investigated area for each goal and/or medium as specification for the downstream process

Urban Development

Review urban defor optimal orientation, building types, urban structure and building heights
Outcome: Urban master plan optimized to align with the project goals

Standards

Calculate or simulate variants to set standards for individual uses and types of building, street or open space
Develop differentiated standards - for example for the degree of soil sealing, facade structure, and the insulation requirements - that contribute to the most cost-efficient achievement of the goal.
Outcome: Specifications

Technical Details

Examine specific approaches to achieving more reliable study findings and reducing planning inaccuracy to the greatest extent possible
Develop and coordinate specific technical solutions

Synergies

Verify findings in an overall profitability analysis
Analyze possible synergy effects and interactions between parallel processes for different media and goal criteria
Outcome: Recommendation in the form of a technical master plan with a roadmap for its implementation

ACHIEVING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT WITH INTEGRATED STRATEGIES

Drees & Sommer initiates, plans and manages holistic development and renewal processes – in other words processes that take all relevant fields into account. This approach can apply to entire cities or urban districts, or to individual buildings and properties.

Ideally, we get involved before our customers start project development. This enables us to achieve the best possible outcomes for all parties involved.

For decades, Drees & Sommer has been synonymous with development consulting and the successful planning and management of complex real estate and infrastructure management projects. Are you a developer or officer responsible in local government? If so, we would be delighted to support you with our know-how and offer you the following benefits:

Specialist consultations (microclimate simulations, space syntax analyses, energy simulations, etc.)
Innovative solutions delivered by our network of experts and involvement in research and development projects (Smart City Demonstrator)
Sustainability consulting, including district and real estate certification with experienced auditors for all labels (DGNB, LEED, BREEAM, etc.)
Analysis of urban development design drafts and projects (requirements specification, design guidelines, potential analyses)
Expert advice and planning (technical master plan, energy and climate protection and climate change adaptation concepts, lifecycle assessment, lifecycle costing, simulations, mobility concepts, etc.)

To find out why certification of sustainable urban districts pays off, see the DGNB publication ‘Added value of certified districts’.