4 Eco-conscious Developments for the Super-rich of the Future

April 12th, 2011 by Jo Borrás

It’s tough being wealthy in the middle of a global recession. After all, you still have the cash required to “pull the trigger” on that yacht you’ve had your eye on, but the rest of the world? Not so much. Conspicuous consumption has suddenly become — well, conspicuous, and you might suddenly have to justify that new luxury sedan (my new Mercedes? it’s a diesel!), that new limo (my new Rolls? it’s electric!), and that new summer home.

Think I’m nuts? Car companies sell horsepower when cash is flowing and gas is cheap. Homes sell square feet and private theaters. What are they selling right now? This month’s Mental Floss magazine features four in-progress developments in high-rent postal codes around the world, and each of them is selling “green”.

Masdar City of the UAE

That photo (top) is marketing art for Masdar City, a development currently underway in the UAE that aims to become the world’s first carbon-neutral city. The 2.5-square-mile city expects to house nearly 40,000 people by 2020, and plans to run entirely on renewable energy sources like biofuel and solar. Another step to cutting out carbon emissions? Masdar City plans to ban personal automobiles, relying instead on a public transit system of battery-powered “pod” EVs.

Lyon’s Gate of Pheonix, Arizona

“Green, upscale living” is taking off in the US, as well, especially in the Phoenix suburb of Gilbert, AZ. where summer temperatures regularly exceed 100F. The planned community of Lyon’s Gate (pictured, below) is a collection of 210 homes built to withstand the heat while also conserving energy — and the homes are designed with such an emphasis on efficiency that — despite the heat — the US Department of Energy estimates Lyon’s Gate homes require 80 percent less energy for heating and cooling than typical American homes.

How do the Lyon’s Gate homes pull of this efficiency win? By using better materials.

Most US homes are built with inexpensive (read: cheap) fiberglass insulation, which can leak. Lyon’s Gate homes, however, are insulated using a spray-in expanding foam that occupies over 100 times its original volume, filling in cracks and crevices and corners as it expands. Although the foam is much more expensive than conventional rolls of fiberglass, it offsets its cost through energy savings. The homes in Lyon’s Gate also work to “beat the heat” with vinyl windows, which are four times more effective at insulating than traditional glass windows.

Dongtan of Chongming Island, China

Upping the efficiency ante a bit is the Chongming Island development called Dongtan (artist’s rendering, below).

Located 40 miles outside of Shanghai, the city’s (planned) 80,000 residents will make use of locally produced energy. Indeed, the city’s primary source of energy will be rice. A new refinement process will convert non-edible rice husks (the protective covering on grains of rice – which are usually discarded) into ethanol, which can then be burned by generators to create electricity. Taking the “reduce, re-use, recycle” mantra to its logical conclusion, Dongtan will process most of its human refuse into energy, as well.

Jätkäsaari district of Helsinki, Finland

Rounding off our list in classic “last, but not least” style is the Jätkäsaari district of Helsinki, Finland. By 2020, the area expected to provide commercial and residential buildings for 16,000 people. In keeping with the “theme” here, the new waterfront city plans to utilize a variety of green ideas, including “automated vacuum collection” in every building (think: “drive-through bank teller” or “commuter tubes from Futurama”). The city’s planners hope the tubes will help eliminate garbage trucks, and make recycling easier with dedicated tubes for different types of waste. Once “on the move”, the plan calls for paper to be transported to paper mills, compost-able matter to be sent to farms, and combustible items to be sent to furnaces, where they’ll be burned (!?) as fuel (no word yet on how Finland plans to police exactly what does and does not get burned).

So, there you have it: 4 environmentally responsible luxury developments currently underway. I’m sure there are more though — feel free to link to the ones you’ve found in the comments, below.

Source and Photos: Mental Floss, via Neatorama.

Keep up to date with all the hottest cleantech news by subscribing to our (free) cleantech newsletter, or keep an eye on sector-specific news by getting our (also free) solar energy newsletter, electric vehicle newsletter, or wind energy newsletter.

Tags: abu dhabi, China, Dongtan, Emissions, Islands of Shanghai, Jätkäsaari, Masdar City, recycle, sewage, United Arab Emirates, United States Department of Energy, US

About the Author

Jo Borrás I've been involved in motorsports and tuning since 1997, and write for a number of blogs in the Important Media network. You can find me on Twitter, Skype (jo.borras) or Google+.