The sustainable implant: Decentralised sanitation and energy reuse (Desaer) in the built environment

Abstract

Purpose

This paper seeks to focus on a combined waste (or: wastewater)/energy system in the deep green housing district named “EVA Lanxmeer” in Culemborg (The Netherlands). An innovative mixture of “red and green” development is presented, together with a concept of building integrated decentralized technologies for wastewater and organic waste treatment with energy and nutrients recovery. The concept is called sustainable implant.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology of the research is based on Van Strien's “regulative cycle” in which theoretic parts, on the one hand, and practice‐related parts, on the other hand, are distinguished. The theoretical part concerns a flow analysis of existing and new sustainable technologies for preserving the (energy, water and waste) flows, an analysis of the different options for transportation, the accompanying technical infrastructure, and an analysis of possible levels or scales of implementation. The practice‐related part of the research consists of case studies and the final design of the sustainable implant for the district EVA Lanxmeer.

Findings

It is important to change the general attitude towards the different components of design, development, use and management of urban areas. A way to do so is the “interconnection” of different themes and cycles within cities. An example is the linking of sanitation to energy and food production. The paper shows the potentials of integrating solutions concerning energy and sanitation flows as near as possible to its origin of use and/or production. Introducing the analogy of the functioning of buildings (with respect to energy and sanitation flows) with that of a parasite.

Research limitations/implications

The system layout and the dimensioning backgrounds are explained in this paper. Additional emphasis is put on maintenance, conservation and administration of the integrated whole, and the possible consequences for the district and its inhabitants. There are scale limitations concerning the proposed (and realized) systems. Besides that there is a matter of a unique situation with an “intentional community”.

Originality/value

Although two similar systems, however small, have been realized, no other project (in process of realization) can be found worldwide in which there is a linking of urban agriculture, waste(water) treatment and energy production at the scale of an urban district.

Citation

van Timmeren, A. and Sidler, D. (2007), "The sustainable implant: Decentralised sanitation and energy reuse (Desaer) in the built environment", Construction Innovation, Vol. 7 No. 1, pp. 22-37. https://doi.org/10.1108/14714170710721278