Logroño Montecorvo Eco City, Rioja Province, Spain

Government agrees to new development of 3,000 carbon neutral homes
The government of Spanish province Rioja has agreed to the development of 3,000 CO2 neutral homes to the North of its capital Logroño. The ˆ388 million Logroño Montecorvo Eco City is to be designed by MVRDV in conjunction with Spanish architecture office GRAS, and will incorporate an eco-park over a 56 hectare site.

The linear urban development will meander over the two small hills of Montecorvo and la Fonsalada, giving each apartment views towards the city, and will occupy around 10% of the intended overall site. The remainder of the site will become an eco-park, which will include both windmills on top of the two hills and a tapestry of PV-cells on the Southern slopes, where solar energy can be easily generated. Together these will provide the site with 100% of its energy needs. In addition to which new ecological improvements, such as a greywater circuit and on site natural water purification, will help the new development to reach a CO2 neutral footprint and the highest Spanish energy efficiency rating.

In order to minimise building costs the housing will be built as compact as possible and will follow the optimal height line of the hill. The scheme will also incorporate on site sports facilities, retail, restaurants, infrastructure and both public and private gardens.

Of the ˆ388 million investment, ˆ40 million will be invested in renewable energy technology. The on site production of clean energies and the quality and efficiency of construction will allow the site to save an excess of around 6,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually. The project will be developed by Spanish firms LMB and Grupo Progea and was conceived in collaboration with Arup.