| PlanIT Valley, A City that Uses the Brain |
| 12 November 2010 |
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Based on the same functioning of any living organism, PlanIT Valley, on the outskirts of Paredes, Portugal, aims at becoming the first real eco-city. The project has been studied by a group of engineers, architects and information technology experts and is supported by the Portugal government, which declared it “a project of national interestâ€. A powerful computer system will be the central brain of the scheme as well as the most expensive component. Through sensors installed in every prefabricated house, which measure temperature, energy use, humidity and occupancy, the central computer will be able to regulate, for example, water use and energy consumption. Each of the hexagonal houses, a shape studied in order to save space, will have a roof covered with vegetation that absorb rain and polluting substances whilst at the same time maintaining heat. A water and waste recycling plan is also included: waste water will be filtered by using bamboo and other plants and reused for irrigation or as greywater, while organic waste will be transformed into electric energy or bio fuel. The city is predicted to be fully functioning by 2015, and the inhabitants will move in by September 2011." |
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