Luxury green resorts are a sign of how much climate change has entered the public consciousness. According to the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment in London, nine out of 10 British buyers want to live in an environmentally friendly home and are willing pay extra for it. The response from architects? Concepts like air-conditioning that automatically switches itself off when a window opens (an idea that also saves money) and heating systems that use the surrounding soil to shift temperatures into the ideal comfort zone. Being able to afford—and show off—an environmental aesthetic has become more popular these days.
Even if buyers’ motivations are superficial, the investment in the kind of green technologies used in the Fosters complex can make a difference. Half of world-energy consumption goes to buildings and the electricity, lighting and air-conditioning it takes to run them, and another 25 percent goes to transport. Santa Giulia, slated for completion by 2010, will not only offer its 60,000 inhabitants housing kitted out with the latest energy-saving devices, but also schools, churches, retail space and public transport links to the rest of Milan within walking distance. This mixing of activities is key to having a light environmental impact, says Behling. “If you develop new pieces of city,” he says, “it’s extremely important to have them at a high density, so a lot of people are living and staying all in the same place.” When designing Santa Giulia, Foster & s had the option to spread it out more (think American-style suburban sprawl) but chose instead to make the neighborhood compact. Maybe eventually such green architecture can convince Americans to get out of their 4X4s and take the bus.
