Carbon neutral resort planned on Caspian shores
A project on creating a carbon neutral resort and
residential development on Zira (Nargin) Island stretching along
the Caspian Sea was presented in Baku on Tuesday.
Under the project, buildings designed to reflect the shape of Azerbaijan`s mountains will be constructed. Each of the Seven Peaks house a residential development derived from the geometry of such famous mountains as Baba Dag and Besh Barmag.
The project, initially estimated at $4-4.5 billion, is expected to take six to eight years. It will be implemented by Denmark`s BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group) and Ramboll companies. Construction operations on the island are due to begin within the next year.
The vision of Zira Island is to create a new development that is entirely independent of external resources, i.e. a self-contained island. The project seeks to provide excellent living spaces for people, with a minimum usage of resources, by combining the best of the traditional Azerbaijani building tradition with the newest technology.
Kai-Uwe Bergmann, a BIG executive, told the presentation ceremony that electricity will be the only resource used at the island. Electric power will be supplied by 17 wind power-generating facilities to be built on the outskirts. Battery-powered electric cars will be the main means of transportation on the island.
The heating and cooling systems in the buildings to be constructed there will operate with the use of special pumps linked to the Caspian Sea. Water for drinking will also be derived from the Caspian and desalinated using special equipment.
300 luxurious private villas and several four or five-star hotels will be built on the 1,000,000 square meter island, which will be home to some 10,000 people.
The capital Baku will be connected to the Zira Zero Island by three types of transport - small passenger vessels, helicopters and overpass roads.
Oguz Erkan, Vice-President of Azerbaijan`s Avrositi Holding, which ordered the project, says production of naval taxis is also envisioned in Baku in the future.
The island will be directly connected to the Heydar Aliyev airport of Baku by means of special helicopters.
The importance of the Zira Island for Azerbaijan`s history was taken into account while drafting the project. Since scores of Azerbaijanis and Turkish soldiers were killed there by the Soviet troops in the past, two memorials are to be built in the center of the complex. The flags of Azerbaijan and Turkey will be hoisted on both monuments.
According to estimates, the current economic crisis will not affect the implementation of the Zira Island project.
The project implementers have said that since a military facility was located on the island in the past, the area will be searched for mines prior to the start of construction operations.
Zira Island will be an important step into the future of urban development in Caucasus and Central Asia. With the help of the wind, the sun and the waste, the island will produce the same amount of energy as it consumes. Following other ambitious eco-city projects like Dongtan in China and Masdar in Abu Dhabi, this project will cause the carbon emissions of people living there to decline over the next decade.
Under the project, buildings designed to reflect the shape of Azerbaijan`s mountains will be constructed. Each of the Seven Peaks house a residential development derived from the geometry of such famous mountains as Baba Dag and Besh Barmag.
The project, initially estimated at $4-4.5 billion, is expected to take six to eight years. It will be implemented by Denmark`s BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group) and Ramboll companies. Construction operations on the island are due to begin within the next year.
The vision of Zira Island is to create a new development that is entirely independent of external resources, i.e. a self-contained island. The project seeks to provide excellent living spaces for people, with a minimum usage of resources, by combining the best of the traditional Azerbaijani building tradition with the newest technology.
Kai-Uwe Bergmann, a BIG executive, told the presentation ceremony that electricity will be the only resource used at the island. Electric power will be supplied by 17 wind power-generating facilities to be built on the outskirts. Battery-powered electric cars will be the main means of transportation on the island.
The heating and cooling systems in the buildings to be constructed there will operate with the use of special pumps linked to the Caspian Sea. Water for drinking will also be derived from the Caspian and desalinated using special equipment.
300 luxurious private villas and several four or five-star hotels will be built on the 1,000,000 square meter island, which will be home to some 10,000 people.
The capital Baku will be connected to the Zira Zero Island by three types of transport - small passenger vessels, helicopters and overpass roads.
Oguz Erkan, Vice-President of Azerbaijan`s Avrositi Holding, which ordered the project, says production of naval taxis is also envisioned in Baku in the future.
The island will be directly connected to the Heydar Aliyev airport of Baku by means of special helicopters.
The importance of the Zira Island for Azerbaijan`s history was taken into account while drafting the project. Since scores of Azerbaijanis and Turkish soldiers were killed there by the Soviet troops in the past, two memorials are to be built in the center of the complex. The flags of Azerbaijan and Turkey will be hoisted on both monuments.
According to estimates, the current economic crisis will not affect the implementation of the Zira Island project.
The project implementers have said that since a military facility was located on the island in the past, the area will be searched for mines prior to the start of construction operations.
Zira Island will be an important step into the future of urban development in Caucasus and Central Asia. With the help of the wind, the sun and the waste, the island will produce the same amount of energy as it consumes. Following other ambitious eco-city projects like Dongtan in China and Masdar in Abu Dhabi, this project will cause the carbon emissions of people living there to decline over the next decade.
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