CRI听力: Madrid Housing, the Best-practices Model That Can Be Copied and Exported

The Urban Best Practice Area is one of the most innovative initiatives at the 2010 Shanghai Expo. It showcases 50 urban designs from across the globe. Today, let's take a look at the Bamboo House from Spain's capital Madrid. It showcases the city's advantages in social housing, sustainable development and use of renewable energy. Our reporter Zhang Cheng has more.

In the Urban Best Practices Area, Madrid built a pavilion made of two existing buildings—the Bamboo House, a replica of a state-subsidized housing, and the Air Tree, a replica of the bioclimatic trees that make up the Eco-Boulevard.



In fact, the Bamboo House is a five-story residence in southern Madrid. It is covered with bamboo, giving it an original landscape image that provides heat insulation and soundproofing, thereby saving electricity.

Cristina Mateo, Communication Director of the Madrid Pavilion took me to the roof of the building to check out more environmentally friendly devices.

"So here we have a vertical garden, which is widely used in Spain. It helps buildings to be isolated from heat and extra cold and reduces gas emissions. (You can see) the solar panel is there, and here we have a device which is installed inside. It allows light into the house, but keeps the heat and cold away."

Even without air conditioning, you will feel quite cool inside the Bamboo House.

In front of the building is a structure more than seven meters high that is shaped like a tree. It has a hollow inside and a metal covering. On top of it are four fans. This is another feature of the air tree, known as the Ecological Air Conditioner.

The system used in the Air Tree is based on networks of water sprays that work in conjunction with the installation of various species of climbing plants such as ivy. In addition, this process helps to remove CO2 and purify the air.

Mateo explains where the inspiration came from.

"This is the actual Air Tree. It is located in a newly-developed area that still doesn't have many tall trees. So that's why we came up with this structure. In fact, in Madrid, there're three. Not the same size as this one. But we want to convey a sense of outdoor living and healthy living. Also the temperature inside is about 7-8 degrees Celsius lower than outside. So it's really a good structure for cooling off. "

Under the Air Tree, there is a public space for people to stroll, mingle, and have a rest. Mateo says the Madrid Pavilion has prepared many games and performances for visitors at the Shanghai Expo 2010.

Here is a visitor from Mexico. He just played a game under the tree which is like a live version of table football.

"It's very interesting, and I like the way they did (referring to football), some sort of game we have. It's physical; very interesting."

Mateo says Madrid isn't complete without life in its streets, life in its public spaces and the combination of the Bamboo House and the Air Tree transmits the balance between life inside the home and life outside. She also believes this is an effective solution to the problems brought about by rapid urban overdevelopment.

For CRI, I'm Zhang Cheng in Shanghai.