New ideas for high-quality urban development

“The sustainability of construction with concrete, social and environmental impact and international implementation were the key themes at the international ‘Bureau International du Béton Manufacture’ (BIBM) congress. It was held in the Hofburg, Vienna, Austria from 7th until 10th May 2008 with 450 persons in attendance,” explained Dr.-Ing. Gernot Brandweiner, president of the VÖB (association of Austrian concreters and precasters) which lent direction and its organisational skills to this year’s BIBM congress. As a solution to social housing, Swedish top architect Göran Lundquist spoke in his presentation of a reorientation towards greater density in towns with bigger and higher buildings plus the “vertical street” concept. Linda Persson has designed an “ideal house for women from women” together with a working group from the “Bettan” women’s network of the Swedish concrete association. This expresses a desire for flexible houses that can cope with changes in need in a neighbourhood and which are energy efficient, friendly to the environment and practical in use as well.

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