Zira Zero Island

February 23, 2009
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Danish architects Bjarke Ingels Group (aka BIG) have designed the masterplan for a carbon-neutral resort and residential development on Zira Island in the Caspian Sea. Located within the bay of Azerbaijan’s capital city Baku, the 1,000,000 square metre masterplan will include seven residential developments, which are based on the shapes of famous mountains in Azerbaijan. The island will make use of solar heat panels, photovoltaic cells, waste water and rainwater collection, and an offshore wind farm. According to BIG, the development aims to be “entirely independent of external energy resources”. The project will be part of an exhibition called Yes is More, which opens on 20 February at the Danish Architecture Centre in Copenhagen.

Bjarke Ingels, Founding Partner of BIG states: ““What we propose for Zira Zero Island is an architectural landscape based on the natural landscape of Azerbaijan. This new architecture not only recreates the iconic silhouettes of the seven peaks, but more importantly creates an autonomous ecosystem where the flow of air, water, heat and energy are channeled in almost natural ways. A mountain creates biotopes and eco-niches, it channels water and stores heat, it provides viewpoints and valleys, access and shelter. The Seven Peaks of Azerbaijan are not only metaphors, but actual living models of the mountainous ecosystems of Azerbaijan.”