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Day 2: an appeal for an energy transition

On its 2nd day, under the heading of “Energy transition today”, the 4th Liechtenstein Congress focused on the infrastructure of the future: autonomous energy systems for the region, energy-saving methods, as well as discussions regarding the value chain which could be created from a sustainable approach to the country, municipalities and region.

On its second day, under the heading of “Energy transition today”, the fourth Liechtenstein Congress focused on the infrastructure of the future: autonomous energy systems for the region, energy-saving methods, as well as discussions regarding the value chain which could be created from a sustainable approach to the country, municipalities and region. 


A summary of Michaela Caroline Bojes and Nico Lang; photos by Mohammad Hekmati - students in the Master's degree programme in Architecture


At the start of the lectures on the morning of 7 June 2013, Hansruedi Kunz, head of the department for energy in the canton of Zurich and chairman of the energy project group of the International Lake Constance Conference (IBK), made it clear what the objective was: “There are many facets to sustainable planning. The starting point is different for each country, but there are many paths leading to the same destination.” 

The declared objective of the IBK is to preserve and promote the entire Lake Constance region as an attractive residential, natural, cultural and economic area, and to reinforce regional togetherness. His recommendation to the congress participants who had arrived from the Rhine Valley region and around the world  was “Now is the time to get started!” 

Challenges of the future

Phil Jones, professor and chair of architectural science at Cardiff University, Wales, used his lecture to explore built-environment models for a world of low CO2 emissions. Jones, who advocates global, low-carbon building structures, provided insights into his climate-friendly projects in China. 

“It’s very important that the concept is satisfactory from the outset, and that supply and demand for low-carbon technology is integrated into the buildings. Generating heat using renewable energy will be a great challenge to which architecture and technology will have to adapt themselves,” Jones explained regarding the challenges of the future.

In the lecture given by Andreas Grünig, a representative of the biodiversity and landscape ecology unit at the Agroscope Reckenholz-Tänikon Research Station (ART) in Zurich, the focus of the congress programme was brought back from a global perspective to the regional scale. He provided insights into the special topic of moorlands and the effect of climate change, as well as the danger posed by CO2 emissions to the atmosphere. 

During the second part of the day, the University of Liechtenstein presented its ongoing research projects regarding an autonomous Bodensee/Lake Constance–Alpine Rhine Valley Energy and Climate Region: Ludwig Karg, from B.A.U.M. Consult GmbH, presented the climate-stable infrastructure for the alpine region, and Johannes Peter Steidl, student in the Master’s degree programme in Architecture at the University of Liechtenstein, examined the spatial requirements for energy storage facilities and the potential conflicts which might arise from these. 

Excursions to practical regional projects

The afternoon programme offered the opportunity to combine theory and practice with an excursion to one of five possible regional projects: 

To the Gamperfin moor; to the Egelsee reservoir in the Birka nature reserve in Mauren; to the BVD printing company, which in 2013 won a commendation prize of the Zurich Climate Prize for its completely carbon-neutral printing house; or to the special fauna and flora of the alpine region of Malbun in Liechtenstein. 

In addition, the team from the uniGO initiative took interested participants on a tour of the campus to showcase the work of the University of Liechtenstein’s Green Organization.


Additional information regarding the Liechtenstein Congress is available at www.uni.li/li-congress.

Liechtenstein Congress 2013 – impressions from Day 2
Video Day 2 on the YouTube Playlist
Photos on the Congress website