Climate change is becoming a more relevant, but also a more complex subject which often leads it to seem distant and intangible. Many people find it challenging to live a sustainable lifestyle because they think it is uncomfortable and expensive. Additionally, individual actions often feel powerless when contrasted with the impacts of industry. VIRTUe does however, believe in the huge potential of collective human actions. 

However, this doesn’t negate the fact that building and construction are responsible for 39% of CO2 emissions, making the sector a key player in reaching global sustainability goals. Designers have the power to stimulate sustainable behaviour as people are heavily affected by their built environment. We are stuck in a status quo where the industry is not guiding users to a more sustainable mindset, and therefore is not receiving incentive to change. We aim to break this loop and introduce an integrated approach to both sustainable building and living. 

We strive to:

1. Activate people to adopt an environmentally-friendly mindset

2. Normalise sustainable living

3. Future-proof the design approach for the built environment

Our concept is called ripple and is inspired by the Ripple Effect. Like a drop in water, our project creates a ripple of influence. We aim to spread sustainable change and habits in existing urban situations through a renewed urban plan, and a design proposal for vertical extensions, both of which are adaptable to various urban scenarios. 

We are currently using Wuppertal as an implementation situation. We aim to create a new norm, where the industry influences the people, and the people inspire the industries to move towards a more sustainable future. We believe that together, we can make sustainable living fun and easy for everyone, everywhere.