An old elevated train track in downtown Rotterdam is being redeveloped as a commercial strip and elevated park. City heating can easily be integrated in the design thereby connecting the Rotterdam Airport and developments around it to the city district-heating network. In this manner, industrial waste heat can be used to warm the pre-war buildings along this trajectory, thereby radically reducing their CO2 footprint.
The principle of cascading the heat is used. The pre-war structures can be warmed using 90°C; water (using radiators), the water that comes out at 60°C; can be used for urban agriculture in greenhouses, in turn the 40°C; water from this process can be used for new buildings with concrete core activation. Finally, the remaining water at 25°C; can be used for heating the outdoor pool on top of the viaduct. This strategy can radically reduce CO2 footprints in existing urban fabrics.
