Future-focused green 'Crystal' opens in London

Starting Sept. 29, members of the public will be able to visit what’s being billed as the “world’s largest exhibition dedicated to sustainable urban development.”

The Crystal, located in London and built by Siemens, is also supposed to be “one of the world’s greenest buildings.”

Under construction for the past year-and-a-half, the Crystal will be home to Siemens researchers focused on developing sustainable technologies for cities of the future. But it’s not so much an “ooh, the future”-type project as it is a pragmatic way to enter a very real and growing market for sustainability innovations.

“Cities worldwide are making investments to improve their water supplies, power grids, transportation systems and building infrastructures,” said Roland Busch, a member of Siemens’ managing board and CEO of the company’s infrastructure & cities sector. “Our addressable market alone has a volume of €300 billion. In this growth market, the Crystal will help us intensify dialogue with our customers. The Crystal is our Sector’s showcase, contact point and mastermind.”

It’ll be off to a fast start, too. On Sept. 20, the UN Habitat program will use the Crystal to host a conference on “Urban Planning for City Leaders.” And the next day will see the new facility host a future-oriented conference on “Digital Life Design Cities.”