MANIFESTO ON ARCHITECTURE AND KILOMETRE ZERO PHILOSOPHY

By Fernando Menis and Dulce Xerach (2013)

“Our commitment is to promote the extension of Kilometre Zero philosophy to the architecture field in order to stimulate the economy of places and environments where building or rehabilitating and to reduce the impact of construction on the quality of the environment.

This proposal is reflected in the commitment to creating integrated buildings to the surrounded natural landscape and in a more fairly redistribution of wealth to achieve consensus with natural and urban settings in which architecture operates.

*Adeje Square

The philosophy of Kilometre Zero in architecture includes the development of the taste for contemporary architecture of quality that respects the landscape.

It is a commitment to the naked truth of the materials that make up each concept of an architectural project, a commitment to research the benefits of culture for a better future; it’s a response to the problems of architecture and the society that adopts a position towards life, prevalent at the doubts of any era of crisis.

With the philosophy of “0 Kilometre” architecture adapts better to the reality of people returning to its origins  and to the logic.

The general philosophy of Zero Kilometre in architecture includes the following commitments of architects and clients (meaning the general public):

– Consuming and working with GOOD, CLEAN AND FAIR products,

– Respecting the natural landscape surrounding the buildings.

– Encouraging the use of local materials, from the district or as close as possible when building or rehabilitating.

– Reducing CO2 emissions to the atmosphere caused by the transport of construction materials.

– Promoting direct sales of these products from the retail supplier to the constructor.

-Using local workforce preferably.

Minimum Standards of the Zero Kilometre architecture:

1. – For a building to be considered within the Zero Kilometre philosophy it must have at least 2 main local materials.

2. – The 30% of the materials used on site must be local.

3. – At least 50% of the materials used in the building must be purchased to suppliers established within 200 Km from the construction site.

4. – None of the materials may cause harm to human health.”

More information at:

Comunicaciónn@menis.es  // www.menis.es

* Origin of ZERO KILOMETRE philosophy:

Born from a philosophy by Slow Food Association, to promote the consumption of local inputs, which come from stables and fields close to the customer, reducing distance between small producers and consumers through the direct sale of products that become part of the chef’s gastronomic inspiration. In this kind of eco-gastronomy, before taking the fork to the mouth, proceeds asking ourselves the question: How many miles has the food we eat travelled before going into our stomach? What this trend is looking for is to minimize damage to the environment through a consumer style striving to reduce environmental pollution due to fuel use when transporting food and the preference for indigenous inputs and / or traditional and seasonal products, which are ranked or listed as bastions or Ark of Taste products.

*Menis Zero Kilometre philosophy works: Magma Center, Adeje square, Swimming pool in Rio Spree, the Church, MM house, El Tanque, Cuchillitos Park. www.menis.es