POSEIDON

POSEIDON is a collaborative EU project that aims to develop tools and methods to help foster the transition from existing districts into Positive Energy Districts (PEDs).

Project Locations

Spain (Alcorcon, Madrid), Italy (Rome), Türkiye (Istanbul, Antalya), Portugal (Cascais), France (Marseilles), Austria (Vienna)

Project Dates

from April 2, 2024

until September 30, 2027

Project Status

ongoing

Project Contact

[email protected]

Author

Yilmaz Vurucu

I’m an Austrian based film and video artist, originating out of Canada. Subjects of interest include community activation, social inclusion, sustainability, hyper-capitalism, individuality and precaritization, totalitarian systems of thought (cults), and coercive thought reform.

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Project Purpose

Demo Sites

Key dimensions

Every project we take on brings together a range of interconnected layers—environmental, legal, financial, social, technical, governance, and managerial. We approach our work holistically, making space for participation, shared understanding, and collaboration across all these dimensions. It’s how we ensure that our partnerships are grounded, inclusive, and responsive to real-world complexity.

For any project aiming to create lasting, sustainable change—especially within the context of transition and transformation—these layers can’t be treated separately. They interact, overlap, and shape one another. Identifying key markers and themes across these categories helps guide the process, ensuring that the outcomes are both robust and adaptable.

Engagement plays a central role in this. Meaningful participation allows all stakeholders to contribute to a shared vision, while transparency builds trust throughout the journey. Different levels of involvement—from broad outreach to hands-on co-creation—ensure that communities are informed, empowered, and actively shaping the process. Inclusivity isn’t just a goal; it’s a foundation. When diverse voices are heard and respected from the beginning, the result is a more democratic, resilient, and impactful project.

Here are some of the core aspects we explore and connect through our work, listed below:

Social Aspects

Environmental Aspects

Technical Aspects

Legal Aspects

Financial Aspects

Governance Aspects

Wonderland's role in this project

Transformation of space needs civic initiative and the involvement of local actors.
That’s why POSEIDON will be implementing its POSEIDON Labs concept. As WONDERLAND, we will be responsible for the creation and curation of the content for the Urban Living Labs and the exhibitions.
Each demo site will be accompanied by a unique living lab that will promote sustainable habits and an understanding of sustainability concepts through activities, film screenings, discussions and games.
We will be striving to integrate social acceptance, activation and participation with governance and application.

On the one hand, a continuous exchange will be established with local authorities and relevant stakeholders all along the project in order to correctly integrate their needs and visions, on the other hand, inhabitants will be actively involved, by means of participative and digital strategies.

Project library

Research and advocacy are at the heart of everything we do. Each of our projects is a journey into understanding— both technically as well as socially—and we’re always looking for creative ways to share what we learn. From films and interviews to visuals, manifestos, publications, and hands-on manuals, our outputs take many forms, depending on the people involved and the story being told.

Our project libraries reflect this diversity, and we’ll keep adding to them as our work evolves. But it’s not just about knowledge—it’s also about action. We use what we learn to advocate for change, support bottom-up initiatives, and create space for citizen participation. Because a fairer, more sustainable future needs everyone at the table.

Films and videos

The POSEIDON Launch Film created for the launch in Brussels, 2024.

Images, posters, visuals

The POSEIDON Poster Wonderland created for the project launch in Brussels in 2024.

Project partners

Every project we take on is an opportunity to expand our circle—bringing in new collaborators, exchanging ideas, and learning from the experiences and expertise of others. These partnerships are essential to our work and help us keep growing, questioning, and creating with fresh perspectives. We value collaboration not just for the outcome, but for the process: sharing knowledge, building trust, and working together toward common goals. Below, you can meet the people and organizations we’ve partnered with on this project. Feel free to explore their work—we’re proud to be in such great company.

Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM)

The research community TULE is a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary team from the UPM, focusing on addressing the challenge of the urban transition towards more sustainable and resilient models. This working group has a consolidated experience in promoting energy transition in cities and urban regeneration through four main lines of research: optimizing the energy performance of new and refurbished buildings, generating distributed renewable energy, promoting the energy transition of existing neighborhoods through PED and finally NBS for reducing the heat island, improving air quality and water cycle management.

Demir Enerji (DEM)

DEM has been active in the “sustainability consultancy” sector in Turkey and Europe since 2011, working with its clients to achieve sustainability goals by providing solutions on climate change strategies, carbon management and decarbonisation, efficient and sustainable use of renewable energy, sustainable building design and certification, energy efficiency and energy management. DEM is also one of the most active entities in Turkey in terms of participation in EU Framework Programmes, collaborating in 9 projects. Thanks to its extensive experience in European projects and specifically within MAKING CITY, DEM’s multidisciplinary team will develop the MCDA of the methodology. One of the strengths of DEM‘s approach is its close collaboration with local stakeholders and especially the academic expertise when undertaking projects.

Università degli Studi Roma (RM3)

RM3 represents a central point of reference in the academic scenario at both local and national level thanks to its quality teaching and research programmes. RM3 is involved, either as coordinator and partner, in around 81 EU research projects. The research activity of the Department of Architecture is focused on various topics of sustainability in architecture and in the city, thanks to a multidisciplinary group and synergetic approach including different scientific sectors i.e., technology, physics, economy, engineering and urban planning among others.

Wonderland (WON)

WON is an independent NGO established in 2004 in Vienna, which provides communication and exchange between European practitioners, who deal with space creation, distribution, or improvement. The team and network consist of architects and urban planners. The network conducts research, realizes co creation workshops, publishes findings and results, organizes public screenings, discussions, exhibitions, and other events to involve non-professionals and stimulate the discourse. The association has members in most European countries, as well as collaboration partners. The network supports emerging professionals. The core team for the POSEIDON project is represented on the board of wonderland, with the focus is on interdisciplinary applied research, creation of knowledge material for exchange and participative planning and development concepts. Key areas of activities are co-creation and knowledge transfer, through films, events, exhibitions, publications, and lectures.

ImpactE

ImpactE is a start up from Valencia, Spain, that facilitates decision-making for municipalities. Belong its activity, ImpactE develops web tools, energy simulation models and optimisation algorithms. ImpactE’s goal is on the one hand to help urban planners to achieve a socially-fair energy transition, and on the other hand to empower citizens. The team is composed of 15 people, 4 of whom are pursuing a PhD in urban energy topics. ImpactE works with more than 50 municipalities in Spain, so the team understands the needs, concerns and work methods of these organizations.

Wonderland members active in this project

Bahanur Nasya

Bahanur Nasya is an architect, researcher, project manager, and film producer. She has studied in Vienna and Barcelona, specializing in sustainable architecture, just and fair community-centered-scenarios, and future-proof development concepts.

Mary Sarsam

Mary Sarsam is a multidisciplinary artist, researcher, and project manager who explores ecological and historical narratives through spatial approaches, combining her academic background in sociology and fine art with practical experience in social work, cultural programming, and performance. She is actively involved in the Broudou School collective and global seed-saving initiatives, bridging creative research with grassroots environmental action.

Maria Pischlöger

Musicologist, music teacher, publisher

Robert Körner

Robert Körner is an ongoing urbanist with a background in architecture, carpentry, and spatial research. His work focuses on inclusive urban practices, youth-led transformation, and participatory processes.

Marlene Rutzendorfer

Architect and curator of Architektur.Film.Sommer, head of movies in wonderland itinerary festi-val and film productions. Marlene lectures at the Institute for Art and Architecture / Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna.

Yilmaz Vurucu

Film and video artist, researcher, writer. Subjects of interest include community activation, social inclusion, sustainability, hyper-capitalism, individuality and precaritization, totalitarian systems of thought (cults), and coercive thought reform. My methodology includes ethnographic research, reflection, categorization of common patterns and the creation of what I call “poetic moments of visual exploration through fiction.”