Learning from Nature with 3XN

Found this article, very interesting.

"The Louisiana Museum of Modern Art invited the Danish architecture firm 3XN to design a pavilion demonstrating cutting edge possibilities within sustainable and intelligent materials. The result is a pavilion that is built of bio composites with integrated intelligence that creates a dynamic interaction with its physical surroundings and its users.

The pavilion is called ‘Learning from Nature' and everything about the pavilion is literally inspired by nature itself: The biological cycle of nature is the fundamental basis for the shape, the materials and the dynamic energy generation. Self-cleaning surfaces, phase changing materials and built-in sensors that generate energy from the footsteps of the visitors. It unites advanced technologies and intelligent materials in a preview of an innovative architectural design.

The pavilion is shaped as a Moebius band to symbolize the biological cycle; and the properties of the construction are very like those of nature – for example, the pavilion has a coating of nanoparticles that helps clean the surfaces and clean the air. Additionally, the pavilion is built of biodegradable materials; and as for energy, the pavilion is 100 percent self-sufficient.

'Learning from Nature' is unveiled today and can be seen at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Denmark, until October." *

*Article sourced from
http://www.detail.de/artikel_3xn-louisiana-museum-of-modern-art_24069_En.htm

UnderWater Turbines

Integrated Concentrating (IC) Dynamic Solar Facade

The Integrated Concentrating (IC) Solar Facade System is a building integrated photovoltaic system that takes a dramatically different approach than existing building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) or concentrating PV technologies to provide electrical power, thermal energy, enhanced daylighting and reduced solar gain. The system (for both retrofit applications and new construction) is architecturally integrated into the facades and roof atria of buildings while still providing maximum outside views and diffuse daylight for the building users. These benefits are accomplished by miniaturizing and distributing the essential components of concentrating PV technology within the weather-sealed windows of the building envelopes. (An alternative approach is to place the components behind the external façade envelope and construct an inner surface to protect the mechanisms.) The IC Solar System produces electricity with a PV cell, captures much of the remaining solar energy as heat for domestic hot water, space heating (or, possibly, for distributed absorption refrigeration cooling), reduces solar gain by the building, and enhances interior daylighting quality, thus reducing overuse of artificial lighting. The design and operation of the system permits direct partial views of the outside by the building's inhabitants. The modular design can be attached to a range of existing building structures or implemented into new designs. The tracking IC Solar Module System has been demonstrated in several 'proof of concept' lab-scale prototypes with multiple cell types.



The technical challenges of the IC Solar System are to produce a low-cost shading system for windows that:
1. uses as much of incoming direct normal irradiation as possible in the production of electricity
2. allows as much diffuse incident irradiation as possible to enter occupied spaces for day-lighting
3. requires little maintenance
4. captures, as thermal power, that which is not directly converted to electric power via the PV cell, thereby lowering building cooling loads
5. is aesthetically attractive for architectural markets

The IC Module has thus far been designed to effectively use the direct solar irradiance incident on the surface(s) of a building to augment or power the building. This irradiance, after initial reflections at the air/glass/air interfaces on the exterior of the building, has been transmitted to a faceted type lens. The lens directly concentrates (>400:1) the light onto a high-efficiency multijunction PV cell, recently demonstrated at 39.4% under 411 suns. The power not converted to electricity is captured via a coolant flow through the receiver on which the cell is mounted. This coolant is proposed for hot water heating, space heating (if needed), or (potentially) for absorption refrigeration cycles. With a high concentration ratio and small PV cell, the size of the modules dictates the allowable two-axis tracking error. For zero loss of direct irradiance on the cell, 900 µrad tracking error tolerance is allowed. Through iterative modeling, a planar lens shape in a close packed array was determined to ensure maximum conversion of solar energy to electrical power while permitting substantial day-lighting. The current prototype, a turntable type achieves a maximum combined tracking error of less than 800 rad. The modules and tracking mechanism are environmentally shielded from external forces, such as direct wind loading, by the exterior glass facade. Therefore, precise tracking can be achieved through inexpensive motors.

Because concentrating PV requires that the system track the sun, we integrate the CPV technology into a dynamic shading system, whereby the windows (required on the buildings whether or not our system is enclosed by them) protect the system from weather and wind loading. This alleviates a major obstacle in the application of previous concentrating PV systems (usually large-scale trackers) that have not been able to viably accomplish tracking accuracy requirements with wind loads and maintenance schedules. Therefore, as a distributed system, the IC Solar Facade system capitalizes on existing building structures as scaffolding and protection for the system, thus reducing cost for an expensive tracking structure and encasement and eliminating the need to transport the power far from its generation location.

Simple payback estimates indicate dramatically reduced payback periods in comparison to conventional PV systems currently on the market, while substantially increasing efficiency by orders of magnitude.

Opera House in Oslo

Advanced EcoCeramic Structural Systems

The increasing pressure on finite natural resources from global demand for construction materials combined with rising energy consumption is forcing the construction industry to look for low-impact and less energy intensive alternatives. This presents a need for abundant materials that can meet demanding performance criteria. Ceramics represent the most potential for the ecologically minded building materials of the future. Oxygen, Silicon, and Aluminum compose the majority of the Earth’s crust, and are readily found as silica SiO2 and aluminum silicates Al2SiO5 that can be directly used for the production of ceramics. Ceramic materials can be used in diverse applications and continuously reclaimed as high quality materials saving more precious resources. Composites and coatings augment ceramic materials for high performance architectural applications. Energy and climatic simulation with physical testing are used to produce ecologically and biologically minded architectures of advanced ceramic technologies in response to environmental criteria and thermal comfort. Digital technologies and physical modeling techniques along with an innovative look at traditional materials re-inform and re-value the role of earthen materials in the built environment.

Can modern architecture be truly sustainable?

Yes, says Hopkins’ MD Bill Taylor, we have no choice but to build sustainably; no, says the Victorian Society director Ian Dungavell, modern architects prefer gadgetry to thermal mass

'Yes'

If we’re going to build, then we have to do it sustainably. We don’t have any alternative. However, at the same time I think it is fair to ask whether modern architecture is truly sustainable at the moment, to which the answer has to be no. The point, though, is to stress that it can be.

As architects, we can no longer afford to approach this challenge with failure in mind. We no longer have any excuses. We’ve got all the benefits of analytical tools and research, which means far less guesswork, and there is also an increasing body of work that we can learn from.

The innovations of a decade ago have become commonplace, and now we have them at our finger tips. Something else that is interesting is how this new knowledge has reconnected architects to our traditional knowledge and skills, for example, the way we use and reuse materials like brick, lime mortars and timber.

Sustainability is about far more than just a structure’s energy demands. Britain’s historic buildings are central to our culture and the best of them have served us well in many ways, but they are, by and large, simply not efficient enough.

So when we build anew, we need to produce a contemporary architecture that is just as beautiful as the Georgian house but consumes no energy to heat and cool.

We should think of sustainability not as a “go faster” stripe but rather as a fundamental ingredient of how we should be designing long-life buildings.

'No'

Many modern buildings have been designed to minimise their environmental impact, but with their complex technologies they don’t always perform as well as expected. And they certainly don’t have a monopoly on sustainability. Many historic buildings perform surprisingly well, and they can do even better with a few simple extras such as roof insulation, thick curtains and a new boiler.

Recent studies show that Victorian schools can equal the performance of those designed to the latest building standards, and easily surpass the highly glazed, lightweight schools of the sixties and seventies. The fact that they have lasted so long shows they were well built and adaptable, and they have long since repaid the energy embodied in their construction.

Low-energy technologies are expensive, complicated and demanding to maintain, and have an unknown lifespan. Designers like gadgets but users find them perplexing, and if they go even slightly wrong, their benefit can be entirely lost. Complexity is the enemy of longevity, and so too of sustainability. Modernists have always been fascinated with technology, or the image of it, but simple passive solutions will be the longest lasting.

Traditional buildings have huge advantages: thermal mass, natural ventilation and daylighting for a start. Of course we should make new buildings energy-efficient, but true sustainability has got to mean improving those we have rather than starting from scratch.

Definitions

After talking to some people about my big idea, i realised that people have very different definitions of a sustainable development or architecture, no one really understood the term but just took it for a given good. There for the following defeinitions are vital to understand rather than assumtions.

Sustainability:

Although the definition of sustainable development (above) given by the Brundtland Commission, is frequently quoted, it is not universally accepted and has undergone various interpretations. Definitions of sustainability may be expressed as statements of fact, intent, or value with sustainability treated as either a "journey" or "destination."^[5] This difficult mix has been described as a dialogue of values that defies consensual definition.^[6] As an appeal for action it is also open to many interpretations as to how it can be achieved. Sustainability has been regarded as both an important but unfocused concept like "liberty" or "justice"^[7][8] and as a feel-good buzzword with little meaning or substance.^[9][10][11] As a call to action, sustainability" is open to various political perspectives on ways to achieve particular sustainability goals.

The idea of sustainable development is sometimes viewed as an oxymoron because development inevitably depletes and degrades the environment.^[12] Consequently some definitions either avoid the word development and use the term sustainability exclusively, or emphasise the environmental component, as in "environmentally sustainable development".

Scheme of sustainable development: at the confluence of three constituent parts.^[13]

This diagram incorporates the three pillars diagram within the surrounding environment that the systems within rely on.^[14]

The term "sustainability" is defined in many ways according to the context in which it is applied. As all human activity entails sustainability the word may be used to refer to any aspect of human behaviour. The fundamental integrated dimensions of sustainability are often taken to be: ecological, social and economic, known as the "three pillars"^[15] These are depicted as three overlapping circles, to show that these are not mutually exclusive and can be mutually reinforcing.^[16]

While this model was intended to increase the standing of ecological concerns, it has since been criticised for not adequately showing that societies and economies are fundamentally reliant on the natural world.

The economy is, in the first instance, a subsystem of human society ... which is itself, in the second instance, a subsystem of the totality of life on Earth (the biosphere). And no subsystem can expand beyond the capacity of the total system of which it is a part ^[17]

As Herman Daly famously asked "what use is a sawmill without a forest?"^[18] For this reason a fourth and outer "environment" circle is sometimes added that encloses the other three - or economy, society and environment are represented as three concentric circles with the economy in the centre (see diagrams).

The Earth Charter sets out to establish values and direction in this way:

We must join together to bring forth a sustainable global society founded on respect for nature, universal human rights, economic justice, and a culture of peace. Towards this end, it is imperative that we, the peoples of Earth, declare our responsibility to one another, to the greater community of life, and to future generations.

A simpler definition is given by the IUCN, UNEP and WWF:

Sustainabilty is: improving the quality of human life while living within the carrying capacity of supporting eco-systems.^[19]

Sustainability can also be presented as a call to action, as:

... a means of configuring civilization and human activity so that society, its members and its economies are able to meet their needs and express their greatest potential in the present, while preserving biodiversity and natural ecosystems, planning and acting for the ability to maintain these ideals in the very long term.^[20]

The evolution of thinking about sustainability has paralleled historical events that have had a direct impact on human global sustainability. [Definition taken from Wikipedia]

Eco:

Designing and building structures that use sustainable, non-harmful materials and techniques, integrate with the environment as much as possible without harming it, and result in buildings that are aesthetically beautifully as well as healthy for the occupants and the surrounding eco-system.

Blow up sheet metal

Inflated sheet steel units – at first sight it looks like a fanciful novelty but in fact this is advanced technology which has been developed at the CAAD (Computer Aided Architectural Design) department of the ETH in Zurich and has already been successfully implemented. The architect Oskar Zieta, who has been working with this professorship for eight years, has now desig-ned a series of inflated sheet steel furniture which not only proves that the technology is ready for series production but also demonstrates the striking look of these almost sculptural objects. Zieta produces the Plopp stool in his home country Poland and markets it through the Danish manufacturer HAY. We met him in Berlin, where he was awarded the YDMI (Young Designers Meet Industry) Prize.

Inflatable Aluminum

A really good video of inflatable aluminum. Last year when visiting Zurich we were given an opportunity to visit ETH where Professor yevs showed us some students that had been experimenting with inflating aluminum and soft metals.


Inflated Metal Chair from aram bartholl on Vimeo.

I will be contacting professor yeves to see if he can help be conduct some experiments of my own in inflatable aluminum.

SIEEB – Sino-Italian Energy Efficient Building

SIEEB – Sino-Italian Energy Efficient Building – was been presented on December 7th 2004 in Beijing

SIEEB project is regarded as a platform to develop the bilateral long-term cooperation in the environment and energy fields and a model case for showing the CO2 emission reduction potential in the building sector in China.

This building will be realized in the Tsinghua University Campus in Beijing and has been designed by arch. Mario Cucinella and Politecninco of Milano .

It is a 20.000 m2 building, 40 m high and it will host a Sino-Italy education, training and research centre for environment protection and energy conservation. This integrated design process is a most distinctive part of the project and a key issue for green buildings.

The building is therefore generated through a series of testing and computer simulations of its performance in relation to its possible shape, orientation, envelope, technological systems and so on. The building is designed to find a balance among energy efficiency targets, minimum CO2 emissions, a functional layout and the image of a contemporary building.

· resources saving including construction materials and water;
· minimization of environmental impact in both the construction and in-use stages;
· intelligent control during operation and maintenance;
· healthy indoor air;
· environmentally sound and durable materials;
· water recycling and re-use.

The SIEEB building shape derives from the analysis of the site and of the specific climatic conditions of the Beijing. Located in a dense urban context, surrounded by some high-rise buildings, the building optimises the need for solar energy in winter and for solar protection in summer.

Reflecting and semi-reflecting lamellas and louvers will also allow for sunshine to penetrate in the rooms in winter and to be rejected in summer, reducing the energy consumption of the building.
Double Façade and artificial lighting will be based on high efficiency lamps and fittings, controlled by a dimming system capable to adjust the lamps power to the actual local lighting needs, in combination with the natural light contribution. A presence control system will switch off lights in empty rooms.

Thermal comfort conditions are provided by a primary air (distributed by means of a displacement ventilation system) + radiant ceiling system. This combination minimises electricity consumption in pumps and fans. Lightweight radiant ceilings allow for lower air temperature in winter and higher in summer, thus reducing energy consumption; moreover, the presence sensors, coupled with CO2 sensors, can modulate either the air flow and the ceiling temperature when few or no people are in the room, thus avoiding useless energy consumption. In summer night cooling takes place.

Gas engines are the core of the energy system of the building. They are coupled to electric generators to produce most of the electricity required. The engines waste heat is used for heating in winter, for cooling – by means of absorbtion chillers – in summer and for hot water production all year round.
A sophisticated, “intelligent” control system manages the plant.
Because of the cleaner electricity produced, the amount of CO2 emissions per square meter of the SIEEB will be far lower than in present Chinese commercial building stock.

Icon of the Expo 2008 made of [fibreC]

Zaha Hadid has chosen glass fibre reinforced concrete from the Austrian company Rieder to envelope the 275 meters long ,Zaragoza Bridge Pavilion“, the new symbol of the Expo 2008 in the northern Spanish Zaragoza: she will cover the outer skin of the building with 29.000 triangles in different grey shades out of [fibreC] - and has so brought the Austrian concrete manufacturer Rieder an order of more than Euro 1,5 Millions The new bridge across the river Ebro is entrance to the Expo area and at the same time multi-level exhibition area; 10.000 visitors per hour will frequent the Main Pavilion of the world exhibition.

From 14 June to 13 September 2008 Zaragoza, in the northern Spain, will host the next international EXPO. More than seven and a half million people are expected to visit over 3,400 performances staged during the three months of the world exhibition. Due to the theme of the EXPO 2008 “Water and Sustainable Development”, worldwide interest is guaranteed in times of climate changes, tsunami and catastrophic drought. Especially the new landmark of Zaragoza, the shining main pavilion, which is a bridge over the river Ebro at the same time – designed by the prestigious architect Zaha Hadid together with Ove Arup Engineers London – is supposed to cause surprise around the world. The Pavilion consists of an inhabited multi-level bridge that spans the Ebro River, linking the city to the EXPO site. Apart from its function as a pedestrian access to the EXPO, the 275 meters long Zaragoza Bridge is a big showroom: on or in the bridge, to be precise, people can visit three exhibitions relating to the water and sustainability theme. Four curved vaults on two floors offer an exhibition area of 7000 m²

[fibreC] – A Sustainable Material

Apart from its design and visual impact, Zaha Hadid’s idea could stand up to 40 competitors at the jury – not least due to the sustainability of the used materials like [fibreC]. “The composition of [fibreC] out of degradable, purely mineral raw materials entirely complies with the current trend of natural,environmentally-friendly and sustainable materials“, says CEO Wolfgang Rieder. Apposite to the Expo-Theme “Sustainability”, Rieder has been certified in May according to DIN EN ISO 14.001. This international approved environmental management certificate confirms the commitment to sustainability at Rieder. With this „organic approach“, Zaha Hadid’s design of the bridge as well as the use of the material [fibreC] fit with the EXPO theme „Water and Sustainable Development“.

Frank Lloyd Wright boathouse in Buffalo opens to the public

A world-famous architect’s design is coming to life on Buffalo’s waterfront. The newly-opened Frank Lloyd Wright Boathouse was originally designed for the University of Wisconsin.

It took over 100 years to take the design from paper to construction, but the Frank Lloyd Wright Boathouse on the Niagara River is now officially open, and the new building is exactly how the architect designed it.

The idea to resurrect the design nearly 50 years after Wright's death — the architect died in 1959 — came at a conference of Wright scholars a decade ago.

"This is really a piece of modern architecture that still looks modern, even though it was modern 102 years ago," says Marks, who heads the corporation.

The boathouse marks the latest addition to Buffalo's contingent of Wright structures, which includes the Blue Sky Mausoleum, Graycliff Estate and Darwin Martin House.

Air Conditioning Is Obsolete

Global Ecology Research Center at Stanford University is an extremely low-energy laboratory and office building for the Carnegie Institution of Washington. The mission of the new Department of Global Ecology is to conduct basic research on the interactions between the earth's ecosystems, land, atmosphere, and oceans.

This project unified several buildings and activated spaces on a site that the Carnegie Institution has occupied since 1928, improving contact and circulation between two departments and creating an outdoor collaboration space.

This project was chosen as an AIA Committee on the Environment Top Ten Green Project for 2007. It was submitted by EHDD Architecture, in San Francisco, California.

The cooling system for the Global Ecology Research Center is based on a hydronic system, the first to be used in a laboratory setting. The “coolest” aspect is the night sky cooling system. How it works — at night, water is sprayed on the roof and cooled by the night air. This works well with the Bay Area environment because it rarely freezes, but always gets cold at night. The water is then collected and used to cool the building the next day. Throw in a couple of well-placed fans, and air conditioning is rendered obsolete.

"how insulation today" by onnetworks.com

This video is Very informative for consumers. It's been made by a new digital television (ONnetworks) which promoting ideas for going green in matters related to building practices and sustainable living suggestions.

Today newer, more efficient, and greener alternatives are widely available in order to insulate a building. Alex walks us through these alternatives: new types of batting (such as recycled denim), foam, and loose-fill (recycled paper cellulose). Alex talks to the providers of these alternatives to get the specifics on R factors, cost, durability and environmental impact. He also explores how insulation today can enhance air quality, seal the thermal envelope, and even add rigidity to a structure.

It's nice to see that a company provides visual representation on the subject.

this video is excellent and well executed.

A Gold Rating for city of Santa Clarita's Transit Maintenance Facility

The city of Santa Clarita's Transit Maintenance Facility has received a gold rating from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System.

The facility, intended to be LEED-certified since its planning began in 1999, is a state-of-the-art "green" building, which enables the city to house, maintain and clean its fleet of buses, saving the city more than $1 million annually.

The Transit Maintenance Facility features a 22,000-square-foot administrative and operations office building, a maintenance building with seven maintenance bays, an automated bus wash and chassis wash, a diesel fueling station, a compressed natural gas fueling station for public and transit use, and parking for 110 buses plus 163 automobile parking spaces.

This is Santa Clarita's first LEED-certified project and is a demonstration of the city's commitment to greener development and responsible public policy.


The City of Santa Clarita’s facility is intended to be a high-quality project that is environmentally sensitive, by using state-of-the-art energy efficiency and sustainable building methods. It is the City’s intent to, at a minimum, attain a “Certified” project status as defined in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Rating System by the US Green Building Council.


To aid in LEED certification of the project, a few of the features incorporated into the design of the facility are as follows:

* Straw bale insulated exterior walls for the administration building
* Optimize energy performance by providing under-floor HVAC system through a raised-floor plenum in the administration building.
* Daylighting for both the administration and maintenance buildings
* Recycled building materials, e.g., carpeting, timber, concrete, steel, tile, and vinyl.
* Water efficient landscaping
* Stormwater management






















Energy Advantages

"Straw-bale construction may be a rediscovered technology," says HOK's senior project manager Charles Smith, "but it is appropriate and sustainable by today's standards. When combined with more recent technologies such as under-floor air distribution, high-performance glazing, and daylighting — as it is in this project — it can be part of a powerful strategy for creating an energy- and resource-efficient building. We were able to exceed California Energy Efficiency Standards by over 40 percent."

The HVAC system is an efficient water-source heat pump. Chilled water is generated by an on-site cooling tower. Under-floor air delivery eliminates the need for overhead ducts, leaving the ceiling unobstructed for better daylight reflection. The raised-floor system uses concrete-filled metal pans, which are left exposed to eliminate the need for carpet or other floor coverings in most spaces.

The desert climate, with large diurnal temperature swings, is ideal for cooling by nighttime ventilation. Cool night air is brought into the administration building where it chills the interior surfaces' thermal mass, preconditioning the space for the following day. The HVAC system is designed to condition space only 7 feet (2.1 meters) above the floor. Each occupant can control the airflow and temperature of his or her work area.

The building also incorporates high-performance glazing and a well-insulated roof. Combined with the thick straw-bale walls, these create a super-insulated envelope that moderates temperature fluctuations and protects the indoor environment from the hot, dry daytime conditions.

The relatively narrow floor plates — no more than 60 feet (18 meters) deep — mean that all spaces have access to daylight and views. Deep roof overhangs shade the glazing while protecting the perimeter of the straw bale walls from direct water infiltration. The daylighting strategy reduces reliance on electric lighting and the associated heat loads. Skylights over the interior corridors and lobby limit the amount of electric light required in those areas.

A solar canopy bus shade structure, consisting of a 129.6 KW-DC photovoltaic system, provides on-site renewable energy that meets 45 percent of the facility's annual energy demand.

ZeroHouse 100% autonomous

Do you know a House which designed to operate autonomously and generates its own electrical power ? Let me introduce you to ZeroHouse.

ZeroHouse is a 650-square-foot prefabricated house designed to operate autonomously, with no need for utilities or waste connections. It generates its own electrical power from the high-efficiency solar panels and then stores it in a battery backup. Once completely charged, the home can run efficiently for a week without a hint of sunlight. It collects and stores rainwater, and processes all waste.

ZeroHouse also collects water into a 2,700 gallon cistern, which then distributes it by the force of gravity as needed to other parts of the home. The house, fully air-conditioned and heated, is configured to comfortably support four adults with two bedrooms, a full bathroom, a kitchen/dining room, and a living room. In addition, two elevated exterior terraces and an outdoor shower extend the living spaces.

Conceived by architect Scott Specht, AIA, of Specht Harpman, zeroHouse can be used in remote or ecologically sensitive locations. It can be installed in places unsuitable for standard construction, including in water up to 10-feet deep or on slopes of up to 35 degrees. ZeroHouse employs a helical-anchor foundation system that touches the ground at only four points and disturbs the ground to a minimal degree. The tubular steel frame can withstand winds of up to 140 mph, and the living modules feature flexible attachment points to the frame to allow for deflection and movement without damage.

The design and engineering work on the project was funded by a venture capital group with the intent of creating a start-up company to produce and market zeroHouse. Initial studies indicate that zeroHouse will sell for approximately $350,000.

Pretty incredible little House!

Eastgate Centre in Zimbabwe : Modeled After Termite Mounds

Designed by the architect Mick Pearce in conjunction with engineers at Arup Associates, Eastgate Building in Harare, Zimbabwe, is just one example of sustainable architecture that uses dramatically less energy by copying the successful strategies of indigenous natural systems. The building - the country's largest commercial and shopping complex - uses the same heating and cooling principles as a local termite mound.

That's no mean feat. Termite mounds are marvels of engineering. Deep inside, the insects farm a fungus, their only food. It must be kept at exactly 87 degrees, while the temperatures on the African veld outside range from 35 degrees at night to 104 degrees during the day.

They do it by venting breezes in at the base of the mound, down into chambers cooled by wet mud carried up from water tables far below, and up through a flue to the peak. Toiling with the tireless, compulsive work ethic of all ants, they constantly dig new vents and plug old ones to regulate the temperature.

Temperature regulation is a struggle familiar to any architect. Mick Pearce of the Pearce Partnership was given a challenge by Old Mutual, an insurance and real estate conglomerate: build an office block that would be livable with no air-conditioning and almost no heating.


This is a terrific example of sustainable architecture that is biomimetic, indigenous, and economically viable on its face. Yet the Eastgate story also demonstrates an important aspect of the sustainability/biomimicry trend - that incrementally greater value may be found by studying solutions from those niches (ecological and economic) where resources are more constrained than the ones you inhabit. Don't study the oasis - study the desert.
Termite Mounds Inspire Design of Zimbabwe Office Complex.

The complex is actually two buildings linked by bridges across a shady, glass-roofed atrium open to the breezes.

To keep the harsh highveld sun from heating the interior, no more than 25 percent of the outside is glass, and all the windows are screened by an unusual form of sunshade: racks of cement arches that jut out more than a yard.

Fans suck fresh air in from the atrium, blow it upstairs through hollow spaces under the floors and from there into each office through baseboard vents. As it rises and warms, it is drawn out through ceiling vents. Finally, it exits through 48 round brick chimneys.

During summer's cool nights, big fans flush air through the building seven times an hour to chill the hollow floors. By day, smaller fans blow two changes of air an hour through the building, taking advantage of what Pearce calls "the coolth in the slab." For winter days, there are small heaters in the vents.

- The Eastgate's owners saved $3.5 million on a $36 million building because an air-conditioning plant didn't have to be imported
- The building uses less than 10 percent of the energy of a conventional building its size.

Anti Smog the new sustainable development by Vincent Callebaut

Architect Vincent Callebaut ’s latest project balances public galleries, meeting rooms and gathering spaces over canals and abandoned railroad tracks in the 19th Parisian district. The prototype uses green technologies and techniques but is more than just an example of sustainable design.

Looking somewhat like an energy saving light bulb and a mouldy spaceship, the organically designed scheme has two components namely a tower and a pod like structure which looks like it has docked on the railway bridge spanning the canal.

The pod which will be known as the Solar Drop will have a 250 square metre photovoltaic blue roof which will capture the sun and convert it into energy for the pod, the main body of the pod is made up of polyester fibres which is strengthened along its main profiles with steel banding. The whole structure is then covered in titanium dioxide which reacts with ultra violet light to reduce pollution.

As an auto cleaning building it will also be able to absorb and recycle by means of photo catalytic technology the smog cloud generated by the huge amounts of traffic on the near by Parisian belt, hence the name Antismog - clever eh?

Other technologies allow the pod to be totally energy sufficient while two planted arches over the roof of the pod will collect rainwater which will service the needs of the of the exhibition, meeting and café space within the pod which are arranged around a plant purified lagoon.

The tower will reach 45 metres in height and is a wind tower. The core of the tower will be covered in digital screens which will constantly beam the news out whilst other panels will be tactile in nature. A ribbon like banister unfurls itself down the length of the tower the main body of which is moves in accordance with the direction of the dominant wind.

A second polyester fibre structure will be covered with greenery and punctuated with slits which hold the wind turbines. At the top of the tower a suspended public garden will offer spectacular views of Paris.

As a prototype in environmental building and technologies the project could lead the way forward for future sustainable building worldwide but only if it gets approval, which for now remains to be seen

Anti-Smog is thus a didactic prototype of ecological experimentations. Solar Drop and Wind Tower implement the most advanced technologies in the auto-sufficient construction to better reveal the applications of the contemporary society. Its energetic results are positive and enable to assure not only the functioning of the centre but also the nocturnal lighting of the banks of the second Bassin de la Villette. Moreover, this project aims at reducing the atmospheric pollution of the area by capturing the CO2 and thus improves the quality of the air. It is a play project, an urban and truly live graft. In osmosis with its surroundings, it is an architecture that interacts completely with its context that is climatic, chemical, kinetic or social to better reduce our ecological print in urban area!

"La tour vivante" The vertical farm

Would you have ever thought it conceivable to grow vast amounts of produce in the heart of densely populated cities ?

The concept of eco-tower "Tour Vivante" aim is to associate agricultural hydroponic production, dwelling and activities in a single and vertical system.

A continuous agriculture, emancipated from seasons and climatic hazards (drought, flood, weather), which provides a production 5 to 6 time better than open fields cultures.

Tour Vivante allows a local production and to wipe out transportation needed for food supply and thus, the process of the very energy-consuming preservation.

The hydroponic agricultural production purifies the districts air by the provision of plants oxygen.
An efficient use of salvaged rainwater is transformed into drinking water by the evaporation/respiration of plants.
Tour Vivante generates a large amount of methane or electricity by the fermentation of food waste and vegetals.
The hydroponic agricultural production purifies the districts air by the provision of plants oxygen.
An efficient use of salvaged rainwater is transformed into drinking water by the evaporation/respiration of plants.
Tour Vivante generates a large amount of methane or electricity by the fermentation of food waste and vegetals.

Located at the top of the tower, two large windmill directed towards the dominant winds produce electricity facilitated by the height of the tower. The produced electric power is about 200 to 600 kWh per annum.

4 500 m of photovoltaic panels included into the facades generate electricity from solar energy.

This tower will have as well : Rainwater and Black water systems, Ecological or recycled materials and Thermal and hygrometrical regulation.

Vertical farming could revolutionize the way we produce food. This new model could replace, traditional farming methods. This is one idea where the sky is truly the limit.

The boulders house.

The two-story house, of minimal 9-meter cubic proportions, was designed to be a habitable sculpture. Titus Bernhard, the architect used some 365 steel baskets, weighing 28 tones of dolomite stones. The entire house giving it a solid, medieval look. The steel and stone structure is placed in front of the brick shell insulation. The entire shell of the building is built under the steel baskets and is designed to act as a water-bearing layer.

The 28 tons of boulders have formed a kind of ecological shell for the building, buffering the heat in summer and the cold in winter. This way the consumption of energy is reduced to a minimum.

Architect : Titus Bernhard
Location : outside Augsburg, Germany