Above, creative architecture student Magnus Larsson shares his incredible idea to help settlers along the harsh Sahara desert. His proposed process of re-structuring sand is a building material process already researched for helping strengthen earthquake prone land with sustainable bacteria that turns shifting sand into a solid mass.
Looks like Larsson is creating sandcastles out of desert land. Brilliant! His Holcim Foundation winning proposal could very well transform life in that region as the Sahara green wall shelterbelt is planted across the African continent. The possibilities are endless as the quality of life will improve for so many along the Sahara. Read the rest of this entry »
Psyched to announce thier first offline event, TreeLife by The Cool Hunter, will be unveiled sometime in 2010 (city to be announced). Hey all you tree house builders and fanatics, your time has come for an inspirational modern prefab tree house playground made exclusively for forest loving, fresh air and sky dwelling mavens.
Check out the prefab community blooming online these days! Tiny House Village is trying to connect communities of creative small dwellings. Ideas are abound for these eco communities with Resources For Life’sSmall House Society.
In a stark contrast with how construction used to be thought of, the green building movement has been a shift away from the traditional concerns about money and time. The betterment of our planet, as it turns out, is quickly becoming a bigger priority. Since March of this year, the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program has seen around 20,852 new LEED registered and certified projects.
Most of this can be attributed to the fact that builders view green buildings as more economical in the long run, and recent incentives on the part of the government have added an extra encouragement. But while these positives have been talked about pretty often, there are some risks associated with going green that still leave many builders wary.
It’s a pleasure to finally begin writing here at Green Options! This time around, I’d like to focus on green building ambitions in the corporate world. I’ve been hearing a lot about Wal-Mart, Intel, etc. But have you heard about what Leviton just did with their headquarters? Read the rest of this entry »
The new flick 500 Days of Summer, which generated much buzz as the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, rolls out in limited release today. Lot’s of people are talking about it as a romantic comedy meets Memento which in film terms means that those with ADD or short attention spans might be confused by this rambunctious romantic romp. But for us, the buzz doesn’t just lie in the zigzagging sex talk but rather in the architecture talk. Even more specifically in the Green architecture talk.
AJC Architects have thought ahead to a hotter Utah in the sensible ideas incorporated into their Wetland Discovery Point educational building that helps educate Utah schoolchildren about nature.
These are the green ideas in order of importance to sustainable design:
On-site solar panels for green electricity – to make net zero energy onsite;
Solar thermal collectors for hot water supply and radiant floor heating;
Radiantcooling via infloor cold water in the same circuits in summer; (great idea!)
10-ft high trombe wall collects passive solar heat;
Butterfly roof for rainwater collection;
Rainwater collection used for toilets/landscaping;
Drought tolerant, native landscaping;
Maximimum openings for natural ventilation;
Low-water use fixtures and plumbing;
In addition there are the usual elements that garner so many LEED points:
95% of the construction waste is recycled.
Use of FSC-certified woods and low VOC products.
High recycled content materials used throughout.
…and indeed, this building has gained LEED Platinum certification, the third to do so in Utah.
It’s a good example of the self-sufficient new design vernacular in sustainable design – including net zero solar power and the new butterfly roofs for rainwater harvesting for a water constrained future.
Because Utah, in the American Southwest, is an arid land and will be increasingly drought-prone as our hotter future heats up the region.
Whenever I see my friend James D’Addio, the architectural photographer, I ask him about which new green buildings he’s been shooting. Not surprisingly, in a city with dedicated green building blogs and the NYC Department of Design & Construction’s award-winning programs, NYC may be the greenest city in the United States. Here two projects in NYC that exemplify where green building is going.
It seems like if a building is going up, its just as likely as not to be green. McGraw-Hill research tells us that 53% of building professionals expect to be dedicated to green on over 60% of their projects in the next five years. It seems like there is ample opportunity for innovation in the building industries despite a downturn in overall building. I guess NYC is as good a place as any to lead the charge.
Norman Foster’sHearst Tower, which sits atop a 1928 landmark building in Manhattan is engineered to use 25% less energy than required by code and boasts the world’s largest “air conditioner.” The two-story, stepped waterfall is also a huge radiant cooling system that along with other measures saves 1.7 million gallons of water every year. Other interesting facts about the building include:
90% of the structural steel used came from recycled materials
More than 80% of the orginal structure was recycled for future use
26% less energy was used during construction
Light sensors and controls throughout the building
It has a 14,000 gallon water reclamation system in the basement
A project of SEA (Social Environmental Aesthetics) at Exit Art, “Vertical Gardens is an exhibition of architectural models, renderings, drawings, photographs and ephemera that depict or imagine a vertical farm, urban garden or green roof.” The exhibit features over 20 projects, both imaginary and real, by artists and architects envisioning solutions for building greener urban environments.
Details for the FREE two-day event (featuring eco architects, artists, professors, and poets) at Exit celebrating Earth Day 2009 are as follows: Read the rest of this entry »
This post was originally posted on Eco-Libris blog on March 24.
Green buildings have never been so popular, at least when it comes to public policy. Looking at the stimulus plan you see how a concept that until lately was relatively marginal suddenly becomes a significant policy tool, which is expected to stimulate the economy, lower energy consumption, create jobs and support the environment, all the same time.
But what does a green building or a green home actually means? well, for most of us it would be difficult to get into specifics as so few had the chance to experience it personally, but for Avrim and Vicki Topel know the answers.
They have built a green home (LEED Silver Certified) at Kennett Square, PA and they’re sharing their story in a new book entitled “Green Beginnings: The Story of How We Built Our Green & Sustainable Home“.This book is a valuable book for anyone interested in going green or building a green home. It is also part of a greater effort of the Topel’s experience to share their experience with others, which includes tours in the house and a documentary video. And last but not least, as we reported earlier, Eco-Libris is collaborating with the authors to plant trees for the copies sold of the book.
As we wanted to learn more about the authors’ experience and their book, we asked Avrim Topel to join us for an interview.Read the rest of this entry »
At Green Building Elements, home owners and LEED accredited professional alike can learn about advances in green and renewable building materials, current projects in sustainable architecture and progressive urban planning, and local guidelines for creating green structures in different regions of the U.S.
