Tag Archives: Green Tech

Amazon Heats Building With Data Center Waste Heat

Old tech- in the form of hydronic heating– meets new in nearby data centers, creating ‘green heating’ in Amazon’s latest new buildings in Seattle, WA. The offices and work areas of the new Amazon buildings will be heated by utilizing the waste heat of a nearby data center, and Amazon’s not stopping there. Heat from the…

Lowe’s Smart Home Survey – Results

Smart home systems

A new smart home study released by Lowe’s found that while Rosie the Robot is the futuristic feature consumers would want most from “The Jetsons,” more than 70 percent of smart phone users in America just wish they could control something in their home from their mobile device without getting out of bed. Lowe’s 2014 Smart Home…

Penda’s Unique Creations

In design, when concepts become creations that the world hasn’t seen before, then the job is well done. A young and upcoming firm is Penda and their goal is to create nothing that isn’t unique and thought out. Penda was started in 2012 by Chris Precht and Dayong Sun. Every project that they undertake becomes…

Ecoflo Coco Filter Provides Natural Wastewater Treatment System

Ecoflo Coco Filter

Premier Tech Aqua (PTA), a Business Unit of the Environmental Technologies Group of Premier Tech, announced earlier this month that it had achieved a breakthrough and launched its recently NSF International certified Ecoflo Coco Filter. The new Ecoflo Coco Filter is a model of sustainable development – a permanent septic installation that fully protects ecosystems…

BioSkin Facade Wins Tall Building Innovation Award

NBF Osaki Building uses BioSkin facade system

BioSkin facade, a system of water-filled ceramic pipes that cools the exterior surface of buildings and their surrounding micro-climates, has won the 2014 Tall Building Innovation Award from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH).  The initial use of BioSkin was at the NBF Osaki Building in Tokyo, Japan. BioSkin is a system of…

Urban Wind Turbine Provides Quiet Power

Liam F1 Urban Wind Turbine

The newly introduced Liam F1 Urban Wind Turbine developed by The Archimedes will allow those in cities to quietly make their own power as easily as their country cousins.  Besides it’s almost silent operation, the windmill boasts 80% efficiency, much higher than the 25-50% of other turbines. The unit is 5 feet wide, so a…

6 Building Materials of the Future

These futuristic building materials will change the way we construct buildings in the years to come. 1. Graphene Graphene is a one-atom thick layer of carbon.  It is thin, strong, flexible, conducts electricity, and is virtually transparent.  Researchers won the 2010 Nobel Prize for Physics for developing graphene.  It’s potential uses include solar cells, touchscreens,…

3D Printed Buildings Speed Up Construction

3D printed house assembly

Will the buildings of the future be printed? Chinese construction materials company Winsun New Materials says it has printed 10 houses on its new 3-D printer that cost them about $3.2 million to develop and took 12 years to build. Winsun’s 3D printer is 6.6 meters (22 feet) tall, 10 meters wide and 150 meters…

Luminous Ceiling Provides Future of Lighting

 In a move that brings science fiction predictions to reality, Philips is introducing its OneSpace luminous ceiling to the world.  OneSpace integrates LED lights with a fabric to create a white light ceiling surface that hides the source of light completely. The result is a smooth and clutter-free ceiling that emits a uniform and glare-free light. “This innovation…

Case Study: Eagleyew – A High Efficiency Natural Building on Vancouver Island, B.C., Canada

The Story of Eagleyew: A High Efficiency Natural Building on Vancouver Island, B.C., Canada I’m pleased to say that I have been building Natural Buildings for a number of years now. My work has taken me up and down the West coast of North America, with a focus in the Pacific Northwest. I’ve been calling…

CSO Arquitectura’s Modular Housing System: SAVMS

CSO Arquitectura teamed with prefab construction specialists Torsan and created Sistema Abierto de Viviendas Modulares Sostenibles (SAVMS) which translate to the “open sustainable modular housing system.”

Zero Waste Systems; A Cycle Following Nature’s Design

It is crucial that we implement more recycling and reuse programs into our everyday practice because if everyone on the earth consumed resources at the rate that Americans do, we would currently need five earths to keep up and this ratio will continue to grow as the population continues to grow. But we have the abilities and the technologies, already in existence to change this. We need to implement into our everyday lives zero waste system practices.

Sustainable Residential Combined Heat and Power Systems’ Forecast by Pike

New research is being conducted on more energy sustainable residential combined heat and power systems (resCHP). The research is being conducted by Pike Research which joined Navigant’s global Energy Practices on July 1, 2012 which provides in-depth analysis of global clean technology markets. The systems are small generation systems that produce electricity for residences while also capturing heat that would normally go to waste.

Don Hawkridge’s AggreBind; Sustainable Alternative to Cement

As products are developed to be internationally used, it is important that they can be made from local products, wherever they are needed, affordable in those locations, and sustainable in all aspects. Many of these products take years to develop but are a necessity for the future of underdeveloped and overdeveloped areas. One such product,…

Rush University Medical Center by Perkins + Will Goes Gold

The tower at Rush University Medical Center opened in January 2012 designed by Perkins + Will. It is the largest new construction health care facility in the world to receive LEED gold certification. Its shape takes form from a butterfly but it received high sustainable remarks in tons of other areas as well including green design, construction and operation.

“Thinking Cities” Documentary from Ericsson

The “Thinking Cities” documentary from Ericsson that was released early this month and can be viewed on YouTube discusses key concepts to a more sustainable future based on the role in which cities hold and will maintain in the future.

Bahrain World Trade Center by Atkins

As sustainable design becomes a more common practice, it is the aesthetic appeal and technological advances which are used in collaboration with these practices that make each building more inspirational. The Bahrain World Trade Center (BWTC) in Manama, Bahrain is a beautiful example of sustainability meets design. It was designed by Atkins with the goals…

The New Dali Museum: Sustainable and Beautiful Plus Designed to Withstand the Elements

Visitors have always traveled to St. Petersburg, Florida to experience the Dali Museum since it opened in 1980. In January of this year, 2011, the New Dali Museum opened and is receiving an exceptional response. The doors opened 1-11-11 at 11:11am for people to enjoy an incredible art collection within a building that is its own masterpiece.