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City of the future: The giant glass pyramid that could house one million...

Sep 8, 8:45pm    (1 review)  architecture, writing, sustainable, greenbuilding, ecodesign  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/a...

With its sharp angles and its glass walls shimmering in the sunlight it looks like a piece of modern art. But this innovative design is actually a blueprint for the city of the future - a giant glass pyramid that could house up to one million people. The development, named the 'Ziggurat', will be self sufficient and carbon neutral with power being supplied by wind turbines. No cars will be allowed inside the 2.3 square kilometre building, with residents being whisked around by a monorail network which operates both horizontally and vertically. Enlarge pyramid The futuristic pyramid could provide homes for around one million people Security in the city will be provided by biometrics with residents relying on facial recognition to enter their homes. Dubai based designer Timelinks has already patented the design and technology incorporated into the project. They have also applied to the European Union for a grant to carry out more work on the project. Ridas Matonis, managing director of Timelinks, said the city would work by 'harnessing the power of nature.' He said: "Ziggurat communities can be almost totally self-sufficient energy-wise. "Apart from using steam power in the building we will also employ wind turbine technology to harness natural energy resources. Enlarge incredible building The incredible building will be environmentally friendly with no cars, and will be powered by wind turbines But it is not just about reducing the carbon footprint - the pyramid has many other benefits. "Whole cities can be accommodated in complexes which take up less than ten per cent of the original land surface. "Public and private landscaping will be used for leisure pursuits or irrigated as agricultural land. "If these projects were realised today the world would see communities that are sustainable, environmentally friendly and in tune with their natural surroundings."

The Beauty of Mud and Straw

Jul 31, 10:04am    (1 review)  construction, ecodesign, mudfloors, mudplaster  http://www.planetthoughts.org/?pg=pt/Who...

mudfloor has wonderful burlwood look to it!

The Glory of an Attached Greenhouse

Jul 2, 8:38am    (1 review)  gardening, sunrooms, ecodesign, summercooling, natural-ventilation  http://www.planetthoughts.org/?pg=pt/Who...

Now comes the question of dealing with too much heat. The space might be delightful in the winter, but a wretched furnace in the summer if proper ventilation is not provided. There are several strategies for managing the temperatures within an attached greenhouse. One is to vent the extra heat back into the atmosphere directly. This is what I have done. Several of the windows open to let in fresh air, and most of the roof section actually is hinged and can be lifted up to let the hot air pass right back out. Then we have shades that we draw across behind the planting beds to keep the heat and light from being too intense in the portions of the house beyond there. Generally, you want cooler air to be let in down low (preferably facing the prevailing winds), while the hot air is vented out up high at the opposite end of the space, where it naturally rises. Another strategy for venting the greenhouse is employed by Paramananda. She designed and built her house in 1991. As a student of Permaculture design, Paramananda wanted her house to embody many of its concepts. As she says, "Every element of the design should serve many functions." Thus her greenhouse is not only a commercial growing space, but it also almost completely heats her house. With two stories and about 2200 square feet of space, this is quite a tall order! She accomplishes this feat by cleverly hiding tons of rocks in the four-foot crawl space under the first floor. A thermostat at the top of her two story greenhouse automatically controls a drum fan that will force hot air through the basement of rocks, to emerge via warm air vents throughout the house. The rocks both store the heat for use when the sun is not shining and moderate the fluctuations in temperature. If the whole system gets overheated, she can open a vent into the garage and spill some of the excess heat. Colder air is allowed to return into the greenhouse via vents at the floor level of the second story, and through a screen door between the greenhouse and the first floor. We sat perfectly comfortably in her greenhouse for quite a while, on a very warm sunny day; I could feel a refreshing breeze on my skin.

SunEarth House Plan

Apr 26, 10:24pm    (1 review)  construction, alternative-energy, sustainable, ecodesign  http://www.dreamgreenhomes.com/plans/sun...

simple. silent, self-reliant solar comfort living

The Energy Island: A Gigantic Offshore Battery? | EcoGeek | Energy, Power...

Feb 7, 12:54pm    (7 reviews)  alternative-energy, energy-industry, sustainable, energyconservation, ecodesign  http://www.ecogeek.org/content/view/1017...

energy island, energy storage by pumping water out of the lagoon, when more power is needed, open the spigot!!

Open Architecture Network | Improving living standards through collaborative...

Jan 25, 5:23pm    (8 reviews)  architecture, sustainable, greenbuilding, energyconservation, ecodesign  http://www.openarchitecturenetwork.org/

From the page: " Three sites. Three continents. One connected world. From now until February 29, 2008 we are hosting the AMD Open Architecture Challenge, an international design competition to develop sustainable, multi-purpose, low-cost technology facilities for those who need them most. Three real communities in Ecuador, Kenya and Nepal each pose a unique set of design constraints and opportunities. While the needs of each client are unique, the hurdles they face in embracing technology to offer access to education, healthcare and the global marketplace are shared by millions of people in communities all over the world. AMD is providing up to $250,000 to build the winning design. Register today and your winning solution will improve the lives of thousands. The Open Architecture Network How do you improve the living standards of five billion people? With 100 million solutions. Your solutions. Join Our CommunityAlready a member? Log in * Share and review 1250 architectural projects * Access tools for managing your own projects * Collaborate with 9250 OAN members * Help build a sustainable future by sharing your knowledge

Proven Passive Solar: Low Cost, Low Energy Homes | Green Energy News

Jan 7, 10:19am    (1 review)  architecture, windows, solar, sustainable, ecodesign  http://www.green-energy-news.com/arch/nr...

From the page: "Passive solar energy for homes is so passive it goes almost unnoticed on the menu of opportunities to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Quiet, mild mannered and laid back, itâ€s one of the easiest and lowest cost ways to build a low energy home. Just ask Bruce Brownell, the founder of Adirondack Alternate Energy. Heâ€s built more than 350 of them. His simple, well thought-out passive solar home design has been proven for 30 years. All of them are successful at dramatically cutting heating energy costs while providing a healthy environment to live in. The recipe for a Brownell home - with a little editorial liberty - seems straight forward enough: --- Start with a simple architectural form like a box or a long rectangle thatâ€s easy to heat or cool. Air will flow easily to all ends of a simple shape, not so much to say perhaps L or a T. (Your house design can be quite traditional by the way. No need for ultra modern architecture.) --- Make sure thereâ€s a long roof overhang. Let the summer sun cast a shadow on the house as best it can. --- Orient the house to face south into the sun (Or North if youâ€re living in, say, New Zealand.) Plan on big energy-efficient windows on the sunny side; little windows where the sun never shines. Use high quality double glazed vinyl casement windows with low E glass. Casement windows seal better than double hungs. Low E windows keep infrared heat in, or out, and reflect ultraviolet light. --- Forget about a basement. Build the home on a 12 inch thick concrete slab. Dark damp basements, whose origins trace back to root cellars (a cool place to store potatoes), are generally second class spaces anyway. That slab, as simple as it is, is part of your heating system. (If you want extra storage space build a big garage or shed.)"

http://blogs.business2.com/greenwombat/2007/10/berkeley-to-fin.html

Jan 2, 10:30pm    (1 review)  alternative-energy, sustainable, solarenergy, greenbuilding, ecodesign  http://blogs.business2.com/greenwombat/2...

From the page: "Berkeley to finance solar arrays for homeowners From my perch in the Berkeley Hills I look down on a sea of roofs stretching toward San Francisco Bay. A glint here and there in the California sunshine telegraphs that someone has installed a solar array. But even in this most ecologically self-conscious of cities, homeowners face a familiar conundrum: cutting the utility cord and your homeâ€s greenhouse gas emissions means coughing up some serious cash. A residential rooftop solar system can cost anywhere between $15,000 and $30,000, and it can be up to a decade before the array pays for itself in electricity savings. Rebates through the $3.3 billion California Solar Initiative help and the program has been a great success so far, but its goal of a million solar roofs by 2017 will cover just a fraction of the stateâ€s households. Now the city of Berkeley has devised an innovative plan that could dramatically increase that number and turn the nascent solar industry into a mass market if replicated. Under a solar initiative to be considered by the city council on Tuesday, Nov. 6, Berkeley would finance the installation of solar arrays and solar hot water systems (more on that later) for any homeowner or commercial building owner. You choose an installer from a city-approved list and retain ownership of the solar system, paying back the cost over 20 years through an assessment on your annual property tax bill. â€oeOver next decade we could have solar on 25 percent of the buildings in Berkeley,” Cisco DeVries, chief of staff for Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates, told Green Wombat. The federal government is supporting the Berkeley initiative â€" the first of its kind â€" and Californiaâ€s largest utility, PG&E, backs the plan. "

New aluminum alloy generates hydrogen on-demand | The Green Geek

Dec 27, 2007 1:52pm    (10 reviews)  environment, alternative-energy, ecodesign, geentransportation, cleantransport  http://www.greengeek.ca/2007/05/20/new-a...

finally a way to store and refuel hydrogen conveniently! Just one hitch: the world supply of gallium is very limited, so how far can this go.... more on this on digg, all kinds of other info there, here is the link! http://digg.com/general_sciences/ New_process_generates_hydrogen_from_aluminum_alloy_to_run_engines and here is an exerpt: A similiar process that you can try yourself works with Aluminum and Mercury. If you put a small drop of Mercury on a piece of Al and cut the drop into the Al using a sharp knife you can watch the bar of Al oxide forming white feathers. It's not an extremely fast reaction but it works! They're also working on a process similiar to that in the article at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver Canada! Jerry Woodall, an engineer from Purdue University, has developed a method that uses an aluminum alloy to extract hydrogen from water on contact. This process eliminates the need to transport or store hydrogen gas, 2 things that have been major obstacles to achieving the much anticipated hydrogen economy. Hydrogen is generated spontaneously when water is added to pellets of the alloy, which is a mixture of aluminum and gallium. Aluminum has been used for a long time in chemical production of hydrogen, but the addition of gallium makes this alloy far more effective as a catalyst. As aluminum oxidizes, a skin forms on it's surface preventing further contact between the aluminum and the water. The gallium prevents this skin formation, allowing the reaction to continue until the aluminum has been used up. The aluminum has a strong attraction to the oxygen in the water, and when water is added to the pellets the oxygen is stripped out of the water molecules, leaving free hydrogen gas as a byproduct. This technology is being looked at to allow the conversion of cars and trucks to hydrogen, but the prospects aren't quite as good as a first glance might suggest. * Because the alloy is used up during the reaction, new pellets need to be added periodically and the waste materials need to be recycled. * Internal combustion engines are only about 25% efficient so existing engines would require more frequent fueling than with hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles. * Additional energy and effort is required to replace the pellets and process the alloy after use However, using the pure hydrogen generated from this process, a fuel cell system would run at closer to 75% efficiency, reducing the previously mentioned problems by 2/3. Fuel cells have long been touted as being the ultimate in power generation for mobile uses, but the complexity, inefficiencies and cost make them remain impractical for general transportation uses when compared to the simplicity of battery electric vehicles for urban use. The technology does become far more favorable when used with fuel cells instead of internal combustion however. For general urban transportation, I favor solar/wind/geothermal powered battery electric vehicles, but there are several other applications for which on-demand hydrogen fuel cell systems would be ideally suited: * Rural vehicles that wouldn't have easy access to a charging station * Emergency response vehicles that require operation at all times * Larger devices such as lawn mowers, tillers, chainsaws, backup generators, cooking devices, etc * Emergency power generation in case of a natural disaster These applications would benefit from the ease of fueling (just add water!) and clean operation that on-demand hydrogen would provide. Because they would not be part of normal urban usage, the hindrances of the system would be minimized and would remain cost-effective. Source: Purdue University

Solar Closets and Sunspaces

Dec 18, 2007 1:49pm    (1 review)  space-exploration, passivesolar, ecodesign, nickpine, solarcloset  http://vu-vlsi.ee.vill.edu/~nick/solar/s...

From the page: "ABSTRACT A "solar closet" is an insulated box filled with sealed containers of water, with a solar air heater attached to one insulated side. In a simplified solar space- and water-heating technique, a low-thermal-mass isolated sunspace heats a house on an average winter day, with an average amount of sun. A higher-temperature, compact, high-thermal-mass sauna behind the sunspace provides domestic hot water and space heat for the house during cloudy weather. KEYWORDS Passive, solar, space, water, house, heating. CONVENTIONAL SOLAR HOUSES Many solar houses are expensive and low-performing. Active systems can perform well, but they tend to be expensive and complicated. "Trombe walls," invented in 1881 (US Patent No. 246,626), by Edward Morse of Salem, Massachusetts, are still being used in today's passive solar houses. However, because they are so poorly insulated, Trombe walls perform poorly on cloudy days... A person might well build a typical passive solar house, and end up with a house that costs more than a neighbor's, while only using 30% less oil for heating. Some passive solar houses take 20 years to pay for their passive features, versus non-solar houses. A direct-gain passive solar house typically has a very large uninsulated window in a living area, with a masonry floor in front of that, to store solar heat. This works well in sunny climates, with few cloudy days in a row. However, cloudy-day performance becomes more important as we approach 90-100% solar heating. Sunny-day heating is taken for granted; domestic water heating becomes more important. With the end of solar tax credits, dollars saved per dollar invested and annual backup heating fuel bills become more important. Solar houses now need to stand on their own economic feet, as do superinsulated houses. They can be combined… Typical solar houses have limitations: masonry floors and walls are not good "heat batteries." Water is less expensive than masonry, and stores about three times more heat by volume, with a lower thermal resistance. We cannot cover masonry floors with rugs on a sunny day. Perhaps they should be covered at night... A direct gain house has an optimal solar glazing/heat load ratio: too little glazing gives too little solar gain, and too much glazing allows too much cloudy-day heat loss. A direct gain house gets exponentially colder with each cloudy day, barring a backup heating system. A higher temperature, more compact, better-insulated heat store that is maintained at a temperature of, say 54oC vs. 20oC, will have a longer discharge lifetime and can provide controllable heat for a house during longer strings of cloudy days. In a direct gain house, we have to live inside the heat store, so we cannot charge it up to a high temperature during sunny weather. "