Category Archives: Architecture
BMW sure knows how to show off the fruits of its labor and in an eco-friendly and energy efficient way! The German automobile manufacturer has recently unveiled the BMW Group Pavilion at the London Olympics that’ll have on display the carmakers latest automobiles with the Olympic Stadium and Aquatics Centre as the backdrop. The pavilion, bought to live by a renowned British architecture firm, is located on an elevated platform on the Waterworks River and has a flowing-water façade that’s more than just eye-candy. With interactive displays and the London Olympics fleet on display, the pavilion also has the BMW E-Scooter and the BMW i Pedelec concept along with the MINI Rocketman Concept on-stage alongside the BMW i3, i8 concepts.
And that’s not all. Besides showing off a bunch of eco-friendly transport solutions, the pavilion also reuses and recycles the river water and is made from recycled steel with carbon-intensive building materials given a skip.
[bmwblog]
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Italian supercar manufacturer Lamborghini, known for chiseling out cars that simply take your
breath away, has now unveiled its latest facility built primarily for the development of prototype
and pre-series vehicles. The first multi-storey industrial building in Italy to grab a Class A energy
rating, this facility uses a façade made of triple-layer polycarbonate and of ventilated walls
covered with ultrathin ceramic cladding painted in Lamborghini’s favorite black to provide
insulation. Using a photovoltaic system to generate electricity, Lamborghini plans to have its
building go carbon neutral!
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Solar energy is quickly catching on and city planners around the globe have been looking for
more eco-friendly infrastructure developments for their respective areas. Now, the Blackfriars
Station, being developed in London and crowned as the world’s largest solar bridge, is halfway
through construction. Being developed by Solarcentury, this bridge packs a solar array capable
of generating nearly 900,000kWh of green electricity annually and is expected to reduce carbon
emissions by nearly 511 tonnes! The bridge sports 4,400 solar panels propped up on the roof
of the Blackfriars Tube Station located on the bridge itself. With 24 trains passing through this
station every hour, this development could ease the load on the grid and pave the way for other
green infrastructural developments in the near future.
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Doha, Qatar, has gone a step further to ensure a less-threatening carbon footprint and will soon play home to the one-of-a-kind building complex called Msheireb. What sets this one apart from the rest is the fact that this complex will sport the world’s largest collection of LEED certified buildings and will be built in preparation for the 2022 World Cup. Spreading over an area of 31 hectares located in downtown Doha, the Msheireb complex will incorporate traditional Arabian architecture and modern-day green technology. Using smart grid technology, well designed alleys and streets that encourage wind circulation, thicker walls to keep home interiors cooler and a lot more, the Msheireb complex will soon be Doha’s crown jewel.
[inhabitat]
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Integrating vertical gardening and technology takes on a new spirit as Singapore plans to unveil the awe-striking Supertrees at the Gardens by the Bay on the 29th of June! These extremely beautiful towers standing 164 feet (50 meters) tall incorporate solar technology and the very essence of vertical gardening. With 18 of these Supertrees to be set up, these will also work as air ventilation ducts for nearby conservatories and rainwater collection systems. Sporting tropical plants native to Southeast Asia and all the color and texture you can expect of a structure of this kind, these Supertrees are indeed a fantastic addition to the Singaporean lifestyle.
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At first look, we thought this one to be an art gallery. On closer inspection, we figured this amazingly unconventional structure to be a boat-charging station! Called the Elektrobotenhuis, this beautiful structure in the Netherlands was designed by Groosman Partners. Sporting 72 solar panels, the building was designed to be durable, recyclable and sustainable. A warehouse with all the know-how and tools to build electric boats packed inside, this one also sports an indoor exhibition space where boats can float and awe onlookers. With the solar array generating a good 11,072 kWh each year, enough to juice up 1,385 electric boats, the
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Bamboo is probably one of the best building materials modern man can put to use to have a roof above his head. Given the fact that bamboo is bio-degradable and grows quickly, it works as an efficient eco-friendly building material. To study the benefits of bamboo building, the Bamboo Wing project was chiseled into being near Hanoi, Vietnam. Made purely from bamboo, this building structure is an aesthetic treat to say the least. Sporting a 12 meter open space without any vertical columns, this structure can be used for outdoor events such as wedding parties, live music concerts, ceremonies and the like.
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With landspaces slowly diminishing, one of the smartest things mankind can do to solve its ever explosive population problem is living on water surfaces instead. The Lausitz Geierswald Resort located at the Lusatian Lake District in Germany follows this very principal and sports floating residences designed by architectural firm Steeltec37. Sustainable and luxurious, these living spaces are made from a light-weight metal frame base-structure atop an unsinkable pontoon. Using large window panels layered with photovoltaic film and hydrothermal heating and cooling systems, these residences also use natural lighting to the fullest with help from automated roof-lighting control systems. Costing $120 per night off-season and $225 a night during summer, this is indeed the perfect way to vacation green.
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Casinos are now going green with the Rivers Casino in Des Plaines leading the way. A swank new establishment in Chicagoland, the Rivers Casino has been awarded the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Certification. The first to receive an LEED Gold Certification by the U.S. Green Building Council, this green and eco-friendly place to roll the dice was opened in July 2011 and is rigged with LED light fixtures in parking garages, with 70% of the electrical energy consumed by the building over a two-year period is being offset with green power. That’s not all. The Rivers Casino also makes use of natural lighting to the fullest and recycled 90% of all construction waste.
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Celebrated Canadian architect John Hix recently pulled the veil off a truly green resort, far off on the Caribbean island of Vieques, perfect for those looking out for a laid-back relaxing vacation, that doesn’t burn holes in the environment. The resort called the Casa Solaris keeps away from grid energy, instead using energy collected by the solar panels, stored in DC batteries. The energy is then converted with an inverter that eventually powers the fans, LED lighting, the refrigerators and other appliances. With the two bedroom suites spread across 1500 square feet each, the midlevel and upper level lofts are 1370 and 1010 square feet each respectively. With enough space to accommodate 16 people, the Casa Solaris is a true green vacationing spot nestled in the Caribbean!
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