Category Archives: Architecture
UrbanLab, Endrestudio and Method Design came up with the winning design for the 2012 MoMA PS1 Young Architects Program (YAP) called Virtual Water, a one-of-a-kind project that sheds light on environmental issues like the usage of water. The Virtual Water project will use thousands of gallons of rainwater from the PS1 courtyard and brings to mind all the water used during manufacturing processes of countless materials around today. The Virtual Water collects, cleans, conserves and uses summertime rain water and has this flow through conical canopies to create six different atmospheres, each a unique aesthetic treat that serves to inform observers in regards to water conservation.
[archdaily]
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Sure billboards are concerned energy suckers, given the fact that they pull quite a load of energy from the grid to light up. However, this billboard we stumbled across lately has an added touch of green, that separates it from the rest. Part of the “House Prototype” Design Competition for Baanlaesaun Fair 2011, Bangkok, the OdMEX House was designed by Thailand-based design firm Apostrophy S. basically, this billboard doubles up as a home. Complete with three stories, this narrow living space might lack the luxuries of a well laid out home, though it does manage to remain pretty comfortable, complete with a bedroom, living areas, kitchen and bathroom, with space to park two cars! With a bunch of solar panels up above, this one could turn into the perfect greenway to live, that generates energy and money at the same time!
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Devon will soon play home to a bunch of new green homes, 500 in all, to be built by artist Damien Hirst. To serve as a model for environmental housing across the United Kingdom, these homes will be green as ever and will include photovoltaic panels and concealed wind turbines in the roofs. To be designed to complement the existing buildings around, these homes could also pack pitched roofs, bay windows, smart gable ends and short terraces and will have lighter carbon footprints than most homes around the world. A great example that could inspire people around the globe, this initiative by Damien Hirst is worth a load of applaud.
[wired]
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As urban spaces get more cramped up as we speak, spaces for a bit of greenery in our cities are diminishing more than ever. These days, most cities lack sufficient space for green beings to grow and thrive, leading to an overall unbalanced eco-system. A few years ago, Swedish-American company Plantagon came up with an innovative way to bring back the green in our urban spaces, without consuming too much area using vertical gardens. The concept is now being turned into reality as the first vertical skyscraper of its kind is currently sowing its seeds in Linkoping, Sweden! Construction on the first vertical farm called the Plantscraper has finally begun, with the structure will also host space for scientists to test new technologies that will benefit urban farming.
[inhabitat]
[inhabitat]
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The Birmingham Airport has now gone a shade greener, unveiling its shiny new array with 200 solar panels on the roof of its terminal. Measuring about 1.6m x 1m each, these solar panels will generate a good 40,000 kWh a year. That’s enough energy to juice up about 12 average homes. The 50kpw solar photovoltaic (PV) systems were installed in collaboration with Npower and will decrease the airport’s dependency on grid energy alone. Also, this array will help the Birmingham airport decrease its carbon footprint by a whopping 22 tonnes annually! We applaud the airport on the effort to go green and wish it well as it joins the ranks of green airports around the globe.
[aviatime]
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Energy hungry air conditioning systems aren’t the only way to spend the sunnier part of the year comfortably and A. H. Architects proved just that. This astoundingly green home was built in Kitakanto near Tokyo and uses minimal energy. Using a groundwater basin and ventilation cooling systems with solar control, the house uses a carefully planned north-facing courtyard. The basin and a heat reservoir foundation along with carefully placed windows help cool the house, reducing reliance on air conditioning, subsequently decreasing energy usage. A perfectly green home that requires no additional energy whatsoever, this abode’s comfortable to live in and is a working example of living green.
[worldarchitecturenews]
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You’d expect a structure as humongous as this to gulp down more electricity than a couple of apartment blocks. This installation at the Ghent Light Festival in Belgium by Luminarie De Cagna however proves to be shockingly energy efficient. Using a total of 55,000 LED bulbs, this cathedral of lights sports majestic renaissance arches and is a treat for the eyes indeed. Towering 28 meters high, the installation makes use of just 20 Kwatt/h of energy, making it a one-of-a-kind visually pleasing piece of art and innovation that keeps the environment smiling, without stamping out ugly dark carbon footprints.
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Soon, a bunch of students in Canada enrolled in The Endeavour Centre’s Sustainable New Construction: Building a New Future program will begin work on constructing a true green home, Canada’s Greenest, in Ontario. The 2,000 square-foot home will be built over a period of five months and will sport an energy-efficient foundation, prefabricated straw bale walls, grid-tied photovoltaics, solar hot water, rainwater collection, greywater recycling, composting toilets, and natural paints and finishes. The house will then go on sale and the proceeds will be used to offset tuition costs! This home, to surface in the next few months, could very well turn into a working example, helping inspire home builders and buyers around the world to go green.
[jetsongreen]
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Recycling is great. Recycling to build something unique is better! Take artist Frank Buckley’s home for example. This abode is set apart from the rest, given the fact that it uses recycled materials for construction. And these recycled materials are exceptional to say the least! Instead of using the common bricks and cement, Buckley used shredded Euros to build his home. With 1.4 billion Euros in all, Buckley recycled these paper bills into bricks, each containing about 40,000 Euros. With special permission from the Central Bank of Ireland, Buckley built this home, complete with a bathroom, a bedroom and a living room with gallery space for his works!
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The Deutsche Bank American Headquarters at 60 Wall Street now has a shiny new crown. The sky-scraper was recently adorned with a 122.4kW solar array that, besides being the largest in Manhattan, is also the highest flat panel PV array in the world. At 737 feet above ground, this installation sheds light on the Deutsche Bank’s sincere efforts to sway towards the greener side. The new panels in question will reduce the carbon emissions of the building by 100 metric tons per year, helping the bank shed some of its carbon footprint.
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