Category Archives: Architecture
For those of you who don’t know what LEED is, it stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and New York’s executive mansion was awarded the second highest level of LEED making it the first governor’s mansion to receive it– in recognizance for its drastic reductions in energy use. The highest LEED status is Platinum, followed by Gold, Silver and Certified. The mansion earned the certification for a number of reasons, including its proximity to public transportation; its use of alternative-fuel vehicles and water-efficient landscaping; its recycling and reduction in water use; and the use of environmentally friendly cleaning products and energy-efficient appliances. Energy use in the mansion is down 20 percent to 25 percent over the past several years.
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The flagship FIFA World Cup Stadium is currently the largest stadium construction site worldwide employing 3,000 personnel. It was first constructed for hosting the first mass rally of Nelson Mandela after his release in 1990. The stadium is receiving a full refit inside and out. The Austrian firm tasked with the delivery of the exterior cladding advises that this will complete in just 80 days. The façade, the intrinsic element of the Boogertman Urban Edge & Partners design, is constructed of fibreC glassfibre concrete panels in typical African colours. Rieder Smart Elements will deliver the façade.
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Haven’t we all watched those alien looking creations and structures where people of the future live in where the atmosphere and air is human controlled since the outside world has succumbed to global warming? Well now San Francisco-based designer Joanna Borek-Clement has envisioned a network of interconnected towers shaped like a neuron called the Sky-Terra skyscrapers It provides a whole new city layer – one covered in public parks, amphitheaters, fields, and public pools and bathhouses and all much above the already sky-kissing skyscrapers. This was an entry in the 2009 eVolo Skyscraper competition and city of cosideration was Tokyo. Sky-Terra towers consist of a narrow base with a deep and strong foundation. The towers rise up to 1,600 ft and expand out until they reach the flat top plaza layer.
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Smart green living is not only limited to people who can afford to shell out enough money to support such a lifestyle. Winfried Baumann has conceptualized a green, high-tech, shelter for the homeless and nomads. Fitted with solar panels, mobile satellite system and laptop, such a container is an idle den for bankrupt geeks. Boasting of comforts like retractable padded bed, first aid kit, mirror, whistle, multi-tool, flashlight and a plastic hood with viewing window, this nomadic earth-friendly techie shelter is portable too. Crafted out of aluminum, it weighs 110kg only. I don’t mind trading my small den for such a fundamental yet self-sufficient, eco-friendly shelter.
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Setting up structures for short-term reasons can generate tons of carbon footprints. The whole building process along with the kind of raw materials used accounts for it. Also most of the times such structures are abandoned after the initial objective is accomplished. But here is a design that defies all such allegations without compromising on style too. UNStudio pavilion is one of the two temporary pavilions that will be installed in coming June in Millennium Park to symbolize the futuristic agenda of the 220 organizations commemorating this year’s 100th anniversary of the Plan of Chicago. Designed by Ben Van Berkel of UNStudio & Zaha Hadid of Zaha Hadid Architects, this specific pavilion caught my fancy for two green features.
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Hydrogen powered homes are being considered these days as an alternative to improve the earth. Developer of the Ridge at Chukker Creek in Aiken, SC is planning to build several zero-energy homes that can be powered by hydrogen. The 2,200-square-foot Low Country-style home will be powered by roof-integrated solar panels and hydrogen. About a 10-kilowatt solar photovoltaic (PV) system on the south-facing roof will provide all of the home’s electrical needs during the day, when the solar panels can harvest the energy from the sun. At night, the solar array will power an electrolyzer that separates hydrogen from the oxygen in water, and the hydrogen in turn will power the house.
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If you believe that only renowned architects and interior designers can shape out an exceptional eco-friendly structure then you need to reconsider your view. The beautifully green house that you see in the image above has been designed by a team of students at Taliesin West. Teaming up with Jennifer Siegal and Victor Sidy, they have put up this outstanding house for a school project. Mod.fab has been designed for a sustainable lifestyle in a desert but without compromising on style. Spread over 600-sq.-ft., this one-bedroom house features paneled construction that allows for off-site assembly. Such a system is easy on our pockets as well as our planet. It also packs innovative eco-friendly features like low-consumption fixtures, rainwater harvesting technologies, greywater recycling, natural ventilation, solar orientation, and photovoltaics to reduce energy and water use.
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This summers hit off for an out-of-this world holiday in a Boeing 727. I am not hinting that you need to hit the skies and fly to some corner of the world. Allow me to lead you to the Hotel Costa Verde proud newest lodgings – 727 Fuselage Home. Recycled out of a vintage 1965 Boeing 727 airframe, such a distinctive suite is bound to lure all eco-travelers. Fully outfitted, meticulously detailed, two bedroom, Boeing 727 fuselage suite sits on the edge of the National Park in Costa Verde II area and is perched on a 50-foot pedestal. Though the rest of the details are not that green, read on to know what this Boeing suite packs in. It features a terrace opening up to the edge of the Costa Verde National Park.
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Last month, we told you about Nothing’s all card-board office and today we want to share about the first of its kind, an eco-friendly residential house made of bamboo only. Conceived and constructed by Yan Xiao and his team have made optimum use of modern day technology to give shape to this bamboo structure. Situated in Hunan University campus in Changsha, China, this kind of eco-friendly house certainly suggests that bamboo is a promising green alternative to concrete and timber. Also the structural design of the demonstration house adheres to the US design codes for timber structures. The wall panels were made with GluBam two-by-four studs, capable of resisting severe earthquakes. All the beams, columns and trusses were assembled by bolts and nails, similar to timber buildings. The model structure has two stories and offers over 260 sqm with 5 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, a living room with a fireplace, family dining room and formal dining area, in-house patio overlooking the living room, and a two-car attached garage.
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New York City will soon see its tallest building don a green crown for being the most energy efficient too. Known as one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World, the Empire State Building is all set for a $500 million renovation, out of which a $100 million will be used to make it green. All this money will actually help to save about $4.4 million a year on energy. This green renovation will reduce energy consumption in the 102-story building by a significant 38 percent. The plan includes new air-conditioning and heating systems that adjust to demand and also generate cool water. The space between radiators and the outside of the building will also be insulated to trap heat and cold air. Also energy-efficient lighting will be installed to light hallways and common areas only when they are occupied. It intend to go tech-savvy by introducing an Internet-based system for tenants to monitor their energy use and show them how to conserve.
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