Monday, June 29, 2009

Homestead House by Michael Jantzen




Modular home generates solar and wind electricity, harvests rainwater.

Designed by Michael Jantzen, the Homestead House is a design for alternative housing that explores the potential use of renewable energy generating systems and recyclable materials to reduce the carbon footprint of its owners. The modular house is to be made from recyclable steel sheets, which are to be bolted together for easy disassembly. This allows the homeowner to construct it with ease and in minimum time and with minimum cost.

Being easy to disassemble, the house can also be reconstructed at any preferred location without spending too much on the entire process. Once the steel arches are bolted together, they don’t require any additional material to hold the house together.

The Homestead House is designed to function off-the-grid, where photovoltaic cells and a small vertical axis wind turbine generate the required amount of electricity to power the home. Other than on-site energy generating systems, the Homestead House harvests rainwater through the roof arches and directs it to water storage tanks that can be placed underground. Passive solar techniques are used to heat and cool the interiors according to seasons and the requirements of the homeowners

Friday, June 26, 2009

Sears Tower to get a green


Energy efficient systems and wind turbines to grace Sears Tower.

Often being criticized as one of the largest contributors of greenhouse gases, the Sears Tower will be changing the misconception, at least for itself, as the authorities are planning a $350 million retrofit which will reduce the tower’s energy consumption by as much as 80%, owing to five years’ worth of thorough upgrades.


The plan is to install energy efficient internal lighting, heating, cooling and elevator systems, wind turbines that sprout from the tower’s recessed rooftops and an overall energy reduction by upgrades in the glass exterior. With the enormous size of the architecture that totals to about 4.5 million square feet of office and retail space, the tower’s retrofitting is expected to be one of the largest ever tried on site, even bigger and better than the Empire State Building’s makeover that was planned earlier this year.

Vodafone Mobile Home


Solar-powered mobile home for Vodafone.

Vodafone is promoting its fixed phone and wireless internet service using a transparent mobile home that is powered entirely by the energy of the sun that is harnessed through roof-mounted photovoltaic panels. Designed by Waskman Design Studio, with Creative Space Culdesac, the home is currently being occupied by a blogger and his family of wife and two children, who are presently using the mobile home for a vacation.


Since the home has no built-in propulsion system, carrying it around town won’t be an ecofriendly affair. However, with lightweight construction that includes walls made of white polyethylene panels and a transparent polycarbonate structure, the mobile home doesn’t add much weight to the four-wheel-drive vehicle, which is used to tow the home. The 6m long and 2.5m wide home is divided into two floors, with a modernized interior and a well-equipped bedroom.

Uboat, houseboat that’s wholesome green


Solar-powered houseboat recycles waste.

For those of you who have had the pleasure of living in a houseboat, the experience might have been mesmerizing. From fun, this experience can quickly turn into a necessity if glaciers keep on increasing the sea level at a pace at which they’re today. Industrial designer Wyatt Little is trying to keep abreast with the needs of the future in the greenest possible way. Little has designed a stunning houseboat, which has been carefully planned after living in a houseboat for about six years.

Dubbed the Uboat, the electrically propelled houseboat eliminates the environmental issues commonly associated with boats. Mostly in all urban areas, there is always some sort of large body of water, be it a canal, bayou, lake, or ocean, which Little wants to make just as livable as land. By implementing this idea it would reduce commuter and residential pollution, all the while bringing a fresh new look to city waters that more often than not go unlooked.

The boat will not produce any sewage what-so-ever. All waste will be incinerated using a special toilet. Water comes from 2 different sources - the gray water will be collected by the vessel’s Heavy Duty PAR pump at the bottom of the vessel. This pump is capable of pumping 24 gallons of water per minute, so it is perfectly suited for daily tasks that require large amount of water like showers.

When considering drinking water the designer focused on the statistics that everyone needs to consume 1/2 ounce of water per pound of body weight. So, with this formula in mind Little designed a water cistern in the form of a glass wall that will sustain one person weighing approximately 200 pounds for at least a year. When the rain water is collected it will pass through a filtration system and zapped by an ultraviolet light inside of the tank, which makes it suitable for consumption The houseboat’s wooden deck is made from Plyboo FSC certified bamboo plywood, which is 100% renewable. The facades are Insulated metal panels which have a thin metal skin and foam insulation for the core. They provide excellent thermal protection and efficient use of materials. The boat floats on two large pontoons made of recycled polypropylene.

Dirty Industries Have a Long Tail of Consequences


In recent years there has been a great deal of national attention focused on the improvement of industrial environmental standards. Even as we attempt to rebuild our economy, we seem to be focused on not only restoring industry, but also using this as an opportunity to do it in a way that is not environmentally destructive. This provides us the opportunity to improve all aspects of these industries, including the workplace hazards among workers and the health hazards affecting members of the surrounding communities that were all too common.

What many people may fail to realize is that not only does the health of our planet depend on improved environmental standards, but our health may as well. Health complications of industry can essentially be divided into two categories, both direct and indirect.

Direct health conditions which have arisen as a result of the burning of fossil fuels, for instant, are increased asthmas rates in areas with high smog indices. Even mild cases of asthma can deteriorate overall respiratory capacity over time and leave breathing seriously diminished if the quality of the air people breathe is unimproved. Release of chlorofluorocarbons into the atmosphere has shown to lower our filtered sunlight, increasing ultraviolet light exposure. Ultraviolet light has been conclusively link to skin cancer. Perhaps it is no surprise then that skin cancer incidence in countries like South Africa and Australia, where the atmosphere is most diminished, is much higher than other areas of the earth.

Indirect health consequences include those which can be attributed to antiquated industrial infrastructure, including toxin exposure among workers. Oil refinery workers, for instance, are shown to have a much higher chance of developing pleural mesothelioma, a rare cancer caused by exposure to asbestos, than those in cleaner industries. While asbestos was banned for most uses in the late 1970s several of these refineries and factories are still using pre-ban equipment which is exposing workers to harmful asbestos fibers.

We see then, that there is a clear advantage to implementation of cleaner, more sustainable energy policies and environmental attitudes, not only for the health or our planet and our posterity, but that of world’s population even today.

Written by James O’Shea, representative of maacenter, the web's leading organization for relevant and authoritative information regarding asbestos and health complications associated with asbestos exposure. Our organization is staffed entirely by writers and other developers who recognize the importance of building awareness in the fight against cancer.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

World’s largest solar power plant to be constructed in Sahara


World’s largest solar power plant to be constructed in Sahara.

Taking advantage of the dryness of Sahara Desert, renewable energy giants are prepping up the installation of the world’s largest solar power plant that collectively will generate a whopping 100GW of concentrating solar power. Promoted by Desertec Foundation, the plant will be built by 20 blue chip German companies, who would be gathering together to discuss plans and investments to create the massive project.

The companies involved in the planning state that similar installations have to be constructed to end the gripping energy crisis. The €400bn project would take 10-15 years to go online, but once constructed it will help other countries of the world to aim towards renewable energy generating plants to end their dependence on fossil fuels.

Unlike other solar power plants, which are usually built on a single location, this massive plant would be scattered throughout politically stable countries in northern Africa. The collective output of the plant would be 80 times larger than a similar plant being planned for the Mojave Desert. The power output would be transported across the Mediterranean Sea to Europe on high-voltage DC lines that will finally supply 15% of the energy demand.

luxurious mobile home



VARIOmobil has a ton of luxury to offer for those with (deep) pockets. The VARIO Perfect 1200 Platinum has a long list of luxury trims for every part of the motor home, the bedroom, bathroom, living room, kitchen are all about luxury. And it also has room for a hydraulically operated car garage that can house compact cars similar in size to the Mini Cabriolet. The 12 meter long mobile house has three axles and is powered by a 420hp motor. Its price is slightly above the Euro 1 million mark or $1.4 million.

Sustainable dormitories for Thai orphanage


Dormitories made from locally harvested bamboo collect rainwater.

Architecture firm TYIN Tegnestue has designed sustainable dwellings, which will serve as dormitories for an orphanage in Noh Bo, a small village on the Thai-Burmese border. The area where majority of inhabitants are Karen refugees, had one orphanage sheltering 24 children. As the number of children grew to 50, the orphanage was in need of new dormitories which needed to be green and somehow recreate what children would have experienced in a more normal situation.

The answer was six sleeping units where each of the children had their own private space to call home, a neighborhood of friends and space to play and interact. The shape of the houses helped the workers christen the dwellings as “Soe Ker Tie Hias”, which means “Butterfly Houses”. The dormitories are made using the traditional bamboo weaving technique and most of the bamboo is harvested within a few kilometers of the site.

The unique shape of the roof is designed in a manner in which it can harvest rainwater to provide water for the children during drier periods. The entire construction is prefabricated and assembled onsite with bolts to ensure reasonable strength.

Synthetic trees capture carbon 1000 times faster


Synthetic trees to capture CO2 from the air and convert it into liquid CO2.

Research scientists at the Department of Earth and Environmental Engineering at Columbia University have come up with an ingenious idea to capture atmospheric CO2 and perhaps, save the world as well. The idea, like many other earth saving proposals, gains inspiration from nature. These scientists are developing “synthetic trees” that are capable of collecting CO2 1,000 times faster than organic trees.


Unlike natural trees, these man-made marvels are designed to capture CO2 in plastic “leaves,” and then convert it into liquid form to ease storage. The technology isn’t being developed for applications such as coal-fired power plants, which usually depend on advanced carbon capture devices, but should prove to be a boon for other polluters like cars and jets, for which it was nearly impossible to capture emissions.

The inventors claim that the system is hundreds of times better than installing a windmill to generate electricity and for every 1000kg of CO2 captured, the system releases 200kg, ensuring a net CO2 capture of 800Kg.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Orange Solar Tent


Futuristic concept tent can harness solar energy to provide electricity to portable gadgets.

Orange, utilizing cutting edge technology in solar harnessing PVs, has revealed a new updated Solar Concept Tent. What make it worth mentioning are its high-tech features that give the freedom of camping with all electronic facilities. Designed in association with American product design consultancy kaleidoscope, this futuristic tent can supply energy harnessed from the sun to power portable gadgets like cellphones and laptops through a wireless charging pouch.

Specially coated solar threads are woven into conventional fabric and can be folded easily. Because of its light weight, it sets you free from carrying conventional heavy solar panels. The three directional glides can be rotated in any direction to follow the sun the whole day. Not only this, but it incorporates “glo-cation” technology which helps the festival-goers to track the location using either an SMS message or automatic active RFID technology.

It will make the tent glow in dark so that you can easily recognize your destination. At the heart of the tent lies a central wireless control hub which indicates the amount of energy generated on a flexible touchscreen LCD display screen. Further, the tent includes an internal heating element embedded within the tent’s groundsheet which is controlled by the central hub.

Monday, June 22, 2009

It’s a Bird! It’s a Plane! No! it’s a… Hostel?


The Jumbo Hostel is housed within a retrofitted 747-200 situated in the Stockholm-Arlanda airport. The jumbo jet has a long history of service - it was originally built for Singapore Airlines and even flew for Pan Am. It was last operated by Transjet, a now bankrupt Swedish airline. The Jumbo Hostel has 25 rooms with three bunk beds each. Each room is around 6 square meters, and naturally, a lucky visitor will get the chance to sleep in the cockpit.

Many original parts of the plane still remain - the lounge bar and first class seats are still there, as well as the oxygen masks. New rooms are expected to be built in the engine compartments, where the original rotor blades will be used as venetian blinds.

It is not often that one gets to stretch his or her legs out comfortably in an airplane, and while this isn’t quite like flying in first class, it does the trick and is an ingenious way to save a plane from being sent to landfill. The hostel is now open to visitors.

Craziest recycled airplane masterpiece


After letting you seep through the recycled shipping containers and the beer bottles, now it’s time to add wings to your imagination. Eco-fanatics, in a way or the other, keep on morphing discarded objects into something useful but, have you ever thought of airplane restitution. Isn’t it worthwhile to lend the dumped air-crafts with some utility even after they’ve stopped ruling the skies? Here, we’ve listed some of such salvages that are sure to inspire you

Recycled Rococo


It turned out to be an amazing construction of what appeared to be recycled boards, windows, rocks, bits of glass, pieces of metal, and many, many aluminum cans. In front was a sign that stated: “Alcohol and Tobacco Is Kills. Mary Jane Is Healing.” Okay, the grammar’s a little screwy, but you get the idea. I had a feeling the builder may have been experiencing the healing effects of Mary Jane when he or she contrived this monumental edifice. On the other hand, there were all those beer cans — but I guess they could have been Mountain Dew or Coca Cola cans. Here’s a closer view of the towers, from the other side

Atypical Housing


Some people might agree and some may not if I say that the shipping container buildings are nothing new. Conceptually, these continue to appear on a regular basis. The “Box Office,” a shipping container structure modified into an office, is one such novelty for the eco-fanatics. Standing tall and proud in Providence, Rhode Island, this prefabricated construction touts meticulous stacking of 32 shipping containers. Designed by Joe Haskett, the Distil Studio principal, this building ensures a creative and environmentally conscious development.

The Box Office, basically, reuses 90 tons of upcycled steel, and flaunts rain gardens, non-petroleum based insulation and low-VOC interior finishes. In addition, there are high-performing windows, doors and an HVAC system to filter pollutants from surface excess water and provide a responsive environment to the inhabitants. The building will use 25% less electricity when compared to the conventional ones. It provides a better insight into the recession-hit construction tactics where prefab and recycled is surely going to rule, says Peter Gill Case of Truth Box.

Making waste usable in building strange abodes:

Anyhow, it’s always better to recycle rather adding nuisance to the environment. The designers and innovators have done a remarkable job in refashioning and lending trash with some usability. Taking the theme of recycling a bit further, here we’ve tried to draft a complete line-up of some wondrous structures reprocessed by redundant materials that have been put to a sensible use:

Cargo containers recycled into eco-friendly buildings


The advent of improved and innovative eco-friendly architectures has encouraged designers to come up with pioneering design ideas. A Seattle-based interior design firm called DA STARK Interiors has announced a Cargo container building in Seattle. The building constructed entirely out of reused cargo containers represents recycling and sustainability of abundant existing resources.


This one-of-a-kind building is referred as “The Greenest Building in Seattle”. It has been given this name because it provides environment friendly facilities and uses reclaimed material at the same time. This cost-efficient building boats high-efficiency windows, low-V paint, carpet from high-content recycled material, and a planted green roof. The pioneering structure will act as a great source of inspiration for other designers and builders.

Saturday, June 20, 2009

A tree-house by Terunobu


Takasugi-an : a tree-house by Terunobu Fujimori! Agreed, there is nothing special or overwhelming about this tree-house, from design to safety measures, it sucks big time. But, when I saw the picture (after the jump) of the man behind it, a man well above 60 years, someone who ain’t familiar with modern architecture, latest tree-house designs, nor even bothered what critics like or what you and me have to say about his creation, for him it’s like the ultimate

Ferrari house up for sale for $2.3 million


This suburban Chicago home became famous after it appeared in 1986 movie “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” and now, it’s up for sale. The mid-century Ferrari house was designed by architects A. James Speyer and David Haid in 1953.

Located in Highland Park, Illinois, USA, the property includes four bedrooms, four bathrooms and four more rooms of living space, with panoramic views. In the movie, the 5,300-square-foot house was owned by Ferris Bueller’s friend, Cameron Frye. In a scene from the movie, Frye sends his father’s Ferrari through one of the house’s glass walls and into the woods. You won’t be getting that Ferrari along with the house, but yes, there is a spacious garage where you can park three of your luxury cars. Sudler Sotheby’s International Realtor Meladee Hughes said that being in the home is like living in a tree house. The home’s steel and glass pavilion has a wall that shows behind-the-scenes photographs of Alan Ruck and Matthew Broderick from the movie. The “Ferris Bueller’s” house with garage is up for sale at $2,300,000 (£1.5 million). Any buyers for this amazing architectural treasure?

BubbleTree’s treehouse


A treehouse is a romantic hideaway close to nature and it does bring out the child in you again. Enter BubbleTree, a company offering a trendy habitat, which will appeal to both the nature lovers and those are on the hunt for the unusual creations. It’s a small wooden platform installed in a tree, which is covered with a canvas in sphere at night. The cozy nest is capable of providing inimitable moments of closeness between human and nature.

This treehouse is an eco-design that respects the biological activity of trees. The installation on the central portion of the tree trunk minimizes the risk of uprooting in strong winds. Moreover, they have developed the concept of “Artificial Branch,” a patented device that allows “postponing the constraints of construction on the carrier part of the tree without mortgaging its future development”. The hut in the tree allows you to take full advantage of the nature. The platforms can be used to take a nap, to observe the nature, to read a good book or to simply spend some nice time with your family.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Sustainable luxury home


Those who firmly believe that eco-friendly living is devoid of luxury, the Kokopo House is here to change your perception. Situated in Papua New Guinea’s volcanic region, the Kokopo House offering a tree-house look is a luxurious dwelling for a shipping CEO.

This sustainable house is designed by dividing it into three separate zones, first for open access entertainment, the next for informal secluded areas and two self-contained bedroom areas with bathrooms and study space. The geometric shapes and patterns are inspired by the flow of volcanic lava that help in cross ventilation and wind movement.

The Kokopo House has two storage tanks connected to the roof, using rainwater efficiently for not just the toilet and kitchen use but also drinking purposes after proper treatment and testing. Solar water heaters are used to heat up the rainwater for showers and low-wattage LEDs are used to illuminate the whole house.

Dutch architecture


Dutch architecture firm, Monolab, has designed a high-rise sustainable tower for Rotterdam that will definitely be like a green star on the city’s skyline. The 450m high tower will leave conventions aside and will use the latest in technology to keep the carbon footprint of the eco architecture to a minimum. The ambitious plan will minimize wind and shadow effects and will make use of a network of walkways to connect the tower to the land.

To lower the structure’s carbon footprint, the tower’s façade will use photovoll glass, which will harness solar energy to power the structure. Unlike a central core that is used for elevators and stairs, this new tower will be designed with the elevators and stairs placed on the outside of the tower. During evenings the outside of the tower will be illuminated with LEDs that make the outermost skin of the façade.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Ivory of Dubai




The sustainable structure features a beautiful latticed facade inspired by traditional motifs, and includes plans for solar film, geothermal heating and cooling, a green roof, and grey water recycling. The sustainable tower is designed to be constructed from mostly recycled materials at net zero energy, and it can generate enough solar energy to completely power itself!

According to XTEN the sustainable Architecture, the woven design featured in the tower’s tubes is inspired by traditional patterns that relate to the Islamic religion. The tubes unfurl at the top of the sustainable structure in a trio of petals that are “oriented towards specific views and directions that resonate with both the past and future of Dubai. The first petal is aligned with Mecca, to the Southwest of the project site. Moving clockwise at the top of the ZPO Tower, the second petal is directed toward the old town of Deira, a neighborhood of traditional souks, mosques, old fortress walls and wind towers. From the observation deck in the third petal of the sustainable tower one surveys the changing skyline along Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Road.”

Portable vertical gardens


With the land available for farming being used to develop skyscrapers, environmentalists are of the opinion that in a couple of decades millions would starve to death if something serious is not planned at the moment. While architects are envisioning vertical ecosystems that are capable of generating food and energy, there are others who are following a much more decent approach to tackle the food crisis. Industrial designers Daniele Adamo and Ravel Casela have designed a portable vertical garden that can fit in a wall just 3 meters long.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

complex in Bucktown


a new seven-story condominium residence, will be built in the Bucktown area of Chicago, which will make sure that residents get green electricity and end up paying about 10% less on their utility bills. The project includes the construction of 94 one- and two-bedroom apartments ranging from 690 to 1,335 square feet. The apartment complex will use wind turbines to generate about 2% of the building’s energy requirements.

The apartments will be available for a starting price of about $200,000, with more luxurious dwellings being priced close to $499,000. A dedicated indoor parking lot will also be made available at an additional charge of $30,000, and the buyers who already follow the green path by driving a hybrid will get parking in a reserved area.

The building will also include a rooftop garden, energy-efficient lighting systems, indoor air purifiers and a dedicated recycling center. With that many green features, Senco Properties, the developer of the project, is looking forward to seeking LEED Silver certification.

Rural Space home


Designed by Philip Crewe, Rural Space is an investigation into creating a temporary living space to help rejuvenate British tourism. It was designed to accommodate seasonal holidaymakers, festival goers and school trips. It is built and maintained using traditional rural craftsmanship, and made out of sustainable, locally sourced materials such as beach and ash trees. Its minimum impact design means it could be put in places traditional houses can’t, and by being a temporary structure it avoids much of the greenbelt/national park planning regulations
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The ability to open up the walls and admire the view connects the user with the countryside; this is a key selling point over a traditional hostel or holiday cottage. The tower is self-sufficient with energy coming from a turbine and solar panels, while solar water heaters provide warm water for the shower. The toilet is a compost type toilet that doesn’t require a flush. Runoff tanks for the shower and cesspit for the compost toilet are buried in the ground under the floor, or could be connected to temporary surface tanks.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Give Container Homes a Chance

Container Homes thrive as the foreclosures are way up in regular housing market. So Container Homes are a hit for most people right now as building a new home is probably not an option for many.

Can we relay on a home made out of a used Shipping Container?

CONTAINERS ON A CARGO SHIP

Container Homes are Cheap & strong, so can be easily transportable by boat, truck, or train, shipping containers litter the ports of the United States as a result of our imbalanced Asian trade volume. Container Homes also stand a chance cos thousands of these containers are shipped to North America on a one way trip because it is more expensive to ship them back empty than to make new ones. Container Homes are an ECO friend solution to over a million of these huge cargo boxes just sitting on our ship yards as garbage.

Container Homes are popular these days as architects are beginning to realize that the containers can be cleverly turned into eco-friendly homes for people to live in. Container Homes come Hurricane proof, flood proof, mold proof, and termite proof, these metal. Container Homes are like Lego blocks are tough enough to be stacked 12 high empty. Container Homes can be cut open to add windows to provide daylight and even solar panels for energy, and welded together to make bigger Container houses. Used shipping containers can also be bought for $1,500 to $2,000, so they can be used to make relatively affordable housing.

Container Homes Apartment Complex Made From Shipping Containers.

Container Homes are the origin of most other forms of green building made out of Shipping Containers, because they are virtually a waste product which take recycling to a new level.

Container Homes are now ending up ad Container Apartment Complexes, Container Cities, Container offices along with innovative Container Shops and Container Shopping Malls....

Container Homes is the future of green recycling.

Jazib's Gone Green!

Jazib's gone green with his Prefab office built out of an old shipping container, Jazib's prefab office is finished with cheap Formica :( and has a LU too!

Old shipping container being placed for Jazib's Prefab office!














Interior of Jazib's Prefab office














Jazib has a LU too! One wonders where does it flush to!














As a appreciation of going green GOD gifted Jazib with horns so splendid




And we at Sustainable Living Award you the Greenest personality of Mid term 09!

renewable electricity campus


The South Ayrshire Council has approved the Ayr Campus, which will be constructed on the Craigie Estate. The construction of this £260 million Ayr campus of the University of the West of Scotland is believed to start in September by Bovis Lend Lease UK. The design of Ayr campus that is located very close to River Ayr has adopted policies that include rainwater harvesting and on-site power generation using sustainable sources, giving it a high environmentl value. The Natural Garden Society, Historic Scotland, Scottish development.

Saturday, June 13, 2009

greenandmore.com - Solar Travel Bags - must have

Need to tell you about this Solar Travel Bags I got to see from this site. It's good to know that Solar Travel Bags have a great market and it's constantly developing.

                      
                 
                                                                                                                                                            

VIA - http://www.greenandmore.com/backpacks-travel-bags-with-solar-panels.html?navContext=ln_bags&itemId=1055
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