It should come as no surprise that Chelten Homes
would want to cement a reputation as certified net-zero builders.
Anyone familiar with the Waterdown, Ontario, company would be the first to tell
you that going that extra mile is a trait Chelten Homes has long embraced. And the current net-zero designation of a
home at 218 Ascot Place in Burlington is no exception.
“The project at 218 Ascot Place in Burlington has been an exciting one
for Chelten Homes on many fronts,” says Marcel Leclerc, president of Chelten
Homes. “Our impetus for building this home started with our desire to be certified
as net-zero builders. We believe there are better ways to build a home
that provide the homeowner with the benefits of increased climate control
within the home and lower operating costs, while at the same time reducing the
strain on the environment and our natural resources.
“With a net-zero home, we all win and we want to be at the
forefront of this building practice; and this project gave us the experience we
needed.”
Previously, Chelten Homes made a name for
itself by espousing walkable communities, utilizing construction materials from
local craftspeople and optimizing livable space.
With 218 Ascot Place, Chelten Homes raises the bar even more.
“We enjoy being pushed and expanding our
experience as builders so we asked the architect [for 218 Ascot Place] to pick
a style of home we had not done before,” Leclerc says. “She came up with an
impressive West Coast Modern design, which challenged us to think differently,
source new and interesting materials, and build differently. We are very
excited with this project and the end result and look forward to being able to
refine and grow with the next project.”
To be clear, 218 Ascot Place is a net-zero
home, meaning it’s air-tight, well-insulated and energy-efficient and will
produce as much renewable energy as consumed, leaving the occupants with a net-zero
energy bill and a carbon-free home.
For example, the first hydro bill for the home, provided by Burlington Hydro,
shows s sizeable energy credit. The
energy consumption was 192 kWH and the home generated 842 KWH of energy. It
should be noted that the first month included running the home with four
occupants, daily use of air conditioning … plus pool maintenance. The custom
solar PV system, by the way, is forecast to provide a lifetime savings on electricity
of $127,030, according to Bluewater Energy from Guelph, Ontario.
More
specifically, here is a list of features that contribute to the overall
energy-saving package:
218
Ascot Place in Burlington is a smart home. Everything
can be controlled and monitored remotely;
Windows are triple glazed fibrerglass;
The exterior walls have two-inch R10 rigid foam insulation with
continuous thermal break, the interior of those wall cavities are R20 – a total
wall R30 value. In addition, two-inch spray foam was applied under the basement
slab with continuous thermal break, which prevents heat loss and air leakage –
a home’s most inefficient areas;
Exterior rim joist cavities were treated with R22 spray foam to
eliminate a major source of heat loss;
R12 spray foam was applied in the attic with R50 loose fill for
maximum energy efficiency;
The air tightness was further enhanced by the AeroBarrier envelope
sealing technology;
Hubbell energy-saving receptacle boxes (complete with airtight
gaskets) were installed throughout;
There is a complete in-home ozone water treatment and filtration
system, which eliminates impurities left over from municipally-treated water,
including viruses, bacteria and treatment chemicals.
All
in all, Chelten Homes believes the net-zero offerings will continue to
complement the competitive advantages the company has over others in the
construction industry.
“Chelten is family in many ways,” says Leclerc. “Each employee acts like a
leader and is encouraged to be an innovator in everything we do.
“They
look upon every task as how will it impact other members of the Chelten family,
how it will benefit a project and, ultimately, how will the customer benefit.
We like to under promise and over deliver.”
That dedication is often supported even more as many Chelten Homes’ team members live close to the communities/neighbourhoods the company plans and develops. “So that means we develop a personal connection to each and every project,” says Leclerc. “We practice what we preach on a daily basis. We are never satisfied with a job well done.”
+VG Architects set
lofty green goals and they consistently back them up with on-target results. The
company, with offices throughout Ontario in Toronto, Brantford and Ottawa,
makes no bones about it when it comes to establishing a new standard for all
buildings – the intent is to bring green initiatives and sustainability
practices to the mainstream. They accomplish that in a variety of ways,
seeking to broaden their impact … and not just with specialty buildings or
clients who have ample budgets to pursue LEED certification. “Since municipal
clients are held accountable for taxpayers’ hard-earned money, they’re often
conservative in their approach to innovative ideas, including green initiatives
that they may not have had much experience with,” says Nicole Konrad, director
of marketing in the +VG Toronto office. “When money’s tight, relying on tried and
tested methods can seem like the most sensible route to take.
“+VG champions
sustainable practices by educating our clients, who can then educate the
public. In many cases, green initiatives actually produce cost savings over the
life of the project. I think municipal clients
can also find the different energy efficiency rating systems (such as LEED or
Passive House) intimidating. We’re
showing them that it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. It’s better to do something than nothing at
all.”
Saying that, often
there are projects that are mostly ‘all-in’ with what +VG proposes. A case in
point is the King Township Municipal Centre, located just north of Toronto in
King City.
Completed in
February, the project incorporates many green initiatives such as geothermal
mechanical systems and enhanced sustainable site strategies and is anticipated
to meet either LEED silver or gold level certification. King Township had
outgrown the previous facility and +VG pointed out that the Sixties-era school
building had many physical constraints which would limit an efficient adaptive
reuse. As well, the client was told, any
selective demolition would be extremely costly. As a result, a detailed cost
benefit analysis was conducted and it revealed that a replacement building
would only present an increase in cost of four percent, so +VG moved ahead with
a new building on the site. The upshot is that the building has created a new
identity and focus for the community, and is perceived by citizens as
cost-effective and pleasing. It should also be noted that the final project
was delivered on-time and on-budget.
Thomas Wilson, the
project manager and +VG partner, says a defining characteristic with King
Township is the presence of the provincially-protected Green Belt natural
preserve. With that in mind, +VG was able to reflect the symbolic importance of
that reality with the design for the new municipal building. The site, Wilson
says, is bounded by natural woodland and wetland preserves. He points out that
the +VG design enhances these preserves. Some of the features include:
Twenty percent of the site designated as woodland restoration;
Stormwater management enhancements, such as permeable pavers that reduce
water quantity and greatly improve water quality, flowing to the adjacent
wetlands;
A series of new nature trails around the site;
Educational signage describing key aspects of the natural surroundings;
And mitigation measures such as bat boxes that support indigenous
wildlife and reduce the impact of human development.
“It was also
important for this project to lead by example when it came to township values
and planning policies related to sustainability,” Wilson says. To that end,
Wilson said the building included the following components as part of the
design:
Ground source heat pump system for heating and cooling to reduce energy
costs and provide zero greenhouse gas emissions;
High-performance building envelope, including high-performance glazing;
Heat recovery ventilators and variable speed pumps;
And high-efficiency LED lighting systems utilizing time-of-day controls,
daylight sensors and occupancy sensors.
Two other +VG
projects – Kingston East Community Centre and Township of McNab/Braeside
Municipal Offices – provide yet another glimpse into the company’s green
approach. In Kingston, in addition to enhancing the surrounding area, the
community centre will contribute to the city’s goal of reducing carbon
emissions to become a leader in sustainability and environmental stewardship.
When completed, it will also serve as a learning tool for the surrounding
community to understand the importance of building high-performance,
energy-efficient public buildings and their impact on reducing greenhouse gas
(GHG) emissions.
In McNab/Braeside,
less than 100 kilometres west of Ottawa, the new town hall will be constructed
using engineered timber products to pay homage to the rich history of forestry
and logging in the area and to reduce to overall embodied energy in the
building materials used for construction.
Other green features include a ground source thermal field,
energy-efficient building systems and a future solar array.
“+VG Ottawa specializes
in the coordination of energy-efficiency/GHG reduction studies to assist our
clients through the design development stage of their projects,” says Daniel
Wojcik, an architect with +VG Ottawa.
“Working closely with mechanical, electrical and sustainability
consultants we are able to empower our clients into making informed decisions
to reduce resource consumption and GHG output while understanding the capital
and life cycle costs to achieve their objectives.”
Chatsworth Fine Homes has always been known for providing painstaking attention to detail.
What should also be highlighted, however, is that the Oakville-based boutique builder has many years of experience utilizing energy-saving techniques – with one property, in fact, receiving the first net-zero ready designation in the Metro Toronto area.
“We have supported green building for a long time,” says Fil Capuano, Chatsworth’s president. “We feature a strong background in engineering and we see where so many outmoded building practices are still in use today that do not address client concerns of comfort, financial and social responsibility. We have to have an eye on what is in everyone’s mind – climate change. “We have very sophisticated and well-educated clients who have a grasp on what is available today … and they want only the best when building a new home.”
The designated home at 1013 Westdale Road in Oakville – the recipient of the net-zero ready classification – is the latest example of Chatsworth’s embrace of both sustainable building and framing a practical way forward to address climate change concerns.
“The home demonstrates that you can have a fabulous luxury home that doesn’t compromise aesthetics,” says Capuano. “The big news in our market, really, is that we can build a luxury home with no compromises that consumes just over one third of the energy of an equivalent home built to OBC (Ontario Building Code) standards.”
But, as Capuano stresses, Chatsworth is definitely not “new to this.”
Nearly 20 years ago, the Chatsworth team built Chelster Hall in Oakville, a magnificent mansion on the shores of Lake Ontario. One of the largest private residences in Canada, the sprawling property sits on 10 acres with 47,000 square feet of living space – about the same size as the White House in Washington, D.C. Chatsworth utilized insulated concrete forms (ICF) throughout the build, and Chelster Hall was the recipient of a North America-wide ICF award in 2008. Fast-forward to 2015 and 2017, and you’d see that Chatsworth remained at the forefront of high-performance building, presented with Best Custom Home awards from the Building Industry and Land Development Association (BILD). The 2017 honour was for a home at 129 Burgundy Drive in Oakville; which BILD noted included many environmentally-sustainable features.
“Again, with
that project, with utilized ICF from footing to roof,” says Capuano. “It was
built to R2000* standards, had triple glass windows with a U value of 1.1, air
tightness of 1.4 ACH50, seven kW of solar, plus a 3 1/2 -inch interior furring
wall, providing total wall insulation of approximately R-40.”
That home, completed in 2016, had many of the same traits as net-zero, as
Chatsworth continued to incorporate environmentally-friendly systems. As noted, standout sustainable features included
a super-insulated envelope, four energy recovery ventilators, the rooftop solar
PV system, low-flow plumbing, rainwater collection for irrigation, occupancy
sensors, intelligent controls, and LED lighting. The tight envelope,
understandably, drastically cuts back on the heating and cooling loads.
The upshot is that everything is balanced by
smart engineering and advanced controls to optimize heating and cooling
efficiency. With no system oversizing permitted, the gas bill for the home is
less than half what it would be for the size of the building.
“The green buzz is everywhere,” says Capuano. “But
to deliver on net-zero you must have third party assurance that the performance
of the home measures up to the net-zero program’s strict guidelines.
“Many people think that building a larger home with high-quality finishes and
luxury options may be wasteful. But we’ve
proven that the net-zero ready program delivers a home that consumes almost 60
per cent less than its code-compliant counterpart and is a major step forward –
luxury with a view to economy and social responsibility.
“You can
have your cake and eat it, too!”
(*129 Burgundy Drive in Oakville was
enrolled in R2000 program and qualified, except for a fireplace that wasn’t EPA-rated
at the time.)Web / chatsworthfinehomes.com
Casinos aren’t exactly known for their sustainability. For the most part, they tend to be extravagant and wasteful, using huge amounts of energy, sometimes on what is essentially a 24/7 basis. Indeed, the casinos of Las Vegas alone have measurable detrimental effects on the environment. The lighting and displays at the 150 gambling venues in town account for 20% of the city’s total energy output, with casinos spending about $350,000/month on electricity on average. That may not sound shocking given the general image of the Vegas Strip, but when you consider that nearly 650,000 people live in the city, that’s significant consumption before you even get to residential and infrastructure needs.
To some extent, the general wasteful quality of casinos is a problem people assume will drift away with time. There’s an old-fashioned aspect to real-world casinos that can almost make them seem doomed, and online gaming has actually gotten sophisticated enough to draw some people away from places like Vegas. Live casino sites from Canada give Americans a fairly convenient alternative, and in other parts of the world online gaming is at this point thoroughly established.
Despite this, however, there’s no real indication that casinos are going anywhere. As much as they seem old fashioned, and was much as online alternatives have caught up to them, they plug right along – which means it may be important to consider how we can keep them around and make them more eco-friendly at the same time. As it so happens there are some casinos worldwide that while not perfect, should be recognized for their efforts in this regard. They’re not beacons of green living just yet, but they are beginning to set examples that the industry would do well to follow broadly.
Here are four such casinos doing their part:
Mandalay Bay Convention Resort in Las Vegas
Mandalay Bay Convention Resort prides itself on being one of the most eco-friendly casinos in Las Vegas. For starters, all of the light fixtures now use LED bulbs. The resort also serves sustainable wine and Champagne, with recycled corks (which actually matters a great deal when you consider the volume consumed at a place like this). Many of the resort’s restaurants also boast menus with sustainably sourced ingredients. Even the faucets and toilets in the cashino’s public restaurants are designed to conserve water. In addition, the touch-screen computers available at each table game have eliminated the need for bankroll paper, which saves a great deal of material.
Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City
Harrah’s Resort in Atlantic City adheres to Caesars Entertainment’s broader “CodeGreen” strategy. Accordingly, the resort is committed to minimizing food, energy, and water waste. The Harrah’s Resort casino has also reduced its packaging waste significantly, and is said to be making progress toward making the majority of its lighting fixtures energy-efficient as well.
Element Las Vegas Summerlin
For nearly a decade, the Element Las Vegas Summerlin has been dedicated to being green. In 2011, the casino became Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified, which is not something that happens for just every resort property. Some of the casino’s highlighted efforts include carpets made from recycled materials and a restaurant that doesn’t use disposable serving ware.
“Our LEED certification is gratifying because it recognizes our team’s efforts to conserve resources and reduce waste. But even more important, guests keep telling us how much it means to them,” explained David Smith, former general manager of Element Las Vegas Summerlin. “There’s a real appreciation among guests for all of the thoughtful practices that have become an integral part of the Element experience.”
Resorts World Sentosa
Some of the casinos in Southeast Asia are a little bit newer, and while they still consumer massive amounts of energy and generate a great deal of waste, they also tend to involve at least a few eco-friendly designs and/or policies. Resorts World Sentosa in Singapore is perhaps the leader in this regard, with many green initiatives in place. The resort no longer allows plastic straws or single-use plastic bottles, which is another policy that’s more significant than it initially seems. The kitchens on site, meanwhile, have gone to great lengths to reduce food waste in part by reusing and maximizing ingredients. And last but not least, Resorts World Sentosa’s own cooling plant has helped the property’s overall energy efficiency.
Bleutech Park Las Vegas will break ground in the Las Vegas Valley in December of this year as the first city in the world to boast a digital revolution in motion, redefining the infrastructure industry sector. The net-zero buildings within their own insular mini-city will feature automated multi-functional designs, renewable energies from solar/wind/water/kinetic, autonomous vehicles, artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality, Internet of Things (IoT), robotics, supertrees, and self-healing concrete structures.
Bleutech Park Las Vegas is sponsored by Bleutech Park Properties, Inc. (Bleutech), a Real-Estate Investment Trust (REIT) that is supported by leading institutional investors and private equity investments. This project will cost over $7.5 billion upon completion in six years. Bleutech Park will redefine the mixed-use environment featuring workforce housing, offices, retail space, ultra-luxury residential, hotel and entertainment while showcasing energy generation and storage, waste-heat recovery, water purification, on-site waste treatment and localized air cleaning, introducing a new high-tech biome to the desert valley. Some of Bleutech’s strategic partners include construction contractor Martin-Harris Construction and technology leader Cisco. This project will bring life to new technologies and alter the future of construction design. Smart buildings equipped with new, self-healing, energy-generating, and breathable materials will move Las Vegas forward in ways never before contemplated or experienced in one place. With the use of unmanned aerial systems and AI, the construction site will become a living, breathing blueprint. Integration will become seamless with technology, more efficient, effective and safer. Guy Martin, president of Martin-Harris Construction said, “We are excited to once again help redefine construction methods here in Las Vegas.”
Flooring systems within Bleutech Park Las Vegas will capture and reuse the energy of human movement throughout the park including common areas and parking structures. Resources for heating, cooling, lighting and electricity will be harvested on-site. Bleutech Park buildings will be connected to a broader highly sustainable network of supertrees allowing a 95 percent reduction in imported water consumption and an opportunity for improved biodiversity. Interface points amongst all technologies will be used throughout Bleutech Park, working in unison with our strategic partners, we are able to spring forth the IoT with cutting capabilities and applications. “We look forward to playing an integral role in this ground-breaking initiative, which will deliver a one-of-a-kind experience to its guests and visitors. It will push the envelope of innovation and bring together technology solutions that once seemed like pure science fiction,” said Mike Grigsby, with Cisco’s Smart+Connected Communities group. “The convergence of the Internet of Things (IoT) and Smart Cities in a project like this challenges the way we define both of those solutions. It opens our thinking to what is truly possible and reveals just how expansive the connected communities concept really is.”
Finally, photovoltaic glass will be standard in all structures, turning entire building exteriors into single solar panels, committed to zero-carbon emissions and harvesting solar energy for use and providing 100 percent grid-independence. Aerial construction will be utilized in the creation of Bleutech Park Las Vegas, and unmanned aerial systems will aid in hard-to-reach or unsafe places during construction. “Bleutech believes in the rise of digitization and robotics in construction as this will increase productivity and efficiency,” said Bleutech Park Properties, Inc., CTIO, Bertrand Dano. He continued, “Wearable technology will increase workplace safety, particularly in heavy lifting and repetition. We believe in the future of robotics and their ability to improve jobsite safety and employee’s health.” In summary, these new technologies could create close to a Super-Workforce of the future. Robotics will be an essential part of the technology ecosystem providing 365/24/7 security using biometrics and other state-of-the-art technologies, adding an unsurpassed level of security in real-time, to both residents and visitors.
Bleutech is committed to the creation of jobs, and raising job quality. Job creation is anticipated to exceed 25,000 jobs and provide on-the-job training programs with the latest technology to train the construction workforce of the future. Significant efforts to bring “Made in the USA” manufacturing jobs to Las Vegas for the Bleutech Park project, will contribute to the total number of local jobs in the Las Vegas Valley. Las Vegas Laborers Union Local 872 Business Manager & Secretary Treasurer, Tommy White said, “Laborers Local 872 is honored to join with Bleutech in building this state-of-the-art development. This is going to be a project unlike any other and it is great to see Las Vegas step to the forefront. With cutting-edge technology, innovative training methods and exceptional specialty construction materials, we look forward to providing Bleutech with the skilled workforce required to achieve the excellence only this project will deliver.”
Las Vegas developer, Khusrow Roohani, has been a driving force in bringing this connected infrastructure to Las Vegas, “I’m honored to finally see this project come to life here in Las Vegas, as the first of its kind in the world. This city is the perfect place to unveil these amazing technologies; Las Vegas will never be the same.”
Bleutech also aims at tackling issues such as affordable housing through the development of “Workforce Housing.” This unique approach intends to serve the housing needs of people employed in jobs that the general population relies upon to make the community economically viable, such as nurses, police officers, teachers, firemen, and multiple others within a description of service to their communities. Workforce Housing is the cornerstone of Bleutech Park’s vision and commitment to support a diverse workforce and ensure Las Vegas’ economic, cultural, and health benefits accrue to people of all income levels. It will be designed architecturally with the latest technology, providing grid-independency to its residents, high-tech security and autonomous transportation. Local architect of record, Melvin Green, principal at KME Architects said, “Our goal is to provide creative, attractive and functional workforce housing that will meet the needs of the Las Vegas community as a whole, by providing a harmonious ecosystem that promotes less traffic congestion, more connectivity and greater interaction amongst the residents and their work environment; thereby improving the health of our community.”
About Bleutech Park Las Vegas: Bleutech Park Las Vegas LLC is a Delaware registered Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) private fund property dedicated to providing finance, operation and asset management of primarily Bleutech Park projects throughout the US market and abroad. Bleutech Park Las Vegas LLC is proud to design, build, operate and maintain the future of smart and connected infrastructure while leveraging emerging technologies with higher standards of sustainability and 100% off-the-grid commitment revolutionizing the world for the future.
As the latest and greatest
trends, ecology and autonomy have taken the automotive world by storm in recent
years. Autonomous driving as a mean of enhancing the car-owning experience and
sustainability as a greater step towards environmentally friendly industry are
omnipresent throughout the whole vertical structure of the industry, starting
from affordable transportation all the way to the world’s most superior
marques. That is why Bentley’s latest grand tourer named EXP 100 GT is no
exception, as it showcases the future face of affluent motoring.
By envisioning
the EXP 100 GT, Bentley aims to reinvent the way we will think of luxury in
very near future. The splendour of tomorrow will not be about excess. Rather
than that, it will feature a carefully curated selection of recycled natural
materials that leave zero footprint on the planet. Beautifully styled, it embraces Artificial Intelligence (AI) as
a means to reassert the car as a place for creating, experiencing and capturing
extraordinary human experiences and emotions.
Luxury
Beyond Mobility
The looks of this imposing grand
touring coupé are deeply enrooted into Bentley’s rich heritage. However, the
silhouette offers a glimpse into the future without any doubt. The EXP 100 GT
is thus a futuristic reinterpretation of the iconic Continental Type-R with
hints from the legendary Blower visible on its front end. Being 2.4 metres wide
and 5.8 metres long, this tourer is by all means a striking car. However, taking
a closer look into details is what really makes it impressive.
Its shell is constructed in
carbon fibre and lightweight aluminium with copper decorative details as a nod
to Bentleys of the yesteryear. The doors open both outwards and upwards and are
2 metres long, making every entry and exit a statement. In the very best
Bentley tradition, its silhouette is sleek and muscular at the same time,
making this car instantly recognizable as a car from the Flying B family.
As the first step towards
sustainability, the finish of the EXP 100 GT is a very special shade of green.
The sustainable and environmentally friendly Compass colour is created using a
Colourstream pigment synthetically made using rice husk ash. This bi-product of
the rice industry has been remanufactured for the Bentley EXP 100 GT to become
a shade that perfectly suits the car’s silhouette and its beautiful spectrum of
autumnal colours inside and out.
Exterior lighting plays a major
role in EXP 100 GT’s dramatic charms. The Flying B mascot and smart,
illuminated matrix grille come to life as one approaches the car, with light dancing
across the dramatic grille, through the iconic mascot and along the long bonnet
central spine of the car and into the cabin. The car literally comes alive. Ample
use of glass surfaces enables the occupants to experience another side of the
EXP 100 GT, the one that connects it with nature around it.
The impeccable craftmanship and
attention to detail transposes to the cabin of the EXP 100 GT as well.
Traditional natural materials such as wood and glass are intertwined with
sustainable technology of the future in a handcrafted interior that is a
perfect environment for the passengers.
The exquisite natural materials
flow throughout the handcrafted cabin of the car, seamlessly blending into each
other. Glass flows into metal, into wood and into leather. The sustainable
textiles and leather complement the pattern of the wood grain, allowing an
overall design motif to flow across all these surfaces, reconnecting passengers
with the authentic, natural world around them.
It’s important to stress that all
the natural materials in the EXP 100 GT are sustainable and environmentally
friendly. For example, the remarkable copper Infused Riverwood is a sustainable
wood from naturally fallen trees that has been preserved for 5,000 years in
peat bogs, lakes and rivers. It has been sourced from The Fenland Black Oak
Project, a British organisation set up to preserve this material for future
generations. Next, the door panels are crafted by Hand and Lock, the
London-based embroidery company that employs traditional techniques that date
back to 1767.
Inside a luxurious cockpit, Bentley
craftspeople have taken handcraftsmanship of materials to an as yet unseen
level, setting the new benchmark for luxury interiors. Bridge of Weir
Leather of Scotland works with specifically selected, locally sourced hides for
Bentley to create a soft, natural leather enhanced by its environment. With the
ultimate Super Natural finish, this will be Bentley’s benchmark for future
luxury alternative materials. Finally, in an exclusive collaboration, Bentley
has used the by-products of wine-making to create the future of luxury
eco-materials, creating a leather-like seating material which is 100 per cent
bio-based and revolutionary in top tier car industry.
As the Bentley EXP 100 GT is a
vision for year 2034, its smart powertrain is fully electric in a path towards
zero emission future of motoring. The dense battery pack enables a range of 435
miles with charging as fast as 15 minutes. The weight of Bentley’s visionary
car is kept under 1,900kg and it promises remarkable performance with 1500 Nm
of torque, 0-60 acceleration in 2.5 seconds and the top speed of 186.6 MPH.
Enhancing the occupants’ experience of their
extraordinary journey in the Bentley EXP 100 GT is the Bentley Personal
Assistant AI. This advanced, intelligent system defines the Grand Tourer of the
future as it delivers a highly personalised experience to the passenger based
on five distinct modes with individual characteristics: Enhance, Cocoon,
Capture, Re-Live and Customise. Interaction with the AI is made through hand
gestures made to the front or rear Cumbria Crystal interfaces that intuitively
interpret the commands.
Enhance harvests inputs from the outside environment, such as
light, sound, smell and air quality, offering a holistic grand tour, and a
feeling of open top motoring from under the glass canopy.
Cocoon creates a protective space, including air purification and
glass areas that turn opaque for privacy; while
Capture records experiences from both inside and outside the car
which become part of your car’s unique history.
Re-Live replays highlights of your Grand Tour, while
Customise combines elements of all the different modes and are
individually selected by the driver or passenger.
Next, Adaptable
Biometric Seating uses the Bentley Personal Assistant data to tailor and deliver
unmatched comfort during every ride. The seats can be positioned in three ways
depending on whether the car is being personally driven or autonomous, while
the active component of the seating senses the occupants’ needs and responds to
offer additional support when necessary. In addition, biometrics are embedded throughout the Bentley EXP
100 GT to track eye and head movements, even blood pressure. It represents the
future of customised, in-car comfort far beyond any seating experienced in a
modern-day car.
Sustainable
Innovation – The Future of Bentley
Bentley believes its approach to innovation is
created through a balance: Preservation of the world and the self should be at
the forefront, while purposeful and intuitive innovation remains essentially
linked to sustainability.
The Bentley EXP 100 GT features air and sound
curation that promotes self-care and well-being in the car. These create a
physiological, health-enhancing environment for passengers, promoting increased
mindfulness in the cabin.
For example, Capture mode on Bentley Personal
Assistant brings the external environment into the cabin, creating an open-top
driving experience without taking the roof down. It also cocoons passengers –
blocking and filtering air pollution in cities.
The Bentley EXP 100 GT has passive and active
air intakes in the front grille, cooling the drivetrain and batteries that
drive the car’s powerful electric motors. Unwanted air is channelled out of the
car at the rear to aid aerodynamics.
The Air Purification System is located in the
boot space to purify air before it is supplied into the cabin, with deployable
air vents on the rear passenger shelf and static vents on the front passenger
panel. The air vents undulate giving the appearance that the car is breathing
and alive. Meanwhile, CO2 levels in the cabin are constantly monitored to
maintain air quality.
As well as capturing exterior scents, Bentley
has developed a unique scent for the Bentley EXP 100 GT. Created in
collaboration with ethically-aware fragrance house 12.29, it builds on the rich
heritage of Bentley, incorporating sandalwood and fresh moss.
The Bentley EXP 100 GT also puts passengers in
control of how they disconnect and reflect, enhancing mindfulness by allowing
occupants to live in the present. As screen-time become ever more present,
these disconnecting, relaxing experiences have gained luxury status.
Rotary switches fashioned from copper and
aluminium add tactility in a digital world.
The in-car displays enhance the grand tour
experience using augmented reality, or can provide a relaxed cocoon on demand.
All displays use a simple, intuitive interface that includes transparent OLED
information displays in the doors, automatically darkening glass, and a front
entertainment screen for displaying films, live video and other media when the
Bentley EXP 100 GT is in autonomous driving mode.
Sam_Chick
Thanks to the EXP 100 GT, Bentley
has taken huge steps towards designing the ultimate luxurious grand tourer for
the future. With that in mind, the future of Bentley will be intelligent, green
and sustainable, with a next-level approach to comfort and a redefined way of
experiencing epic journeys.
Do you
dream of being shipwrecked all alone on a desert island? How you miraculously find
everything you need in order to survive until you are rescued. Perhaps you
return time-after-time to gather sleep around you.
created by dji camera
Actor
Marlin Brando had a taste of this after he discovered Motu Onetahi in the
Teti’aroa atoll while filming Mutiny on the Bounty in 1960. He built a small
village there where he could be alone with his thoughts. This was where he learned
to be an early champion of the environment.
His retreat
became a modest hotel infused with the spirit of Polynesia by his Tahitian wife
Tarita Teriipaia. You’ll find less straight lines in the architecture when you
visit. The built environment flows in and out through nature and you are free
as a bird to roam.
TAHITI. ATOLL DE TETIAROA. VUE AERIENNE DE L’HOTEL BRANDO.
Marlin
Brando left no instruction for what was to become of his Motu Onetahi island
after he died. However, developers Teti’aroa Pacific Beachcomber SC have been
true to his desire to place a light footprint.
TAHITI. ATOLL DE TETIAROA. HOTEL BRANDO.
LE BAR PANORAMIQUE DU LAGON.
Richard
Bailey, their CEO believes “For me, doing
well by doing good means making a business out of saving our world and
ourselves, one precious island, river, plain, reef, custom, legend, habitat or
village at a time.
By offering others the opportunity to enjoy and
learn from these things we preserve them, and by preserving them we not only
perpetuate our business model, we also build knowledge about why preserving
them is so important to our own well-being.”
When we
arrive we find a remarkable infusion of a natural retreat coexisting with a
center for marine conservation research and education. The Brando Resort is one
of the most sustainable places on the planet in true desert island tradition.
It soothes
the soul of the rich and famous while helping fund the Teti’aroa Society’s conservation,
education, and ongoing scientific research initiatives. This could become a
self-fulfilling prophecy for the role of the built environment in a mid-21st
century city.
You will
not find traditional resort engineering when you arrive. Instead, you will see
commitment to the United Nation’s sustainable development goals everywhere you
go. They rest on a firm foundation of unwavering dedication to be the world’s
first truly post-carbon resort here.
The
seawater air-conditioning system creates a minimalist carbon footprint. A
food-digesting process returns the resort’s organic waste as compost in a
single day. The kitchen garden flourishes in rich black soil overlaying nutrient-poor
coral. You will taste the difference when you dine in Richard Bailey’s
spectacular success.
Location: Motu Onetahi, Tetiaroa Atoll, French Polynesia
However
ecotourism is only truly sustainable when it supports the environment within
which it finds itself. The low-lying coral reefs surrounding the richly-biodiverse
lagoon are close to what Marlin Brando found in 1960 that opened his eyes.
The eco
station on Motu Onetahi is therefore a perfect observation point for observing
the effects of climate change while reducing the impact of the other factors
affecting the natural environment.
However,
the impact The Brando has on the lives of the surrounding Polynesian people is perhaps
its greatest success. It invested
eighteen month’s hospitality and tourism training in its people before it
opened its doors. Some 80% of employees are locals.
Moreover,
it continues to invest in its people through expert lectures, guided field trips
and science-based research projects throughout the atoll. These activities
include a sea-turtle-monitoring program, and propagating bees for release where
colonies are failing elsewhere.
The resort
fulfills its needs for food, handicrafts and other supplies locally wherever it
can. As a result, the locals queue up to attend internship training in
sustainability and doing what they can to mitigate global warming.
From its side
the resort sources its energy from 4.000 solar panels provisioning 1.4
megawatts backed by the largest battery storage system in French Polynesia. You
will not catch a whiff of diesel when you arrive, for the standby generators,
when needed run on coconut biofuel.
TAHITI. ATOLL DE TETIAROA. HOTEL BRANDO. LE VARUA POLYNESIAN SPA.
Richard
Bailey says “What I believe is that, in
this business, the planet is our product.
And so are we, as a species. We are lucky in the tourism industry to
have an inexhaustible supply of powerful agents of change – the travelling
consumer.
“Discovery of the astonishing natural and
cultural wonders of our world, how we fit into it, whence we came, what our
future holds – these transformational experiences are the value proposition of
our business. We damage or lose these at
our peril. So tourism is the perfect
laboratory for sustainable technologies and concepts.”
Creating
super-luxury resorts in a responsible fashion can be a challenge because
well-heeled vacationers expect to find every modern convenience to hand. When they arrive at The Brando they find
themselves in an 8,000-acre terrestrial and marine habitat preserve.
Their
old habits fade fast when they discover there are only another thirty-four
heavenly villas on the island. They can indulge in their favorite daydream of
being cast up by the waves onto a desert island, while knowing a short walk will
return them to one of the most responsibly luxurious resorts on Earth
From its position on top of a hill, this large bungalow has commanding views of the Unesco World Heritage Site of the Botanic Gardens.
We made use of large cantilevers and horizontal planes to make the building float and give it lightness when viewed from the road.
Upon entry, the rear conceals a sunken courtyard and pool to allow light into the basement. A human scale and comfort is achieved through the use of warm materials and allowance for cross ventilation.
Text description provided by the architects. The first residential complex in Ukraine based on the block development principle. Picturesque building silhouettes, elaborated apartment layouts, and fully pedestrian courtyards became the standard of comfort class in the Ukrainian residential property. Due to the city block concept, the area is divided into two types: streets (allowing for motor traffic) and courtyards (located inside the block and featuring children’s playgrounds, benches, and alleys). Motor vehicles cannot enter these inner courtyards, with the exception of emergency service vehicles which can use widened passageways paved with grass paver.
In the conditions of a limited budget, architects created sections with simple geometric shapes and made flat facades, thus excluding balconies and decorative elements. The focus was on three techniques: silhouette: different turns and height of dual-pitch roofs allowed to achieve an interesting shapes; window: the first housing project in Kyiv to use the French balcony system and the window shifting system, which allowed to avoid monotonous rows; color: the first daring color solution for a residential neighborhood in the country.
The Comfort Town residential complex includes the Academy of Modern Education with a 160-seat Kindergarten, a 140-seat Elementary school, and a 600-seat High school А+. The residential complex also includes a 4500-sq.m retail complex with a supermarket, a 4600-sq.m fitness complex with three swimming pools and gyms, a 1.5-hectare complex of outdoor sports grounds, cafes, stores and offices on lower floors of apartment buildings, 22 children playgrounds and own maintenance service.
A different number of stories of adjacent buildings (ranging from 2 to 16 floors) forms a picturesque image of every street. There is also a restored park with perennial trees, sculptures, and a fountain. Thus, the former industrial territory turned into a good living environment and the status of the district as a whole has increased.
New report sets out roadmap for market development with potential to transform millions of buildings across Europe
The World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) Europe network and partners launched a new report ‘Creating an Energy Efficient Mortgage for Europe: the supporting role of the green building sector.’ The vision is to support the growth of the market so that energy efficient mortgages will be made available to every borrower in Europe.
The report argues that to achieve this, the finance and the green building sector must work together more closely. It sets out a roadmap for building, construction and energy efficiency organisations to follow that will help the market for green finance to flourish – with the potential to transform millions of buildings across Europe.
Written jointly by WorldGBC’s Europe network and E.ON as part of the highly successful, EU funded Energy Efficient Mortgages Initiative, the report emphasises the importance of considering the needs of the borrower to ensure energy efficient mortgages have broad appeal.
A pilot scheme launched last year by the initiative, which also involves the European Mortgage Federation – European Covered Bond Council and the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, has already seen 46 major banks signed up to develop new green lending products. City and regional governments including the Scottish government have also committed to support the initiative.
The success of these new products can be secured through the support of businesses and organisations with expertise in building energy performance. They can take action to stimulate demand, streamline delivery of energy efficient buildings and renovations and provide extra support to the borrower.
These goals can be achieved through both greater collaboration across sectors and education and training to increase awareness and skills. Additionally, innovation is required to streamline the assessment, planning and delivery of high-performance buildings and renovations which satisfy lenders criteria for energy efficient mortgages.
Cristina Gamboa, CEO World Green Building Council commented:
“Green finance is increasingly recognised as a powerful driver for climate action. The growth of the energy efficient mortgage market in Europe represents a unique opportunity to unlock new investment to accelerate the decarbonisation of the built environment. We are working with our members to ensure that our sector is equipped to seize this opportunity.”
Marco Marijewycz, Senior Manager – Global Business Development, B2C Solutions, E.ON said:
“The successful growth of a European market for energy efficient mortgages can only happen if we put the customer front and centre. E.ON’s consumer insight work shows there’s appreciation across the board of the benefits energy efficient mortgages can offer for property owners; like lower energy bills, increased comfort levels and lower environmental impact. But for the market to reach mass scale, will require close cooperation between market actors such as banks and energy companies. E.ON is already pioneering such an approach and we believe the recommendations set out in this report provide clear guidance to facilitate wider cross sector collaborations.”
Luca Bertalot, Secretary General, European Mortgage Federation – European Covered Bond Council said:
“The journey towards developing a European energy efficient mortgage market, by linking energy efficiency to financial processes and decision-making, and delivering a financial system that supports sustainable growth, requires actions across the entire financial system in close cooperation with the built environment sector. The guidance set out in this latest report can help that sector to play its part in the growth of the market and increase demand from borrowers. This collaborative approach will help shift the climate performance of Europe’s buildings.”
Ursula Hartenberger, Global Head of Sustainability, RICS commented:
“Properties which are below average in their energy efficiency may suffer value erosion as the market and government policy starts to push the need for more efficient buildings. With energy efficient mortgages there is an opportunity for valuers, lenders and businesses that specialize in energy efficiency services to collaborate to help borrowers mitigate this risk. This report is a timely and valuable resource to guide these new collaborations.”
Barry Lynham, Managing Director Knauf Energy Solutions commented:
“Europe needs a step change in the annual energy efficiency renovation rate for buildings to stand any chance of meeting its climate targets; energy efficient mortgages are a key tool for making this step change a reality.”
Developing the market will only happen if customers understand and believe in the benefits of energy efficient mortgages. The report analyses market research led by E.ON to help drive the appeal of these mortgage options to the borrower. Financial incentives and the potential to increase property value were cited as the highest rated benefits for borrowers.
About the World Green Building Council
The World Green Building Council is a global network of Green Building Councils in almost 70 countries. Collectively, our goal is to achieve the following by 2050: limit global temperature rises to 1.5 degrees Celsius; reduce the building and construction sector’s CO2 emissions by 84 gigatonnes, and ensure all buildings are net zero emissions. These goals will help deliver on the ambition of the Paris Agreement. We are building a better future, and are committed to green buildings for everyone, everywhere. www.worldgbc.org
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