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Architecture, Green Energy, Ideas, Sustainability, Technology, Trends

The Transformer

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Louie Santaguida makes it his business to take building development to another level

Luigi (Louie) Santaguida was looking at alternative building techniques and technologies long before his contemporaries.
So it comes as no surprise to the Ontario developer – the founder/CEO of Stanton Renaissance – that his peers are now beginning to follow his lead.
“I believe the development community, including low-rise, high-rise mid-rise, commercial, retail, industrial and institutional,” says Santaguida, “are having to notice the concern/demand of homeowners, end users, renters and investors.
“And that concern/demand is the topic of lower operating costs, with cleaner living environments and better design. This is forcing the development and building community to look at alternatives.”
Those alternatives, it turns out, have been utilized by Stanton Renaissance for quite some time now. 
“We have been on the cutting edge of this phenomenon,” says Santaguida. “We’ve been leading the way. We are an advocate of best technology practices, with no environmental impacts, lower operating costs and increased quality of living – all the while managing favourable and ergonomical living.”
With Santaguida leading the way, Stanton Renaissance has forged ahead as more than a development company in southern Ontario; taking brownfield properties and transforming them into useable emerging communities. Part and parcel to that approach is the will to take dysfunctional areas and maximize their unrealized environmental, social and economic potentials.

It’s this vision that sets him apart.

A quick look at some of the major projects/developments undertaken by Stanton Renaissance provides ample proof of Santaguida’s distinctive approach.

On The Go Mimico

 

It should come as no surprise that On The Go Mimico offers Toronto’s only residential condominiums directly connected to the GO Transit system from the exterior lobby entrance; the Santaguida touch, if you will, but it doesn’t stop there. One of the most noticeable features is that the project will incorporate an integrated geoexchange and cogeneration technology that will help residents save up to 30 per cent on utility costs over a seven-year period.

The Connolly

Working with the City of Hamilton, Stanton Renaissance is designing this 30-storey mixed use development to preserve the building’s heritage and its unique architectural qualities. And, again, there’s a big environmental upside – revolutionary geothermal and cogeneration technologies are being utilized, with new high-efficiency parking lifts.

The JunXion Condos

 

This residential development in the St. Clair and Keele Junction area of Toronto will be a complete revitalization with space for the arts, local business and a farmer’s market, office and retail. This will also be the first development in Canada to incorporate not one, but three, methods of sustainable heating, cooling and power – geoexchange/cogeneration, solar energy and wind power – all in one master-plan community.

Wychwood Place

Another transformation of a historical church, this time in Toronto’s Bathurst and St. Clair, Wychwood community. With heritage preservation and conservation, the latest green and clean technologies are in place at the Wychwood Davenport Presbyterian Church, with plans to re-energize the property with a boutique condominium lifestyle in the heart of Toronto. This will include residential and retail, as well as commercial units.

On The Go Guildwood 


An eight-storey affordable condominium residence with over 100 units transforming a tired Kingston Road area, with standout environmental features and stellar lifestyle amenities. It will also be employing Stanton Renaissance’s state of the art, Sustainable Central Cooling Heating Power (CCHP) plant.
If you notice a trend in the aforementioned Stanton Renaissance projects, it’s understandable.  It’s more of Santaguida’s feel for the future.
“The [green building] movement is now becoming an industry standard,” he tells Green Building and Sustainable Strategies magazine. “The industry is looking at more technology-based solutions that will impact lower operating costs in the areas of heating, cooling, power generation, environmentally-sound finishes and exterior wall systems.

“We believe that consumers and end users are not necessarily looking for LEED solutions, but going beyond that – something that Stanton Renaissance is providing.”
Always looking for a competitive edge, Santaguida has also embraced a working relationship with Mike Holmes, the professional contractor and creator/host of the popular television series Holmes on Homes. Working with the real estate division of The Holmes Group, and its Holmes Approved Homes program, Stanton Renaissance is able to integrate proper building practices and cutting-edge products and technology.
“Once The Holmes Group got wind of the clean and sustainable technology we were using – the combination of geoexchange and cogeneration,” says Santaguida, “their directors approached us.
“Being the first Canadian developer using this system in a high rise caught their attention. As it turns out, the two parties are both passionate about sustainability, and that brought them together. The plan is to evolve from project to project, working together to provide the best of clean and sustainable living for their residents.”
Santaguida and Holmes have now forged ahead from that starting point, forming a new quality and standard under the brand “Stanton Holmes Approved” communities. Sounds like more of the Santaguida touch – a visionary if ever there was one.

Web
stantonrenaissance.com

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Did you know?
Louie Santaguida is very philanthropic. “I am a big supporter and donor for Sick Kids and AGO, Covenant House, and children’s charities in general. I am also a very big advocate of a clean Earth. I am also passionate about protecting animals.”

Santaguida begins his developments with Visionization™ – clean living in the real world. 
“Visionization is the next tier in sustainable, green initiatives, based upon the theory that if we can dream it, we can make it happen,” he says. “Science and technology have reached such an apex of possibilities that as we harness their components to create new abilities, we in fact create new, clean structures that have a minimal impact upon our air and our water, our bodies and our future.  At Stanton Renaissance, Visionization™  is changing the world we live in; one condominium at a time. The future is happening right now in a Stanton Renaissance building.”

Architecture, Sustainability, Technology, Top Stories

A major plus

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MADY goes far beyond the green norm as one of Canada’s premier real estate and construction companies

Perhaps the first thing that comes to mind when people talk about green building is the positive environmental effects sustainable construction strategies have.

And that is certainly one of the motivations for MADY, one of Canada’s premier real estate and construction companies.

But MADY, which has become an international real estate developer over the past 40 years, goes far beyond the norm when it pertains to green building, looking for other criteria to enhance the basic environmental benefits.

“More and more firms continue to ramp up their green projects,” says Marko A. Juricic, Senior Vice President of MADY Contract Division Ltd. “ And, yes, the main factors triggering this green trend include companies wanting to do the right thing when it comes to social and environmental responsibility.”

“But companies can also experience significant cost savings through various efficiencies, such as decreases in energy and water consumption. In fact, I’ve seen statistics that say that businesses reduced their operating costs by 20 per cent through green buildings. The payback period for investment on a new green building appears to be coming down, as well.”

He says those kinds of factors show that if owners invest in their buildings [by going green], then they have return on their investment for many years to come through the life of the building.

Juricic also points out that another plus for green building is the continued positive experience for tenants.

“It’s clear that tenant attraction and retention increases with a green building,” he says. “I’ve read about significant spikes in occupancy rates when a building is green.”

MADY, and the construction industry, have gone through a myriad of changes since Charles Mady founded the company 40 years ago in Windsor. But, decade after decade, his firm’s success has been firmly built on the principles of hard work, integrity and an unrelenting commitment to client satisfaction.

Today, headquartered in Markham, Ontario, MADY is a strong and diversified group with commercial and residential operations across North America. It’s the 25th largest contractor in Canada, and provides building services to institutions, retailers and other developers.
But one important principle remains – MADY is committed to customer satisfaction, to the integrity of its name and persevering until each job is done right.

In a message from Charles Mady, also the company CEO, he states that he never really considered any other name than MADY. “My reason was simple: When your name is on the door, it is personal and you know that success and failure cannot be forgotten. Your name follows you around for life.”

“The business I have the privilege of leading today is much larger than the small home building company I began all those years ago.”

“But that is all that has changed. Those same ideas and principles are still what we focus on every day: hard work, integrity and an unrelenting commitment to customer satisfaction. It’s our mantra, our method.”

Juricic cites the development of technology as a major factor influencing the construction industry during MADY’s first 40 years. He says there have been “dramatic” changes and that MADY has incorporated many new skills and its employees have a wealth of experience and knowledge.

“With the advancement from engineering, equipment, materials and techniques, it has revolutionized the way we build today,” Juricic says. “We have become focused on environmentally sustainable building design and construction and have adopted LEED certification on numerous projects, proving that this is the best way to demonstrate our green commitment. “

“In my opinion, though, the industry would expand more quickly with lower initial costs, increased government incentives and an end to the perception that green building is high-end and not affordable.”

< He stresses that MADY continues to ramp up its number of green projects, further adding to its growing reputation as a socially conscious builder/developer. “Not only do we want to do the right thing, we enjoy passing along the numerous green benefits to our customers and clients,” he adds. “We embrace building to LEED standards because in doing so we save energy, and reduce both pollution and our carbon footprint.” Mady

Web

MADY.com

About MADY
The company builds condominiums, mixed-use developments and commercial retail developments in communities across Canada. Headquarters are in Markham, Ontario, in the heart of the GTA. MADY ranks as Canada’s 25th largest contractor. MADY’s developments are diverse. MADY knows when they build their condos or mixed-use sites of retail and residential buildings that they are building communities. MADY’s lifestyle condos are built for baby boomers, working professionals, empty nesters, families or the person just starting out. Their condos are built with care and quality and feature amenities to enhance any lifestyle. MADY’s mixed-use developments help to rejuvenate downtown city cores with their mix of residents in condominiums, essential services such as food stores, banks and restaurants, as well as retailers and service providers that suit each marketplace. These mixed-use developments have all of the important amenities in one place.

Products
Residential condominiums, commercial retail, commercial service and office space, full construction services.

Architecture, Green Energy, Ideas, Style, Sustainability, Technology, Top Stories, Trends

Phoenix Towers

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The world’s tallest and super environmentally friendly structure to be built China

At 1km high, Phoenix Towers for HuaYan Group in Wuhan, The City of a Thousand Lakes, will be the world’s tallest pair of towers, a landmark within an ambitious environmental master plan for Wuhan, the capital of central China. The project is one of four master plans Chetwoods are developing with HuaYan in the region.

The Phoenix Towers incorporate design and technological features developed in the course of Chetwoods’ self-funded research projects and competition winning schemes such as an inhabited London Bridge for The Worshipful Company of Chartered Architects and The Royal Institute of British Architects. Their innovative technological features and symbiotic relationship will work to recycle and clean water and air to actively contribute to a reduction in local pollution.

The towers cover seven hectares of a 47 hectare site, situated on an island in a lake, which is at the end of a 3km avenue within a dense city layout.

There are three large spheres which are suspended between the Towers, which represent planets orbiting the Towers. These will house restaurants which have a celestial theme and are accessed via ‘skywalks’ from the Towers themselves.

The main Tower accommodates the World’s tallest kaleidoscope which is driven by a wind turbine at high level, creating a kaleidoscopic display when viewed up into the Tower from below.

In response to the client’s wish to develop a new style of architecture that emphasises Chinese identity, the use of a pair of towers reflects the dualist elements of Chinese culture in contrast to a more western monolithic form. Based on the traditional Chinese Phoenix symbol of two birds, male Feng and Huang, the plan was generated from the Yin/Yang form to represent perfectly balanced union. The Feng tower uses cutting-edge technology to ‘feed’ the Huang tower with renewable power in a symbiotic process.

This landmark project will showcase social, economic and environmental sustainability in China, providing an entertaining and instructive experience for local people and visitors.

Environmental features: Lightweight photovoltaic cladding; bio-dynamic pollution absorbing coatings; thermal chimneys; suspended air gardens; wind turbines; water harvesting/recycling; waste recycling via biomass boilers and hydrogen fuel cells at ground level. The Towers will generate their own power requirement while contributing to the surrounding district.

Chetwood expects the project to start on site within the next year and take at least three years to complete. It is anticipated that detailed design and construction will be supported by Citic as Chetwoods’ local delivery partners. When completed, The Phoenix Towers will be the world’s tallest structure, towering over 150 metres above the world’s highest building, the Burj Khalifa. Budget £1.2 billion.

Pollution: The Towers have been designed to filter polluted air from the city, cleaning and recycling to improve air quality. The tallest of the two towers contains multiple filtration systems for cleaning the water from the lake and the surrounding air as well as solar electricity plants. The tallest of the two towers contains multiple filtration systems for cleaning the water from the lake and the surrounding air as well as solar electricity plants. The Towers are located on an existing lake which, in turn, is linked to a series of lakes in the city (hence City of a Thousand Lakes). The Towers are used to help aerate and filter the water to improve the water quality and aid local ecology.

Structural features: A steel superstructure supported off a concrete core with ‘hat’ truss, a trussed structure at base, out-riggered for lateral stability with concrete buttresses has been designed in conjunction with UK engineers WSP.

Context: The scheme will provide the environmental catalyst to reinvigorate the city of Wuhan, actively avoiding the disastrous consequences of developments elsewhere in China. It will form the nucleus of a wider green strategy, linking Wuhan’s lakes environmentally and socially, with the region’s landmark destinations and lake district, along a 20km Green Wall of China to a new lakeside cultural tourist destination.

Situated on the Yangtze River at the crossroads of nine provinces, Wuhan, ‘City of 1000 Lakes’, with a population of 10 million, has recently been designated an environmental ‘super city’ by the Regional and Central Governments.

Chetwoods is an architectural practice founded on innovation, consistently delivering projects that combine the highest standards of design, craftsmanship and award-winning sustainability. Established by Laurie Chetwood in 1988 the practice numbers some seventy architects, designers and technical experts operating from studios in London, Birmingham and Leeds. The current portfolio includes commercial, logistics, mixed-use, masterplanning, public sector, transportation, retail and residential projects in the UK, Europe, UAE and China.

The Practice has won multiple awards including Architectural Practice of the Year, short-listing for The Stirling Prize, UK Industrial Research & Development Architect of the Year and Civic Trust and CABE Building for Life Gold Standard awards. Millennium Sainsbury’s at Greenwich received the UK’s first BREEAM Excellent Award and Blue Planet Chatterley Valley was awarded the world’s first BREEAM Outstanding Design Award.

www.chetwoods.com

Ideas, Top Stories, Trends

Hands across the water

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From the Netherlands to Canada, Parallel 52° reaches out to the sustainable building sector

By Greg McMIllan

Parallel 52° takes the art of networking to a whole new level.

Concentrating on collaboration between the sustainable building sector in Canada and the Netherlands, this Dutch non-profit organization has inspired some innovative projects in a relatively short period of time.

“We have achieved a lot,” says Parallel 52° co-founder Anke van Hal, a university professor of sustainable building in the Netherlands. “I never expected that, so without much money, but with the help and enthusiasm of many people, the network has flourished.”

Three years ago, van Hal got the ball rolling when a student project took her to the Dutch embassy in Ottawa to participate in a small competition. At the Azrieli School of Architecture and Urbanism from Carleton University, some of her Dutch students competed in teams with Canadian students. At the same time, she met some Canadian entrepreneurs in the sustainable building field and the rest, as they say, is history.

“We had a great time and I was impressed by the great collaboration between the students and the interest of the professionals in our Dutch experiences and skills,” she tells Green Building and Sustainable Strategies magazine during a Skype interview from the Netherlands. “The slogan of our embassy in Canada, as it turns out, is ‘Two countries, One spirit’ and I really recognized this. It was easy to connect.”

The more she talked with Canadians, the more she realized that the two countries are facing the same challenges in sustainable building and city planning.

“It’s a different context, but it started us thinking about the idea of an inspiring network,” she says. “Together with Annemarie Van Doorn (now CEO of the Dutch Green Building Council) we started working with supporting companies, both embassies, municipalities and faculty staff plus students and interns.

“The whole idea became a reality, with a website and interesting projects unfolding.”

At the heart of the initiative is one guiding principle: By sharing expertise, factions in the Netherlands and Canada can bring each other to a higher level, van Hal explains.

“We bring people together by organizing events – also online – and we create opportunities for student exchanges between the two countries.”

One example of the interaction took place recently at Ryerson University in Toronto.  With van Hal leading a Dutch delegation including business groups, 60 participants looked at Dutch and Canadian approaches to sustainable housing and neighbourhood transformation – how they compared and how they contrasted.

Those sessions followed others at the Canada Green Building Council Expo and live video Cisco sessions around the same topic. The private workshop brought together collaborators from the Dutch Consulate in Toronto, Cisco, the City of Toronto, Ryerson University and Nyenrode Business University – all under the Parallel 52° umbrella.

“When we look at the future, we’d like to expand,” van Hal says. “More topics, more partners, more activities. Until now, most of our activities have been focused on the topic of energy efficiency in existing dwellings.

“But it would be great if we could start activities in other fields, like urban farming, green business clubs or sustainable neighbourhood transformation.  Actually, students from both countries have already started a project about the walkable and cyclable city.”

While Parallel 52° started out with mostly Dutch companies as partners, van Hal says a shift is underway, and more Canadian companies are getting involved with the initiative.

“Until now, we have focused on internships and meetings, some virtual. That format, by the way, is a great opportunity that cooperation with the embassies provide us. For example, if staff at the embassies and consulates know that interesting people from Canada are visiting Europe – or the other way around – they can help us organize an event.  In the future, it would be great if we could do more of that, organizing group visits or an exchange of researchers and/or teachers from universities.”

Web
http://parallel52.org/

The mandate of Parallel 52° is to improve knowledge sharing about the sustainable building sector between the Netherlands and Canada, by making companies, governments and universities aware of innovative and sustainable products and projects that might be interesting to exchange. Parallel 52° does this this by setting up interesting connections, organizing events and spreading the word in publications. These interactions might lead to new projects for or collaborations between participants.

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DuPont launches revolutionary house wrap exclusively at The Home Depot

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DuPont Building Innovations is launching DuPont™ Tyvek® ThermaWrap™ R5.0 in Canada, a revolutionary new exterior insulation product for the construction of energy efficient homes. DuPont™ Tyvek® ThermaWrap™ R5.0 is now available exclusively at The Home Depot locations across the country

This latest addition to the DuPont product line, being launched for the first time in Canada, provides continuous R5 exterior insulation with all of the properties of Tyvek® air and water barrier.

“This is the only product of its kind,” said Angela Strzelecki, DuPont Building Innovations North American Business Director. “Tyvek® ThermaWrap™ R5.0 is installed like a building wrap, and provides a level of continuous insulation to improve the overall energy efficiency, comfort and durability of Canadian homes.”

R-Value refers to the capacity of an insulating material to resist heat flow. The higher the
R-value, the greater the insulating power. DuPont™ Tyvek® ThermaWrap™ R5.0 has a R5 insulating blanket attached to a Tyvek® HomeWrap® topsheet all in one roll to help reduce thermal bridging and heat loss through the wall. The product’s unique breathability allows any moisture that may get inside the wall to dry and escape to the outside. This helps to prevent accumulation of water and reduces the chance for water damage and mold.

“This new DuPont™ Tyvek® ThermaWrap™ R5.0 offers another insulation option for builders as they strive to meet International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) requirements without dramatically changing their current building practices,” explains Strzelecki. “It comes in a convenient, easy-to-handle roll for uncomplicated installation. It can help builders meet or exceed increasingly stringent codes, standards and home certification programs.”

DuPont products have the ability to work together as a unique, dependable weatherization system – all backed with a 10-year warranty.

Some additional benefits of using DuPontTM Tyvek® ThermaWrapTM R5.0:

  • It provides continuous exterior insulation, increasing the R-value of the wall while reducing thermal bridging
  • It can be installed shingle fashion (unlike rigid, exterior foam insulation), reducing the potential for bulk water infiltration into the wall assembly.
  • Windows, doors and wall penetrations can easily be flashed using available DuPontTM Flashing Systems.

DuPont Building Innovations helps residential and commercial builders, architects, general contractors, engineers and their teams determine the best, highest performing solutions that meet the unique needs of their projects

All DuPont™ Tyvek® products are supported nationally by the DuPont Tyvek Specialists Network and the DuPont Building Knowledge Centre. For more information about the benefits of using DuPont™ Tyvek® ThermaWrap™ R5.0 visit ThermaWrapR5.Tyvek.ca.

 

 

Architecture, Green Energy, Ideas, Style, Sustainability, Technology, Trends

A cultural anchor

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Exhibition centre and people’s park in China is shaped like a lotus flower

Located in the heart of Wujin, the burgeoning district of the city of Changzhou, in the southern Jiangsu province of the Republic of China, the Lotus Building and the 3.5 hectare People’s Park has been designed to act as a cultural anchor and civic landmark – establishing a symbolic commitment of the local government’s ambitions and future aspirations.

The project called for a public building and park that would embody a unique variety of civic nodes and public spaces. The Lotus Building would be added to an existing two-storey subterranean municipal facility situated beneath an existing artificial lake. The building houses parts of the planning bureau as well as new exhibition halls, meeting rooms and conference centres.

The physical form of the building has been determined by the need to create a structure which has a distinctive presence. The development, ultimately, seeks to generate participation, to build an ownership of place that builds ties to the community and entices its people to stay and flourish and not to be drawn away. This landmark aims to bring longevity and depth to the community; to set a new standard for architectural ambition in the area and stimulate further urban development.

It was conceived as an inhabited sculptural form, emerging naturally from the lake; the visitor enters from beneath and is greeted with a cathedral-like revelation of space. Colour and light combine and illuminate, creating a bright and uplifting interior atmosphere, no matter the weather.

Transitioned and graded colour is applied to the side of the petal ribs, creating a deep hue only at the edge of the structure. Hand laid and varied white, beige and stainless steel hexagon mosaic tile finishes cover all external and internal surfaces; merging seamlessly to create a continuous form with a chandelier suspended at the apex, becoming the focus of attention, inside and out.

The project has been designed to minimize energy usage – with over 2,500 geothermal piles driven through the base of the artificial lake. The entire lake water mass and ground beneath is utilized to pre-cool (summer) and pre-warm (winter) the air-conditioning systems for both the lotus and the two-storey building beneath the lake. The project is also mixed mode and naturally ventilated and utilizes evaporative cooling from the lake surface to drive a thermal chimney within the main flower pod.

The design, from Studio 505, an Australian architectural firm, creates a vibrant public realm; key to which is a night lighting system devised to hold a series of changing natural colour combinations for 20 seconds before slowly transitioning to the next scene over 10 seconds. The Lotus Centre and People’s Park has become one of the most popular landmarks in Wujin with a sustained contribution to the social and cultural life of the city.

Web
www.studio505.com

Architecture, Green Energy, Ideas, Sustainability, Technology, Trends

Glimpse into a post-oil era

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But Solar City Tower not expected to see the light of day for 2016 Rio Olympics

By GREG McMILLAN

You couldn’t say that Rafael Schmidt and his team from Zurich-based architecture and design studio RAFAA didn’t give it the old college try.

But, alas, their project, called the Solar City Tower, is not expected to see the light of day when the 2016 Rio Olympic Games roll around.
They had hoped, when entering an international concept design competition back in 2010, that the project would serve as a symbolic tower that would help make the Olympics more sustainable and become a lightning rod for the global green movement.

However, as Schmidt told Green Building and Sustainable Strategies magazine, the project – which would have created renewable energy for use in the city of Rio as well as the Olympic Village – is unlikely to proceed after facing a litany of unforeseen problems.

“We ended up facing different technical, organizational and environmental problems,” Schmidt says.
Not difficult to imagine, actually, considering the scope of the original design. RAFAA placed the project on the island of Cotonduba, in Rio’s bay. It featured a massive solar system to generate daytime-power, plus a turbines-pumped water storage system (including a waterfall) to continue to provide nighttime-power.

The resulting structure was supposed to create a riveting image for all those arriving at the Olympics, either by air or sea.

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But it would also have a utilitarian use, with both entrance and amphitheatre areas serving as places for social gatherings and other events. The public could access the facility and a cafeteria and shopping area were positioned underneath the waterfall to serve up a breathtaking view.

Elevators were in place to take visitors up to observation decks and an urban balcony, situated 105 metres above sea level. There was even a retractable platform in the design, where visitors could participate in bungee jumping.

So, that was the original concept put forth by RAFAA. Then reality set in.

The first stumbling block, explains Schmidt, came when UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) informed RAFAA that the area around Cotunduba Island had been designated as a World Heritage site. And UNESCO does all it can do to protect and conserve such properties.

And then there were technical flaws in the design that were pointed out to RAFAA.

“The solar panels we had in place only would produce about eight watts per square foot, so the size of the solar field to achieve our zero carbon footprint ideal would be 10 times the size of the island,” Schmidt says. “Therefore, the cost of the solar field would consume the majority of the project budget.”

He says it was determined that the salt spray and residue from the Atlantic Ocean would decrease the solar panels’ efficiency significantly – “ Not to mention the corrosion of all copper wires that connect the panels.”

The island location would have sent costs skyrocketing, as well, just by running electrical lines to the mainland, he says.

“Also, the energy needed to pump water to the top of the waterfall would have exceeded the turbines-generated power produced,” he says.

Despite the setbacks, Schmidt is convinced that, on some level, the idea of the Solar City Tower, has been a success.

“It shows the real challenges for the imminent post-oil era,” he says. “The project represents a message of a society facing a future, thus it is the representation of an inner attitude and awareness.”
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Architecture, Ideas, Sustainability

Dejardins unveils the tallest indoor living wall in the world

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The artwork, called “The Currents”, draws inspiration

from the fascinating view of the St. Lawrence River

The new Desjardins building in Lévis houses the tallest interior living wall in the world. The artwork, “The Currents”, was designed by Green over Grey, a design firm specializing in the creation of living walls (aka green walls or vertical gardens). For this project, they drew inspiration from the views of the St. Lawrence River visible from Quebec City and Lévis.

“When Desjardins began work on revitalizing the Cité Desjardins de la coopération in 2011, we wanted to find a tangible way to show our commitment to sustainable development and enrich our employees’ work environment through meaningful initiatives, such as this beautiful living work of art” stated Monique F. Leroux, Chair of the Board, President and CEO of Desjardins Group.

AB40W7189B

“According to our research, this living wall is the tallest indoor vertical garden in the world,” said Patrick Poiraud, co-founder of Green over Grey. “The wall is fully hydroponic (i.e. soil-free) and incorporates plants that thrive in similar vertical environments found in nature, like on tree branches and next to waterfalls. The end result is a visually pleasing piece that provides cleaner indoor air and improves both the acoustic quality and the value of the property.”

The green wall complements the new building’s eco-friendly concept, which is expected to receive LEED gold certification after completion September 2014.

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Facts

• More than 11,000 individual plants artfully arranged according to colour, texture, pattern and size covering a 15-storey wall of the new building at 150 rue des Commandeurs, in Lévis.

• Plants are growing in a hydroponic system (i.e. soil free) made of 100% synthetic recycled materials.

• Green over Grey eco friendly panels are built from 1.5 metric tons of recycled water bottles and plastic bags.

• The living wall is 213 feet high (65 meters) with a total surface area of 2,139 square feet (198 square metres).

• 42 plant species, including philodendrons, monsteras, fig trees, ginger, snake plants (Sansevieria trifasciata), elkhorn ferns (Platycerium bifurcatum), scheffleras, clusias and banana plants.

  • Spathiphyllum ‘Mauno Loa’, commonly known as peace lily, is one of the most effective oxygen-producing plants that clean and purify the air.

• According to the NASA Clean Air Study, the peace lily—native to tropical regions of the Americas and Southeast Asia and known for its distinctive white flower—eliminates significant amounts of pollutants, such as benzene, formaldehyde and trichloroethylene, which are found in photocopiers and construction materials.

• Plants are laid out to evoke the beauty of the St. Lawrence River as seen from the Quebec and Lévis areas, which were chosen due to the cities’ close ties with Alphonse Desjardins.

B40W7336

Architecture, Ideas, Style, Sustainability, Technology, Trends

A MAD, MAD world

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Green, futuristic Chaoyang Park Plaza breaks ground in Bejing

From the architectural firm behind Absolute Towers in Mississauga – MAD – comes the news that Chaoyang Park Plaza, a realization of the Shanshui City concept, has begun construction in Bejing.

It marks another milestone in one of the practices of MAD’s design theory. This project pushes the boundary of the urbanization process in modern cosmopolitan life by creating a dialogue between artificial scenery and natural landscapes.

 

Chaoyang Park Plaza is located in the central business district (CBD) of Beijing, and is composed of over 120,000 square metres of commercial, office, and residential buildings. The site is on the southern edge of Chaoyang Park, one of the largest public parks in Beijing. Its proximity to the park will not only create breathtaking views of the city, but will also highly impact the skyline of Beijing.

By transforming features of Chinese classical landscape painting, such as lakes, springs, forests, creeks, valleys, and stones, into modern “city landscapes,” the urban space creates a balance between high urban density and natural landscape. The forms of the buildings mimic what is found in natural landscapes, and re-introduces nature to the urban realm.

Like the tall mountain cliffs and river landscapes of China, a pair of asymmetrical towers creates a dramatic skyline in front of the park. Ridges and valleys define the shape of the exterior glass facade, as if the natural forces of erosion have worn down the tower into a few thin lines. Flowing down the facade, the lines emphasize the smoothness of the towers and its verticality. The internal ventilation and filtration system of the ridges draw a natural breeze indoors, which not only improves the interior space but also creates an energy efficient system.

Landscape elements are injected into the interiors of the towers to augment the feeling of nature within an urban framework. The two towers are connected by a tall courtyard lobby with a ceiling height of up to 17 metres. The site and sounds of flowing water make the entire lobby feel like a natural scene from a mountain valley. At the top of the towers, multi-level terraces shaped by the curving forms of the towers are public gardens where people can gaze out over the entire city and look down at the valley scene created by the lower buildings on the site.

Located south of the towers, four office buildings are shaped like river stones that have been eroded over a long period. Smooth, round, and each with its own features, they are delicately arranged to allow each other space while also forming an organic whole. Adjacent to the office buildings are two multi-level residential buildings in the southwest area of the compound. These buildings continue the ‘mid-air courtyard’concept, and provide all who live here with the freedom of wandering through a mountain forest.

The project expects to achieve LEED gold-certification once completed in 2016. Its use of natural lighting, intelligent building, and air purification system make this project stand out from others being built today. The ideal of “nature”is not only embodied in the innovation of green technology, but also in the planning concept. This project transforms the traditional model of buildings in a modern city’s central business district. By exploring the symbiotic relationship between modern urban architecture and natural environment, it revives the harmonious co-existence between urban life and nature. It creates a Shanshui city where people can share their individual emotions and a sense of belonging

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