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

Tower of Power

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Dutch architects hold out hope that skyscraper project utilizing wind power will come to fruition

With an eye trained directly on a sustainable future, Amsterdam-based NL Architects has come up with plans for an energy-generating skyscraper that would harness the power of 600 wind turbines.

The project first came to light recently when NL Architects entered the concept – dubbed Tower of Power – in the Taiwan Conceptual Tower International Competition. While its bid did not win, a spokesperson for NL Architects says that there is definite interest in this innovative idea, and they are confident an energy company will help see it through to fruition.

The project would utilize 600 wind turbines to produce six megawatts of electricity. In addition to its renewable energy-generating capabilities, NL’s spokesperson said the landmark tower would provide an observation deck, meeting space, office space, museum, and parking.  The lace-like skyscraper, then, would combine mixed-use space with a productive clean energy source for a city.

“The idea,” the NL spokesperson tells Green Building and Sustainable Strategies magazine,“ is to combine a type of observation tower with wind energy generation, creating a new type of sustainable landmark.  To get that, we would deploy vertical access wind turbines and place them in the intricate ‘lace’ of the structure. Think Eiffel Tower plus wind energy equals landmark of the future.”

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Inspiration for the Tower of Power design came from a “bamboo basket” concept. There would be a meshed exterior encasing all the of building’s elements. The way the design of the structure weaves in and out would create an intricate pattern and series of spaces that would offer city views. The mesh-like tower would have small vertical axis turbines installed into the façade, all of which would produce the projected amount of clean energy power.

The gaps between the mesh would provide the space needed for the installation of the 600 wind turbines. The turbines, says NL Architects, would be quiet and sculptural, as opposed to larger, noisier alternatives.

In its brief to the Taiwan competition, NL stated: “Tower of Power is not just a symbol of good intentions; it actually produces green energy. Instead of being yet another ‘empty’ icon, it actually is a usable object.

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“Next to its required functionality as sightseeing tower and telecommunication base, it is an environmentally-friendly power plant.  And Tower of Power is also an attempt to investigate how power plants of the future can be turned into objects of beauty.”

Web: www.nlarchitects.nl/

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

WORLD GREEN CENTER

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Sustainable shakeup

The World Green Center in Chile improves quality of life for workers and provides business district makeover
By GREG McMILLAN

Decisions, decisions, decisions – cCe Architects of Santiago, Chile, had one after another to make when they were planning the LEED-pending World Green Center.

“But every decision we made in the project,” says Cristobal Correa Ehlers, Partner and Founder of cCe, “aimed to improve the quality of life of the people who work there.”

Those sustainable goals – a human impact, if you will – were first and foremost, and the results can be seen everywhere at the building, located in the business district of Huechuraba in Santiago, the capital city of the South American country.

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Let’s start at the beginning. Besides its location, architects looked at the site’s relation to the city, connecting roads, sunlight, prevailing winds, people flow, existing infrastructure, green spaces and public areas. Then consideration was given to occupation strategy, the difference in levels on the building, the inclined façades and the roof slope – in a nutshell: the overall design.

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With an expansive, landscaped roof and more than 72 per cent of the ground surface “green,” the World Green Center also has a passive design that reduces solar radiation and substantially cuts back the energy used for air conditioning. The green roof, by the way, is covered with terraces and gardens that also serve as a buffer for the tropical heat.

With any extra space found, the architects incorporated public areas, or an infrastructure that connects commuters and draws them toward such features as convention centres, art galleries, or theatres.  All in all, the development creates a link with the street and the rest of the city’s business district.

Correa Ehlers is proud of the human impact and sustainable features, saying “we intend for this office building to become a reference for a new way to design buildings in Chile.”

Sustainable features, he tells Green Building and Sustainable Strategies magazine, include natural cross ventilation in 100 per cent of the offices, natural light in 100 per cent of the vertical cores and lobbies, natural light in 100 per cent of the office spaces and collection and reuse of air conditioning waste water and graywater.

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He says human impact considerations include:

  • Green roof terraces: Nine hundred people from top-floor offices have a direct relationship with nature. “That relationship with nature increases mind health of every worker and helps in having a healthy work environment.”
  • Public green park covering 70 per cent of the site: “For the people who don’t have green in their immediate office area, there is a public park at the street level, allowing everyone access to green space.”
  • Natural light in 100 per cent of the office spaces: “To work with natural light, instead of artificial, increases the quality of life at work, leading to a better working performance.” (Artificial light is used only by night.)

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“This type of building not only takes energy efficiency into consideration,” Correa Ehlers adds, “but it also embodies the final user experience, providing quality public spaces and interior areas with the best environmental conditions.  Those elements, combined, make this a truly sustainable building.”

Web: www.ccearquitectos.com/

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

superkul

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CANADA’S FIRST ACTIVE HOUSE

Toronto based architects superkül designed Canada’s first Active House in Ontario’s Niagara region. Great
Gulf, one of Canada’s largest home builders, selected superkül, a firm with a breadth of experience designing
sustainable homes, to design Canada’s first residence that meets the construction metrics outlined by
the Danish Active House program. The Active House program was initiated by a European consortium of
academics, scientists, architects, engineers, and building manufacturers to promote a holistic approach to
home design that marries environmental responsibility and energy efficiency with the need to design spaces
that contribute positively to the health and well being of its residents.
“We’ve designed several green homes, but this project presented the exciting opportunity to collaborate
with Great Gulf and the Active House Alliance to create a new paradigm for the sustainably-minded and
health-conscious homebuyer,” said Andre D’Elia, a Principal at superkül and the lead architect for Great Gulf
Active House.


superkül’s design strategy considered the environmental impact of the entire lifecycle of the home from
concept to performance as well as its impact on its users. The house is oriented with the long roof slope and
major glazing facing south to maximize the efficiency of the solar hot-water system and passive solar gain.
The multitude of skylights and windows create naturally light-filled spaces and minimize the need for artificial
light. Two intersecting axes guide the open plan of the interior to maximize cross breezes. By removing visual
barriers between living spaces, the open plan also creates the impression of a larger home. To promote the
comfort of the residents, superkül ensured that each room featured exterior views without compromising
privacy. The patio that aligns with the width of the living room reinforces the visually seamless extension of the
interior spaces.


Great Gulf Active House boasts fully integrated systems designed to optimize natural lighting and air quality
while reducing its dependency on non-renewable energy sources. Natural ventilation is encouraged by a
dual-zone HVAC system connected to a Somfy Tahoma Smart House system that uses sensors to automate
the windows, blinds and 14 skylights to open and close in response to the interior temperature and air quality
while two heat recovery ventilation (HRV ) units supply the house with fresh air. The use of low VOC paints
and low emitting interior finishes improve indoor air quality. A grey water heat recovery unit captures heat from
showers and baths and preheats incoming cold water to reduce the energy demand for domestic hot water.
A cistern and rainwater collection system reduces the need for municipal water up to an estimated 35% while
lessening the loads on the municipal waste water system. superkül ensured the house is supplied by 100%
renewable energy by installing solar thermal panels and providing renewable gas from Bullfrog Power. The
electricity, also provided by Bullfrog Power, comes from 100% renewable sources.
The exterior walls, roof and floor systems were prefabricated in Toronto at Brockport Home Systems’ factory,
expediting the house to be erected in only one week. This innovative construction method not only reduces
material waste, energy usage, and risks of onsite accidents during the construction process but also improves
the accuracy and quality of construction. The wood frame panels are a more sustainable alternative to the
typical steel structure.


Great Gulf Active House will be studied and measured by architects, product manufacturer and construction
teams to define the next generation of Great Gulf homes.

Architecture, Ideas, Sustainability, Technology, Trends

AMPHIBIOUS HABITAT

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Back to nature

Thai project Amphibious Habitat borrows from existing ecological systems to tackle delta flooding problems

Right now, it’s in the experimental design stage, but an ambitious concept put forth by Bangkok’s MAB Studio takes aim at the flooding problem in Thailand in a back-to-the-future way.

It could be called Sustainable Living 101. As it stands, though, the apt name for the project is Amphibious Habitat; and it has lofty goals – patterning residential buildings after the complex natural workings of coastal mangrove forests.

As MAB’s Achawin Laohavichairat explains to Green Living and Sustainable Strategies magazine, Thailand’s history has much in common with water communities such as Venice, Italy.
“Our climate and our typography teaches us to live with water,” he says. “Whether it is a Thai house, a floating market, transportation by water – it’s part of our past.”

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Laohavichairat believes Thailand has gotten away from its sustainable watery roots – citing the unstable delta flood tide situations and coastal erosion originating from industrial destruction – and the Amphibious Habitat idea offers a way out of the current dilemma.

“This concept is just an idea to create space that supports living with water,” he says. “If we can’t survive with water like our ancestors did, then we should look at nature and perhaps we can learn how to do that.”

By studying the mangroves, MAB found that the trees were able to adapt to surrounding environment and weather changes. One example: mangrove roots protect small fish when water levels change.

Perspective 04

“We tried to design buildings that can exist within such a changing environment, when water moves up and down (such as flooding conditions),” Laohavichairat says. He also says MAB looked at biological mimicry, how people living in this type of residential project could draw inspiration from the natural ebb and flow.

In a perfect world, the Amphibious Habitat design would become part of a new community, the architect says, that could adapt and support an unstable delta by utilizing the natural ecological system. “The architecture would adjust to the changing environment and would provide infrastructure, urban facilities, energy management and living space to encourage the life process.”

For now, the MAB team is buoyed by the selection of the concept for the finals of a Thai design competition – the ASA (Association of Siamese Architects) Exposition in 2012.

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As for future aspirations?  “As a society, we don’t need to escape from these kinds of [survival] problems, we need to face them and learn how to live with nature.”

Web: http://mabstudiodesign.wordpress.com/

Architecture, Green Energy, Ideas, Sustainability, Technology

TORONTO 2030 DISTRICT

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Is Toronto Ready for a 2030 District?

Jeff Ranson – Executive Director, Toronto 2030 District

Continent-wide, an ambitious urban building conservation initiative is seeks to address the environmental impacts of buildings. “2030 Districts” have been established in Seattle, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Los Angeles, with over twenty other cities in the exploratory phase. Here in Toronto, a team lead by BOMA Toronto, the Ontario Association of Architects and Sustainable Buildings Canada expects to launch the Toronto 2030 District in December 2013. The Toronto 2030 District aims to leverage local programs, district-wide benchmarking and economies of scale to accelerate the pace of innovation in building performance.

First established in Seattle, 2030 Districts are in the leading edge of the national effort to create long-term partnerships, coalitions, and collaboration around achievable and measurable conservation goals. The provides a framework for mobilizing the renovation of hundreds of millions of square feet of existing urban and suburban buildings and infrastructure, the advancement of high performance building management practices, and adoption of new green building design. 2030 Districts are unique private/public partnerships that bring property owners and managers together with local governments, businesses, and community stakeholders to provide a business model for urban sustainability through collaboration, leveraged financing, and shared resources. Together they benchmark, develop and implement creative strategies, best practices and verification methods for measuring progress towards a common goal for the building sector.

The basis for this program is laid out by Architecture 2030 in the 2030 Challenge for Planning. The targets are ambitious, but recent changes to Energy Requirements in the Ontario Building Code, a highly skilled professional class, and huge increase in building management improvements in the commercial sector goes a long way to getting us there. By focusing on these targets within a specified “District” the program benefits from shared resources, and common issues, local design and approaches and services, as well as community cohesiveness to mobilize change.

2030 District Goals:

NEW BUILDINGS, MAJOR RENOVATIONS, AND NEW INFRASTRUCTURE:

Targets-New Construction

  • Energy Use: an immediate 60% reduction below the National average, with incremental targets, reaching carbon neutral by 2030.
  • Water Use: An immediate 50% reduction below the current District average.
  • CO2e of Auto and Freight: An immediate 50% reduction below the current District average.

EXISTING BUILDINGS AND INFRASTRUCTURE OPERATIONS:

Targets - Existing Buildings

  • Energy Use: A minimum 10% reduction below the National average by 2015 with incremental targets, reaching a 50% reduction by 2030.
  • Water Use: A minimum 10% reduction below the District average by 2015, with incremental targets, reaching a 50% reduction by 2030.
  • CO2e of Auto and Freight: A minimum 10% reduction below the current District average by 2015 with incremental targets, reaching a 50% reduction by 2030.

 

The proposed Toronto 2030 District would make it the largest area to date, with boundaries from Bathurst st. to the Don Valley, and Dupont to Lake Ontario. The market here will make it unique in several other ways. First and foremost, the pace of construction in the downtown area is far greater than what other Districts are seeing as they recover from the slowdown in 2008. Secondly, the commercial sector is very active through programs like BOMA BESt, Race to Reduce and LEED EB: O&M. Whereas other cities have experienced reluctance from local chapters of BOMA, the leadership and momentum established here in Toronto makes them an important and willing partner.

Alongside BOMA, the OAA, who is developing a OAA+2030 Professional Education Series focused on capacity building in the design community and SBC, which has an extensive history of delivering building design and conservation programs alongside utilities such as Enbridge, comprise the founding members. The partners plan to expand on local successes, drive participation in conservation programs and engage building market segments that have been traditionally less active or well served.

One of the most critical activities will be to serve the local conservation market. Toronto has a number of utility programs, NGOs and government agencies working on common issues related to urban sustainability, but coordination between those groups is largely ad hoc. The 2030 District provides an opportunity to convene different groups and market sectors that share the downtown area to discuss opportunities for reaching district-wide targets. That may means making people aware of an existing program and directing more projects their way, or maybe its transferring knowledge from one market segment to another (i.e. BOMA’s commercial building success to condominium managers).

The backbone of the 2030 District is building performance data. The collection of this district-wide data will let building owners benchmark their performance at the local level instead of using National data limited to their own portfolio, or proxy US National data through the EPA’s Target Finder. In addition, this data will help to quantify sector specific impacts and opportunities like never before. Best of all, the work being done to set the baselines for building types and protocols for data collection in Canada will establish a framework through which other Canadian Cities can follow suit.

2030 represents sixteen years or roughly three generations of construction. It also represents a common deadline for greenhouse gas emissions reductions, set by groups around the world. Significant change is needed and possible in that timeframe and a 2030 District can provide the focus and support to get us there.

The 2030 District approach is so strong and unique because it brings people together under a common set of goals, namely, meeting the 2030 Challenge for Planning, issued by Architecture 2030 in 2007. These cities have committed to reducing energy and water consumption as well as GHG emissions from transportation in almost 80 million square feet of building space.- Ed Mazria, Founder, Architecture 2030

Architecture, Ideas, Style, Technology, Trends

Delta-Rae Homes

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Luxury and sustainability

Delta-Rae Homes maintains a delicate balance between industry standards, emerging ideas and green trends

Carmen Calabrese has been ahead of the curve for years – and the president and owner of Delta-Rae Homes constantly challenges himself to continue that trend.

He recognized the shift to green building before it became an industry status quo, and he makes sure Delta-Rae is providing options and standards to keep on the same evolutionary path.

“We are always looking for innovative ways to make our future homes even more sustainable,” says Calabrese, with over 24 years in home building to his credit. “This is the way of the future.

“We take great pride in the workmanship that goes into our homes and we have the finest tradespeople to thank for that. Their expertise and awareness in greener practices have brought our company to the next level.”

Well known in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) for creating innovative singular homes with a custom approach, Delta-Rae has been recognized with the highest design award in the GTHBA (Greater Toronto Home Builders’ Association).

The company’s success has grown to include communities across the Region of Durham in Whitby and Oshawa, while making an impact, as well, in Cobourg, on Balsam Lake in Rosedale, Ontario, and Bowmanville.

Historically, Delta-Rae has built award-winning high-end custom homes, but over the past six years that same standard has been transitioned to include mid-sized homes and townhomes.

With over 700 homes built in the Durham region, Calabrese continues to deliver a product with unparalleled attention to detail, coupled with high-quality finishings. And years before Energy Star regulations were put in place, he recognized that green packages would be a Delta-Rae standard.

“What’s important to me, as a builder, is to find the balance between industry standards, emerging ideas and trends,” he says. “To focus, not only on quality and fine details, but on a more practical approach for the buyer. And greener materials have been a cost-effective alternative.

“Greener materials have been an advantage for our purchasers, in that the long-term maintenance and operational costs will incur significant energy savings.”

Calabrese takes pride in saying that, in a Delta-Rae home, you will not only find stunning architectural nuances, outstanding interiors and impeccable craftsmanship, but also a luxury dwelling high on efficiency and sustainability.

Working closely with sustainability experts, Delta-Rae is now offering upgraded green options, as an efficient alternative for purchasers. They include indoor and outdoor LED lighting, quartz countertops and greener cabinetry.

Already available with Delta-Rae homes were high-efficiency furnaces, state-of-the-art (HRV) air exchangers, high R-value insulation materials, power-vented hot water tanks, Tyvek air barriers, fibreglass front doors, efficient lighting options, outstanding exterior finishes and upgraded low-e windows.


Calabrese points out that Delta-Rae recognizes that these types of options are “a way of life today” and not simply novelties.

“More and more customers are concerned with much more than the interior finishes and space,” he says.  “They are also attuned to what lies within the walls of their home and cost-measuring energy savings.”

Helping Calabrese – in his quest to maintain progressive standards as newer technologies come along – are his daughter, Amanda, and son, Anthony, whose enthusiasm is taking the company “up a notch.” He says they are extremely passionate about delivering a product of quality, efficiency and distinction.

“Quality has been learned from an early age, and this newer generation aims to bring innovative designs and technologies to their homebuyers.”

Calabrese says implementing sustainable values in Delta-Rae homes is extremely important for his company.

“The savings alone, in maintenance costs, supersedes the cost of implementing these newer technologies for our buyers,” he adds. “We also understand that the buyers today are now aware of these technologies and we strive to respond to this and still maintain the quality and caliber of our homes.”

Web: www.delta-rae.com

Green Energy, Ideas, Sustainability, Technology, Trends

GREEN GLOBES

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Green Globes – the little green building rating system that could…

Jiri Skopek  AA Dip., OAA, MCIP, RIBA

Green certifications help to ensure that buildings are energy and resource efficient, achieve operational efficiencies and savings, and are healthier to work or live in. Whereas LEED has been the platform for “leadership” in green buildings, another lesser-known system, called Green Globes, has, since its inception a decade ago, aimed to bring green buildings into the mainstream by offering an affordable, user-friendly system. Now that green buildings are no longer just limited to “leaders” but are generally considered mainstream, the need for an affordable approach, transparency and benchmarking is greater than ever. And while Green Globes may not be as well-known as LEED, it has demonstrated that it is “the little green building rating system that could”.

December 2013 marks the launch of the updated Green Globes for New Construction, which is largely based on the ANSI/GBI 01-2010 standard. Improved energy modelling, life cycle assessments and product environmental performance declarations (EPDs) are just a few of the tools that are available to the building industry. With these advances, Green Globes for New Construction Version 2 puts greater emphasis on quantifiable criteria. Version 2 also includes innovation criteria, which, similarly to the Living Building Challenge, focus on positive contributions of the building to the environment rather than just reduction of its environmental impact. And yet, notwithstanding the updates, Green Globes is still as user-friendly and affordable as ever.

Green Globes differs from other systems primarily with respect to its streamlined format and submission requirements. The assessment is in the format of an online questionnaire that produces automated reporting.  Submission requirements consist of actual working documents, most of which are normally produced in the course of doing any green project.  For example, the required documentation for a new construction project would include the actual drawings and specifications, modelling studies, records of integrated design sessions and evidence of required studies and plans such an Acoustic Plan, an Erosion Control Plan, a Commissioning Plans and so forth.  Because there are no additional requirements other than documents which should normally be produced anyway, this greatly reduces the time and cost of producing a submission.

Green Globes for New Construction and Significant Renovation, in addition to being a rating and certification tool also helps design teams address integrated green design principles. This is done through (optional) plain-language questionnaires, which are designed to facilitate discussion at the goal setting and concept design stages. Since ninety percent of design decisions are typically made during the first ten percent of the design process, using this integrated approach can help to ensure that sustainability goals are established before design decisions have been made, and that these are monitored throughout each stage of the project.

Today, the Green Globes system is used by large developers and property management companies, including, the Canadian federal government, which has adopted the program for its entire real estate portfolio.

In Canada, the version for existing buildings is operated by BOMA Canada under the brand name ‘BOMA BESt’. All other Green Globes products in Canada are owned and operated by ECD Energy and Environment Canada Ltd.

A large part of the Green Globes success is its simplicity.  Because it provides an all-in-one self-assessment, reporting tool and integrated design guide, this makes it possible to develop and assess sustainable designs in-house at a fraction of the time and cost of other assessment methodologies.

Jiri Skopek, Managing Director, Sustainability with ECD Jones Lang LaSalle, is an architect and planner with over 30 years of experience in sustainable development. He is best known for developing the suite of Green Globes environmental assessment tools.  

 

Architecture, Building Envelope, Green Energy, HVAC, Ideas, Style, Sustainability, Technology, Trends

Hualien Beach Resort

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Dramatic transformation

Industrial backwater in Taiwan set to become destination/tourist health spa

Once upon a time, not that long ago, a prominent section of land in Taipei, Taiwan, was home to a dreary, rundown industrial and factory region.

But through a top-to-bottom green game plan conceived by the Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), architects based in Copehagen, all that grime and grit will soon be a distant memory. BIG, working with the Taiwan Land Development Corporation (TLDC), will be creating a world-class beach resort with a lengthy checklist of sustainable features.

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Located on the northern coast of Taiwan, fronting the East China Sea, near the confluence of two rivers, the Hualien Beach Resort definitely has a picturesque, and prominent, location.

A low-energy master plan has been devised to block low-angle/high-glare morning and evening sun. And the resort will have green landscape stripes incorporated to create a mountain terrain of commercial and residential development that mirrors the natural mountains off in the distance.

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These stripes are positioned in an east-to-west direction to frame the most dramatic views, while providing for the best shading system to offset Taiwan’s hot and humid tropical climate. With the primary harshness of the sun’s rays blocked out, more favourable north-south light will be allowed to flow into the units. Further discouraging heat gain will be a tangle of green roofs.

Upon completion, the resort will be promoted as a residential, commercial destination/tourist health spa. Three programmatic rings will intersect onsite to create three courtyards, with a shared community area at the intersection. With a network of pedestrian/bike paths weaving through the ground-level commercial space, car traffic on the site will be virtually eliminated.

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The BIG design pays careful attention to green living and its benefits. The green roofs will provide shade and help to remove heat from the air through evapotranspiration. Through photosynthesis, the plants will help manufacture a healthy, oxygen-enhanced air.

The inner courtyard will be surrounded by inclining green walls as the roof meets the ground. Indoors, residents will be living next door to nature as the sloping roof gardens sweep past windows and balconies, bringing lush vegetation within reach of apartment interiors. These types of features were attained by utilizing various forms of engineering analysis conducted. Extensive wire mesh planting and rainwater collection systems were also incorporated.

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All in all, BIG believes the seamless combination of architecture and nature will provide a quintessential environment for communal facilities and sustainable living … leading to a healthy and happy lifestyle.


Web: www.big.dk

Building Envelope, Ideas, Sustainability, Technology

Urbandale’s Proud Foundations

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How an Ottawa builder is using exterior foundation insulation to build better basements.

Drive through a new Urbandale community in Ottawa, and you may notice something different about the houses.  With most houses built in Canada, the brick overhangs the foundation by a couple of inches. In new homes built by Urbandale, the foundation actually extends past the brick, hence their name for this new approach, Proud Foundations.

“What we’ve done is moved the insulation from the interior of the foundation to the exterior” says Matthew Sachs, General Manager of Urbandale Construction. “This keeps the concrete foundation from freezing, which has a number of benefits, including eliminating the chance of moisture problems due to condensation, and reducing the chance of foundation cracks.”

Exterior foundation insulation has been standard practice in commercial construction for years, but is rarely used in residential construction due to the higher cost and attention to detail needed to install it correctly. Urbandale has come up with an innovative way to install exterior insulation that’s cost effective and easy to replicate.

In order to ensure that condensation doesn’t occur on the inside face of the foundation, you need to have the correct ratio of internal and exterior insulation.  Urbandale studied the design criteria for building in Ottawa’s climate and determined that if two thirds of the insulation is placed on the exterior, then the inner face of the foundation wall will never be cold enough to experience condensation. All houses in Canada experience some condensation in the wall assembly throughout the year. In most cases the condensation will evaporate without causing problems, but in some cases, and especially in new homes with large amounts of moisture in the concrete, the condensation can build up which can easily lead to mould. “A poured concrete foundation holds literally thousands of liters of water and can take up to a year to fully dry out”, explains Sachs. “During the first year it’s critical to ensure that condensation doesn’t build up inside the wall assembly, and with our Proud Foundations the conditions are never there for condensation to occur.”

Urbandale’s approach also makes basements more comfortable.  A concrete foundation that is allowed to freeze in the winter will make the basement feel clammy and damp. If the concrete is never allowed to freeze, then it’s easier to maintain a comfortable indoor temperature in the basement. Urbandale also installs insulation underneath the slab, so that heat can’t escape through the floors and the floors are more comfortable to walk on.

Proud Foundation Close-Up

Cracks can occur in concrete foundations when the foundation is subject to repeated freeze-thaw cycles. Concrete is porous which means that the foundation can soak up water like a sponge. When the concrete freezes the water turns to ice and expands, putting extra internal pressures on the concrete. This process of freezing and thawing can make a small crack expand as the pressure literally rips the concrete from the inside out. If the concrete is never allowed to freeze, then this process cannot occur, which reduces the chance of foundation cracks. Urbandale’s approach to exterior insulation also includes a waterproof elastomeric coating on the outside of the insulation, further reducing the chance of moisture getting into the house through foundation cracks.

Urbandale is clearly proud of their new approach, and with good reason. With land prices rising, houses are being built on a smaller footprint, and homeowners are trying to get more out of their home. A more comfortable basement, thanks to Urbandale’s Proud Foundations and under-slab insulation, increases the amount of usable space.  Says Sachs, “We feel that the basement shouldn’t be just the space underneath your home, it should be more of your home.”

Urbandale’s Basement Wall Assembly

(Described from the inside-out)

-Drywall

-Batt insulation in stud cavity

-Poured concrete foundation

-Spray-on waterproof membrane/vapour barrier

-Rigid glass fibre insulation

-Elastomeric coating

 

 

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

Animated Apertures : Biomimicry in Architecture

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B+U Architects

Mixing Nature and Technology

Biomimicry or biomimetics is the imitation of the models, systems, and elements of nature for the purpose of solving complex human problems

Los Angeles based B+U Architects, a design office recognized internationally for its digital techniques and use of new technologies and material resources, is once again pushing the boundaries of architecture and urban design with its Animated Apertures Housing Tower project in Lima, Peru. The conceptual framework for the design arose from a “clear interest in emphasizing an architecture that can exist between nature and technology,” inspired by natural patterns, movements and colors with the overarching goal of creating an “interactive and intelligent building organism”. According to the architects, its design aesthetic embraces incongruence, disruption and deformation rather than homogeneity and parametric smoothness – a common solution in many digital designs that the firm wished to avoid.

What makes Animated Apertures so unique is its attempt to rethink and redesign the DNA of the window in terms of function, components, appearance and materiality and then its application to a 20-story tall housing typology. The apertures function as inhabitable spaces or thresholds between interior and exterior that respond to environmental forces such as sun and wind and exploit potential energetic exchanges between the natural and built environments. The exterior of the building is a direct result of the interior spaces and their relationships to specific points in the city, with linear extensions along the window frames that create a soft, blurred building edge that is always in flux rather than a traditionally sharp and rigid one.

Image converted using ifftoany

The building consists of underground parking for 90 cars, a ground floor entry with a cafe and L-shaped living units stacked on top of each other with a North-South orientation. Each unit occupies three levels, giving it a double height living room that is oriented to the San Isidro Golf Club with access to two gardens. Both living room and dining room areas have large foldable glass walls that can be opened to create a continuous indoor-outdoor living experience with plenty of cross-ventilation. The Housing Tower also has a penthouse unit and a rooftop with large pool and garden. The building consists of underground parking for 90 cars, a ground floor entry with a cafe and L-shaped living units stacked on top of each other with a North-South orientation. Each unit occupies three levels, giving it a double height living room that is oriented to the San Isidro Golf Club with access to two gardens. Both living room and dining room areas have large foldable glass walls that can be opened to create a continuous indoor-outdoor living experience with plenty of cross-ventilation. The Housing Tower also has a penthouse unit and a rooftop with large pool and garden.

The overall structure is a cast in place concrete slab and core structure with most of the exterior enclosure made of cast in place concrete. The rough textured concrete shell contrasts sharply with the highly articulated fiberglass composite apertures that are translucent and illuminated with LED’s from within, giving the tower a distinguished colorful glow at night. These apertures will be made out of advanced silicon composites that mix material properties on a molecular level, are able to move without mechanical parts and ultimately mimic systems found in nature. In addition, the new window frames will be coated with thin solar film that produce significant solar energy for the building. B+U’s hope is that with these special technological components, Animated Apertures will help revolutionize and redefine the built environment so that buildings become less invasive and instead become closer to functioning as adaptable organisms.

Project details

Title: Animated Apertures
Architect: Baumgartner+Uriu (B+U)
Location: Lima, Peru
Design Principals: Herwig Baumgartner, Scott Uriu
Project Team: Nema Ashjaee (lead), Aaron Ryan, Jack Gaumer, Ricardo Lledo, Anthony Morey
Type: Housing tower
Size: 5,000 sqm
Material: Advanced silicon composites, ETFE, concrete, glass
Photo credits: B+U, LLP – Herwig Baumgartner, Scott Uriu