By: Johnny Hartsfield
Dubbed “the Sundial”, the Green Lighthouse is the first place competition entry that will soon become a shining new “beacon” for sustainable design and carbon neutral building. Designed by Christensen & CO Arketekter A/S, this new facility for the Faculty of Science at the University of Copenhagen uses its cylindrical shape and adjustable facade louvres to invite sunlight to twist throughout the building during the day. Expected to be completed in 2009, the Green Lighthouse will incorporate solar energy, rainwater harvesting, natural ventilation systems and re-insulation. The green clad building will also be finished just in time for the United Nations Climate Change Conference.
Engineered by COWI, this commercial building consists of 950 sq. meters over three levels with meeting facilities, student services and a faculty club. The Green Lighthouse is in a class all its own for commercial buildings.
According to the architects, “the building, that seamlessly merges the fields of architecture, engineering and groundbreaking technologies into one exciting building, takes a holistic approach to architecture, light, healthy indoor environment and sustainability.”
GreenFab previously featured the work of Christensen & CO Arketekter A/S in Affordable, Energy Efficient Housing in Allerod.
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By: Johnny Hartsfield
The Tacoma Housing Authority (THA), located just south of Seattle, is pursuing its first modular housing project in the hopes of bringing affordable and sustainable homes to an economically diverse community. THA will be constructing Hillsdale Heights, a 110-unit housing community, on the former Hillsdale Lumber sawmill site. The community will include 60 low-income rental units, 50 affordable for-sale townhomes, a small community center, trails and green space.
Designed by GGLO of Seattle and manufactured by Guerdon Enterprises of Idaho, the project aims to combine modular technology with sustainable design systems to achieve LEED Silver certification and the new Evergreen Sustainable Development Standard.
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By: Johnny Hartsfield
So, after a few weeks off, I have returned from the land of Fire and Ice to share with you just a bit more on what makes Iceland a truly inspiring country. Aside from the obvious natural beauty, Iceland is making great strides to becoming the world’s leader in clean energy technology and production. While walking down the streets of Reykjavik, I ran into a couple of city workers that are paving the way for a new electric car charging station.
According to the New York Times, at a Reykjavik conference this week, Driving Sustainability ‘08, Iceland announced plans to team up with Mitsubishi Motors to supply the country with a fleet of tiny i-MiEV electric cars (which have a range per charge of about 100 miles with lithium-ion batteries). Scheduled to go on sale in Japan in the summer of 2009, Iceland is likely to be the first European country to have i-MiEVs.
This decision is in the wake of a hydrogen-based fuel conversation that has been loosing momentum since it began. According to Iceland’s foreign minister, Ingibjörg Sólrún Gisladóttir, “We see Iceland as the world’s laboratory for a decarbonized future,” She was talking about the country’s plan, announced in 1998, to become to the world’s first hydrogen-based energy economy.
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GREENFAB WILL BE TAKING A SHORT BREAK as I travel to Iceland for a two week photography trip with my dad. This trip has been a dream of mine so when I RETURN THE WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 15th I will be anxious to share with you all that I have learned from the land that produces 70% of the nation’s primary energy from renewable sources.
Iceland is an island of thundering waterfalls, barren highlands, smoldering volcanoes, gushing geysers, bubbling mudpots, soothing thermal pools, the largest icecap outside the poles and not to mention the coolest turf houses in the world.
Here are a few articles that help explain the major role Iceland will play in our global future as we try to understand and use energy responsibly and efficiently.
>> MINISTRY OF INDUSTRY ENERGY AND TOURISM SPEECH
>> ICELAND’S ENERGY ANSWER COMES NATURALLY
>> ICELAND’S HYDROGEN SHIP HERALDS FOSSIL-FREE FUTURE
Click here to see BEAUTIFUL IMAGES from all of Icelands landscapes
WE’LL BE BACK IN TWO WEEKS!
The image above is a manipulation of a Daniel Bergmann original photograph
By: Johnny Hartsfield
GreenFab had previously shown the progress leading up to the opening of MoMA’s “Home Delivery: Fabricating the Modern Dwelling” but we have yet to share some of the opinions of those that seem to be less impressed with MoMA’s efforts to explain the history behind prefabricated dwellings and the five international architects’ take on “the future”.
The Washington Post recently published an article titled “Walls That Talk, and Repeat Themselves” that raises some interesting points about the story MoMA is telling about prefabricated design and construction. Here are a few highlights:
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By: Johnny Hartsfield
The team that brought us BedZED back in 2002 has released yet another zero carbon housing product called ruralZED earlier this year at EcoBuild in Earls Court, London. The ZEDfactory installed their new affordable, zero carbon home in only 3 days. ruralZED is a high quality housing system combining micro-generation and small biomass technologies that help achieve a Level 6 in England’s Code for Sustainable Homes. What makes this product unique is that the ZEDfactory has built into their system the ability to upgrade from a Code 3 to a Code 6 for 70% of all UK building sites.
ruralZED is made of a hybrid laminated timber frame flexible enough for a variety of master plan options at fixed prefabricated kit prices with volume discounts. Minimizing its demand on resources, ruralZED catches sunlight, wind, fresh air and rain using tried and tested energy systems.
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