Sustainable Design Update

American Soldier Guarding an Oil Fire in Iraq

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Energy Efficiency is not the sexiest of topics in the Pantheon of sustainable strategies but very important none-the-less. We use a mind numbing amount of fossil fuel to make our economy and lifestyles go. But what is the real cost, both in dollars and in externalities and what can we do to minimize the downside of energy use?

We can do incredible things with fossil fuels. Just a handful of people can grind mountains down to nothing in the Canadian north with just a few of the right tools and enough diesel fuel. We can move entire cities halfway around the globe and keep them humming along as long as we can input billions of BTUs of heavy fuel every day. We build sky scrapers, take the kids to soccer games and drive through our favorite fast food joints all by burning dead dinosaurs. It’s really a miracle, too bad there has to be a downside.

And the downside is this: (ok these) pollution, global warming, increasingly scarce resources, oil spills, acid rain, water pollution, thermal pollution… What most of us don’t consider is the cost of securing our oil supply from the Persian Gulf. A quick look at US Energy Information Agency data on oil output from the Gulf, about 23 million barrels per day, and the cost of maintaining our military presence in the area, estimated to be from 40- 50 billion per year, plus adding the cost of our wars in the area, 61 billion for Desert Storm and 3 trillion total for the current Iraq war, plus add in the cost of health claims for Gulf War Syndrome at 263,000 claims as of 2000, and 20,000 severely wounded in battle who will need care and prosthetics and it looks like we spend about $20 to $40 per barrel just for providing “security”.

So, when oil prices go above $120.00 per barrel, remember that doesn’t include an additional $20 - $40 security tax, and this still doesn’t account for the cost of people’s lives. The human cost is in my mind the greatest of all and I can’t begin to express it in any terms that could possibly make sense.

Energy Efficiency

We can make our buildings and cars much more efficient. In my work I design buildings that typically use only 50% of the energy of standard construction at very little added cost if any. Also, when we work on existing buildings, we usually find ways to save 25- 40% of their energy. We make buildings more energy efficient using off the shelf technologies and proven methods. We analyze all energy uses and devise energy saving strategies, then estimate costs and choose the best options with our clients. It is really that simple. Because we have been doing this sort of work for decades, we know what strategies works, what strategies will work if and when energy prices go up, and what technologies are coming on the market that will provide even better returns on your investment.

Data for the above is from the US Energy Information Agency and The National Gulf War Resource Center, The United States Department of Veterans Affairs and The Rocky Mountain Institute

GRAM - LEED Gold

The new LEED Gold Certified Grand Rapids Art Museum has 125,000 SF of floor area with more than 50,000 SF of gallery and art exhibition spaces. The museum is co-located with a Maya Lin sculpture titled “Ecliptic” in downtown Grand Rapids Michigan.

The Grand Rapids Art Museum (GRAM) is the first and only newly built art museum in the world to receive LEED certification at any level.

LEED certification is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance, sustainable buildings. A gold certification recognizes a superior level of energy and environmental performance.

Lead donor for the new museum is Peter Wege, an environmentalist whose foundation made LEED certification a requirement of its $20 million gift. Wege
stated, “The gold standard was always our goal. It is a great achievement that establishes our beautiful art museum as an international standard of excellence in architecture and green design.”

Achieving LEED certification is a particular challenge for art museums, given the exacting climate standards for art preservation and the volume of visitors they receive. Design was further complicated by the variability and unpredictability of Michigan’s four-season climate.

“Environmental stewardship is a commitment that is evidenced throughout our museum facility. We are proud to be the first of the next generation of cultural buildings,” said Celeste Adams, museum director. “Our commitment to current and future generations is to provide national and international caliber exhibitions and collections of art in a renowned facility that offers a unique place of beauty, tranquility and sustainability.”

GRAM incorporates energy-efficient lighting, heating and cooling systems and strict recycling systems for water and operational supplies. Its innovative water collection system reduces the museum’s demand for city-treated water by 20 percent.

Visitors to the museum realize 70 percent natural light throughout its public, gallery and managerial spaces, while views to outdoor courtyards, indigenous plants and trees beckon visitors to expand their cultural experience.
Via: Arch Daily

Square Piston Engine

Today in my NASA Tech Briefs I found an article about a new internal combustion engine. I shouldn’t like this engine for two reasons - first, its an internal combustion engine. I think the green future we all want doesn’t have internal combustion engines (or they run on hydrogen). Second, this is a two stroke engine, you know, like a chain saw engine. Think lots of blue smoke.

The Square Piston Engine (SPEC) doesn’t blow blue smoke and it represents a big improvement over current 2 stroke designs.

With millions of 2 stroke engines being produced every year, this real improvement is very welcome.

From NASA Tech Briefs:

In essence, the SPEC has a superior power to weight ratio compared to exsiting two-stroke engines. However, more importantly, it has significantly reduced emissions achieved by more complete combustion and a closed loop oiling system. The engine is also modular in design, which provides significant manufacturing flexibility.

The SPEC engine provides a number of benefits over existing engine design. These include:

The engine is two-stroke by design, providing a superior power to weight ratio over comparable four-stroke engines. It leverages existing engine technologies but eliminates the inherent disadvantages of current two-stroke engines.

The engine has just 3 moving parts. This means it has a low cost to manufacture and is simple to maintain.

The engine is modular. Multi-cylinder engines are made up by simply bolting together with a common crankshaft. This feature provides flexibility and a lower cost manufacture.

Check out the very cool and short video:  SPEC Engine

More at: NASA

Algaelink Bioreactor

AlgaeLink has developed a new method of oil extraction for the production of algae oil without the use of any expensive or dangerous chemicals, centrifuge, dryer or oil press

AlgaeLink, a European leader in alternative energy production, announced today that they have developed a new way to extract oil out of wet algae paste. With this new method the algae paste is collected from the AlgaeLink reactor through filtering or centrifugation and directly, without any drying, processed in AlgaeLink?s newly developed oil extraction system for which patent is pending. This production process saves a lot of time and energy. This system not only makes the use of algae oil eco-friendly but also the production of it. Total power consumption used in a 45m³ per hour oil extraction process is just 26 kW to turn 50% of the algae paste into oil.

AlgaeLink is engaged in research and development of algae cultivation as an energy source for the production of biodiesel, as an economically feasible and eco-friendly alternative to dinosaur-based fuels. Micro-algae have a high potential yield compared to vegetable oil crops. Moreover, algae based biofuel doesn’t use valuable crop land. Some species of algae are ideally suited for biofuel production due to their high oil content, some as much as 50%, and their extremely fast growth rate.

Via: Algaelink

Solar Panels

The last few years have seen dozens of new solar photovoltaic improvements including thin film solar, new wiring, nano technologies and direct printing of photovoltaic panels on an aluminum foil substrate. However even with all these developments that should reduce costs and improve performance, the cost of solar panels has stayed about the same or has possibly gone up.

Until now.

From Technology Review:

Solar electricity is about to get much cheaper, industry analysts predict, because a shortage of the silicon used in solar panels is almost over. That could lead to a sharp drop in prices over the next couple of years, making solar electricity comparable to power from the grid… Solar power cost about $4 a watt in the early 2000s, but silicon shortages, which began in 2005, have pushed up prices to more than $4.80 per watt, according to Solarbuzz…

A report from Michael Rogol, an analyst at Photon Consulting, says that demand for solar panels will quickly rise in response to even slightly cheaper prices, holding the price drop between 2007 and 2010 to a mere 20 percent. …

Regardless of the growth in demand,.. over the next couple of years, production of solar panels will double each year.

Via: Technology Review

BMW Isetta

At AutoBlogGreen I saw these new renderings for the possible new BMW Isetta. Other than the tease images there isn’t much to report. BMW is testing the water for a possible electric or hybrid Isetta based on the popular car from the 1950s.

Previously on SDU:

Original Isetta

The Isetta was one of the most successful microcars or “bubble cars” produced in the world with a total production of over 165,000 units. The design originated in Italy, but it was built in a number of different countries, including Spain, Belgium, France, Brazil, Germany and Britain.

The original Isetta had a polluting 2 stroke motorcycle engine, but BMW, who produced the lion’s share of the cars, used a cleaner burning 4 stroke engine that gave the modest vehicle about 60 miles per gallon.

I rode in an Isetta once when I was a kid. I remember standing on the passenger seat and sticking my head out the sunroof top – no seat belts, no cares - a different era.

BMW is evaluating the success of the Smart car and the new version of the Mini to see if there might be a market for a new version of the Isetta.

New Concept for BMW Isetta

If it is efficient enough, and I hope after 50 years we BMW can improve the mileage, then I’d consider buying one. I promise to keep my children from sticking their heads out the sunroof.

Recently there have been ads on SDU, placed here by Google Adsense, that are selling water as a fuel replacement or fuel extender for your car.  We do not support nor do we believe in this technology.  We are working with Google to remove these ads.

Sorry

jsbarrie

FreeGreen - Suburban Loft

I’m an Architect. About half of my practice is designing homes, however things are about to change.

FreeGreen is a new online design firm that has a unique Web 2.0+ approach to their service. They provide free home designs. I just downloaded construction documents for two of their homes and the documents are first rate. For many of my clients what FreeGreen offers is what they need. And did I say Free? Really, Free. I’m lucky to also be an industrial designer because FreeGreen just might put me out of business.

Over the years many people have come to my office with a set of plans found in a book or online and they ask if I can “Green” the plans for not too much money. (This process is bound to fail for more reasons than I can go into here)

With FreeGreen you can get good quality green home plans free. For an additional fee you can have them customized to suit your needs. You will probably need a site plan for your unique site to add to the very extensive set of construction documents FreeGreen provides. I would also hire FreeGreen to consider passive solar options based on your particular site.

FreeGreen makes their money through their online community, which I encourage anyone interested in Green Building to join.

I believe the world would be a better place if all buildings were designed and built like the homes available from FreeGreen.

Via: Inhabitat

Visit: FreeGreen

Hy-Bird

The “Hy-bird” by Lisa Airplanes, is a lightweight, hybrid plane made out of lightweight carbon fiber (common for newer airplane designs). Lithium-polymer batteries will provide the plane’s main power source and solar panels, covering the plane’s 20-meter-long wings, will provide additional power.

The design is remarkably like the Seawind 300, a Canadian seaplane that has been in development for over a decade.

Seawind 

From Lisa-Airplanes:

The “Hy-Bird” project plans to fly around the world with a 100% clean electric airplane powered only by renewable energies: solar energy and hydrogen.

Indeed, photovoltaic cells affixed on the wing and on the horizontal tail will supply sufficient energy for the take off and for on-board power supply. Besides, a fuel cell will fuel the aircraft for cruise flight. An electric engine (more silent than heat engines) will propel Hy-Bird.

During summer 2008, Hy-Bird will become the first plane to fly around the world using only renewable energies, solar energy and hydrogen. This round-the-world, with stages of over 3000 km, aims to be a technological and ecological challenge, but also a human challenge.

A website dedicated to Hy-Bird is under construction.

Check out: Lisa-Airplanes

Via:  Inhabitat 

Wall Cleat

Sometimes I need a reminder to unplug appliances so they don’t suck energy. Even while turned off my DVD player draws 12 watts! My inkjet printer is even worse.

The wall cleat above is a great way to keep cords organized and ready and out of the way so it is even easier to unplug things.

Design by Karl Zahn,

Via: NotCot

Suggested ways to reduce “Phantom Loads”: Treehugger