Sustainable Design Update

Guatemala updates are starting to come in over at the Appropriate Technology Collaborative website.

Check it out:  Appropriate Technology Collaborative

The LED

I poached these videos from a great post on AIDG’s blog.

Taleisin Pre-Fab

I have always had an appreciation for Frank Lloyd Wrights work.  At one point in my career I drew up renovation plans for two of his residential designs.  The owner balked at the project and finally sold the houses. 

The Taleisin school, FLLW’s Architecture school in the desert has a long history of designing buildings that look like bad knock offs of the master’s work.  This pre-fab however looks to be a well thought out departure from the look of FLLW, without departing from all of the concepts of organic design. 

True, the structure does look like it is floating rather than being anchored to its site, but somehow this works for me.  It may be that to drop a building into the desert it should contrast the environment.  Human habitation of the desert is difficult without some machines to temper the air and bring in water.

From Fast Company:

The nearly-complete prototype is sitting on the Taleisin, Arizona campus. It’s visually appealing right from the start, with its large colored paneling and asymmetric layout. The design contains eco-technology from the ground up, with wall panels that are both structural and insulating, photovoltaic panels that collect sunlight and provide power, and there’s a combination of passive environmental control–suntraps and natural ventilation, as well as active elements. The active elements include a grey-water recycling system and a water catchment system. Ultimately, the goal is to create a design that is entirely self-sustaining in terms of basic energy needs.

The most interesting thing about Mod.Fab is that it indicates how our homes should be constructed in the future: Its combination of eco-power sources and passive environmental controls mean that the house places a significantly lower burden on the environment. In Germany, so-called “passive” homes, that utilize similar design elements, are gaining ground thanks to increased taxation on heating oil and natural gas. The strict “passive” requirements, that include super-efficient insulation and exploitation of natural light and heat, result in homes that typically consume only around 10% of the energy of “normal” housing designs.

Over the next month or so we will be posting from our secret headquarters in Guatemala, with a slight detour to Nicaragua for about a week.

Reality Check – We are working on two development projects.  One is a treadle pump that is easy to assemble and efficient to use.  The design is intended for rural farmers, many can only grow one crop per year during the rainy season.  With the pump they can grow a greater variety of crops and more crops per year.  The pump design is by the BLUELab students at the University of Michigan. 

The second project is a solar refrigerator.  It uses charcoal and ethanol.  The system is so simple I don’t know why it isn’t used in more places. 

We will be publishing both designs over at www.apptechdesign.org over the next month. 

SDU will be updated frequently from the road.  We are taking a couple of travel computers and hope to find some WiFi spots along the way.

Photos from our adventures will be posted on our Flickr account. 

Cheers,

John Barrie

Ben Connor Barrie

 Stockholm Jumbo Hostel

If you are traveling to Stockholm you may be able to book your stay at a hostel very near the airport… Well actually at the airport.  Jumbo Hostel is a recycled 747-200 which has cool sleeping accommodations.  Would this building qualify as 100% recycled content?  Could it get LEED certification?

I’m a pilot but I tend to fly in airplanes that get incredibly good mileage.  I also stay in hostels around the globe and would find this one worth a visit.  My only question is how do they get enough fresh air into the cabin?  Maybe they can put operable windows in the sky lounge.

From Jumbo Hostel:

Welcome to one of the world’s coolest hostels! Here you can spend the night onboard a real jumbo jet – on the ground! Our different room categories can accommodate one to three adults in comfort as well as a quad dormitory bed option, all with separate shared shower and toilet facilities. We also offer a luxury suite in the converted cockpit with a panoramic view of the airport. At Jumbo Hostel you´re guaranteed a unique and outstanding experience at a reasonable price.

Better to end up a delux hostel than at the Mojave Boneyard.

Mojave Boneyard

Image kjd via Flickr

Aptera Type 1

At last week’s TED conference Steve Fambro from Aptera Motors presented the most recent version of the Aptera, a super low drag, 3 wheel 200 mile per gallon “car”.  I put the word car in quotes because the Aptera will be licensed as a motorcycle in many states.  (I wonder if drivers will have to wear a helmet?)

The Aptera gets it’s incredible mileage using a diesel-electric hybrid engine.  The company still says they will be able to sell the car for around $20,000.   However the Aptera has been a car just on the brink of becoming a product for a long time now and as things drag on the launch date seems to drift ever further into the future.

No Aptera launch was announced at TED, but I hold out high hopes for this car.  I’d love to drive one.  It just looks how a car should in the 21^st Century.

Related Posts:

Aptera Rolls Into NYC

Automotive X-Prize Contender

Aptera Electric Hybrid Car – Revisited

“A 330 mpg car for everyone”