August 21st, 2009 by enzo
Vancouver-based architecture firm Bricault Design is developing projects not only in architecture, but also in interior design, graphic design and product development in playful and customized ways. Among their architectural designs are a Brooklyn brownstone renovation, a Regina convent conversion, and a home addition located on Brooks Avenue, which can literally be called a “green building”.
Bricault Residence Venice, California, 2008, exterior
They basically maintained and remodeled an existing 2,000-square-foot building, while also supplementing it with the mentioned 1,700-square-foot space due to the need for more space for the growing family, flirting with many aspects of sustainable architecture: green lush living wall on three sides, green roof, and open courtyard.The grasses and shrubs that are watered with a combination of harwested rainwater and recycled domestic water, while cedar batten siding helps shade the interior spaces.
Bricault Residence Venice, California, 2008, interior
The ground level of the extension includes large glass doors that swing open to the courtyard, providing a connection between the indoor and outdoor spaces. This feature, together with the addition of a spiraling staircase linking the ground floor with the roof as a chimney, drawing ventilation throughout the interior of the house, eliminates the need for air conditioning.
Almost all electric needs are met via the solar panels. High-efficiency combination boiler supplies radiant in-floor heating and domestic hot water. The building was insulated with recycled cotton and spray foam. Not to mention other green features, namely cork-rubber flooring, non-toxic / low-VOC paint, formaldehyde-free cabinetry, LED lighting, and low-flush toilets.
Tags: architecture, Bricault Design, Bricault Residence, green roof, living wall, solar energy, z1
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August 10th, 2009 by enzo
Paperback. Architectural Pre 2009-04-29.
ISBN 0750659335 / 0-7506-5933-5
EAN 9780750659338
Vernacular stands for common speech patterns of a society, as opposed to the formal literary language oriented towards academic discourse. Vernacular building in that sense is a regionally distinctive and regionally understood structure. It involves methods of construction which use locally available resources and traditions to address local needs and tends to reflect the environmental, cultural and historical context in which it exists. And, almost by definition, it is sustainable, and doesn’t put a strain on the local resources.
The book by Kingston Wm. Heath offers the following:
* a series of international case studies demonstrating the place of vernacular architecture in the design process for a wide selection of contemporary architects’ work.
* a clear analysis of the vernacular building tradition, placing architecture in its social context.
* a new, socially and environmentally inspired approach to sustainable design.
You can get it from Amazon.
Tags: architecture, book, green design, local design, regional design, sustainable architecture, vernacular arcitecture, z1
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August 3rd, 2009 by enzo
Famous for his usage of paper as an architectural component, particularly recycled cardboard paper tubes used to quickly and efficiently house disaster victims, Ban shakes much of architectural conventions. He doesn’t only use an unusual palette, he also designs structures that don’t have very long lives and used out of recycleable materials. He just doesn’t like waste.
Takatori Catholic Church, Hyogo, Japan. Designed by Shigeru Ban
Ban is not interested in the ‘newest’ materials and techniques, but whether or not the building or design is serving its conceptual and functional purpose. The clients for the 1995 curtain wall house, for instance, wanted a contemporary home that would have the openness of the traditional Japanese house. In his design, two-floor block of open living space is sandwiched between a large, overhanging triangular roof and deck that extend almost to the curbed line. Around the perimeter of the triangle Ban hung billowing white curtain that can be opened or closed to regulate the degree of transparency between interior and exterior. When he was reminded that Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe invented the glass curtain wall, he said, ‘but I just used a curtain’.
Curtain Wall House, Itabashi-Ku, Tokyo, exterior
Curtain Wall House, Itabashi-Ku, Tokyo, interior
Tags: architecture, curtain wall house, green design, paper architecture, Shigeru Ban, sustainable architecture, z1
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July 29th, 2009 by enzo
But, a Living building?
It should “Be informed by their eco-region’s characteristics; generate all of their own energy with renewable resources; capture and treat all of their water; operate efficiently; and be designed for maximum beauty.” In other words, OCSL is carbon neutral and produces 100 percent of its own energy through solar and geothermal power.
Opened on July 16, 2009, it is also a learning center for water treatment. Inside its 4,500-square-foot greenhouse is the Eco-Machine, OCSL’s water-reclamation system. In four stages the Eco-Machine purifies wastewater from Omega’s whole campus. The system adheres to the principle of biomimicry in mimicing the natural and ancient processes of the earth.
The cost of the OCSL was 35 to 40 percent more than a traditional building, but it will pay for itself in the long run, because it is “virtually cost free, except for maintenance.”
The building is on track to receive a LEED Platinum Certification, which cannot be officially granted until the building has been in operation for a year. LEED, (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is designed by the U.S. Green Building Council which has created standards for sustainable design.
for more information: http://www.eomega.org
Tags: architecture, biomimicry, green design, Leed, Living Building, OCSL, Omega Center for Sustainable Living, water treatment, z1
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July 29th, 2009 by enzo
Featuring Real-World Examples from Fortune 500 Companies, the Book Showcases Sustainable Strategies that Benefit Employees, the Environment and the Bottom Line.
07.28.2009 – WASHINGTON, D.C. – HOK, a leading practitioner of green design and consulting services, today announced the public release of The Green Workplace, a book already heralded by reviewers as a “must have” for businesses seeking to survive and thrive in this new, greener era. Authored by HOK Vice President Leigh Stringer, The Green Workplace is a comprehensive guide that demonstrates how green businesses can reduce costs, enhance productivity, improve recruitment and retention, increase shareholder value, and contribute to a healthier natural environment.
Published by Palgrave-MacMillan and available August 4 in bookstores and online, The Green Workplace features real-world examples from Bloomberg, Google, Sprint, Adobe, Texas Instruments and dozens of other companies that have implemented specific green practices and experienced the benefits. The book provides insights into human behavior and techniques to encourage employees to green their actions. It also illustrates opportunities to leverage the latest technology to green an organization’s buildings and overall business.
“’Green is Good’ may indeed be the business mantra of the 21st century, but it takes a commitment to proven best practices and creative approaches to ensure that ‘green’ means ‘profitable,’” Stringer said. “The Green Workplace draws on the experience of successful green companies to craft a practical resource for helping companies consider how specific actions – big and small – can improve the bottom line while enabling them to better serve their people, stakeholders, communities and natural environment.
“The book already has earned early praise from several corporate leaders. “This is one of the most useful books I have ever read—Leigh Stringer has taken on ‘green’ in the most holistic of ways,” said Chris Hood, program manager of the HP Workplace. “Stringer’s passion and enthusiasm for the subject is infectious; no contemporary business organization should be without this book.”
Tags: architecture, book, green design, green work place, HOK, Leigh Stringer, z1
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July 26th, 2009 by enzo
A two-storey, 2,800-sq.-ft modern design in Decatur, Georgia by Robert M. Cain, proves its competence as a clean design being awarded the highest possible LEED rating – Platinum – for having exceeded the requirements by a significant 11 points and being certified “Energy Star”.
What is so unique about the RainShine House to make it a prominent example of green architectural design? Above all, it is the butterfly shaped roof that collects the rain for recycling. Photovoltaic cells mounted on the roof are positioned southward to take full advantage of the solar energy. The roof, being suspended on the continious celerestroies also “lets the sunshine in” and saves extra energy.
Also the thick walls and thermal glass are other eco-friendly components of The RainShine House.
Tags: architecture, green design, Rain Shine Design, sustainable architecture, z1
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July 24th, 2009 by enzo
Gyorfi, a 27 year old architectural graphic designer, living in Eger in Hungary won Seastead’s first design contest, with this amazing design of a floating complex, actually a recreational resort. It includes a a large swimming pool, outdoor amphitheater, helicopter landing pad, and shaded marina.The green roofs are especially appealing for those eco-conscious city dwellers.
Check the designer’s website at : http://www.pic-studio.com
Other winners are as follows:
Best Picture Winner: Oasis of The Sea — Emerson Stepp
Aesthetics Winner: SESU Seastead — Marko Järvela
Personality Winner: Rendering Freedom — Anthony Ling
Community Choice Winner: Refusion — Team 3DA
Tags: andras gyorfi, architecture, green design, international contest, landscape, seastead, the swimming city, z1
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July 14th, 2009 by enzo
Dwell, Lindal Cedar Homes and Marmol Radziner Prefab, have tapped Joel Turkel of Turkel Designs, a veteran prefab architect, to design three new architectural designs for The Dwell Homes Collection, a series of sustainable and standardized modern prefab homes. Designs will be manufactured through the partnership with Lindal Cedar Homes known for their experience building environmentally responsive houses of natural materials. The Lindal/Turkel design team will also offer clients a custom home option in the Dwell Homes spirit. The partnership between Lindal and Turkel has already won them accolades as one of the 2009 Design 100, the best designed green products by Time Magazine (May 2009).
The prices of these homes are generally found to be over the average. Yet, as the demand for green architecture rises (as it started) I am sure it will settle down an equilibrium.
Tags: architecture, z1
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July 10th, 2009 by enzo
Continuous Productive Urban Landscapes (Architectural Press, 2005) edited by British architect Andre Viljoen, is recommended in the website arts & ecology and was chosen to be the book of the month by Urban Agriculture News. The book attracted my attention with its practical emphasis on the possibility of ecological cities, defining a strategy for the coherent integration of urban agriculture into urban space planning. Like ancient Persia where community wastes were used to feed urban farming. I ordered the book, but before I receive it, you can read the following review on that:
CPULs is a compelling vision for urban planners and (landscape) architects. The book is loaded with truly useful facts and case studies yet somehow remains a rivetting read for layfolk, comme moi.
CPULs’ authors articulate the benefits and obstacles to their proposal and offer cogent strategies for creating city land use policy in which urban green and brown considering the unbuilt as an event of equal intensity as the built. A vision of a thriving CPULs in London 2045 provides a powerful scenario that I can imagine myself being a part of at any stage in my life. This is something I would not characterise as a common feature in most urban planning. In CPULs city planning the well-being of people is a central and distinguishing factor. In fact, its completely seductive. ( Debra Solomon at CuniBlog )
Tags: architecture, book review, z1
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July 5th, 2009 by enzo
The Center for Architecture won the U.S. Green Building’ Council’s LEED Platinum certification, for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. It is the first such center to earn LEED Platinum honors, which is the highest level of energy and environmental efficiency.
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is a 501 c3 non-profit organization committed to a prosperous and sustainable future. In its official website USGBC asserts that Buildings in the United States are responsible for 39% of CO2 emissions, 40% of energy consumption, 13% water consumption and 15% of GDP per year, making green building a source of significant economic and environmental opportunity.
Holst Architecture designed the project to meet AIA’s 2030 Challenge around reducing carbon emissions, using photovoltaic panels and carbon offsets. The 10,000 square foot project involved the renovation of a brick building first constructed more than 120 years ago. Other features include rainwater harvesting for use in sewage and irrigation, operable windows, roof turbines, energy efficient lighting and furnishings selected for their recycled content.
Tags: architecture, news, The Centre for Architecture, USGBC, z1
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Vincenzo Zaccarini