Transcript Green Technology Wonders of the World

Green Technology Wonders
of the World
Organized by Joe Naumann
Images and test mainly from
Businessweek.com
Reichstag, New German Parliament,
Berlin (1999)
• Norman Foster's renovation of the Reichstag
showed the world that green architecture
could be a powerful symbol. Embracing the
bones of the historic parliament building
allowed for a recycling of both materials and
ideals. The new glass dome brings daylight
deep into the building, while opening up the
government functions inside to public
scrutiny.
• Technically, the building creates its own
electricity using refined vegetable oil, and
stores excess heat in a groundwater loop,
while its iconic light reflector inside the dome
also acts as a chimney, drawing warm air out
of the building. The combined result is a 94%
reduction in carbon dioxide emissions, and a
great deal of pride on the part of the German
people.
Menara Mesiniaga/IBM Tower, Kuala
Lumpur (1992)
• The IBM Tower in Kuala Lumpur was the first
modern green skyscraper—although its
architect, Ken Yeang, prefers to call it a
"bioclimactic" building, because of the way its
natural ventilation strategies make the building
feel as if it were breathing. The design was the
first to bring low-energy use to a high-density
urban environment, reflecting Yeang's idea that
only the sustainable development of cities can
accommodate the world's population growth.
• But unlike the
sophisticated technical
engineering of later
green skyscrapers, most
of its strategies are
passive—such as a
spiraling atrium that
accommodates "vertical
landscaping," improving
indoor air quality and
aiding natural
ventilation, and external
louvers that reduce solar
heat gain.
J.M. Tjibaou Cultural Centre, New
Caledonia (1998)
• Renzo Piano's cultural center in the South Pacific
was the first to show that green architecture is as
much about culture as technology. The use of
local iroko wood and traditional construction
methods reflect sustainable principles—both by
reducing the distance materials must travel, and
drawing on this French island territory's local
economy. By riffing on the shapes of the area's
traditional Kanak huts, the 10 individual
structures dramatically blend into the landscape,
while their vertical slats allow the prevailing
winds to ventilate the interiors.
Ford Dearborn Truck Assembly Plant,
Michigan (2004)
• The sedum-planted roof of Ford's truck
assembly factory at River Rouge has become
the primary symbol of the greening of
Corporate America. Conceived as part of a
broader re-imagining of Ford's historic—and
legendarily polluted—River Rouge complex,
the 10.5-acre green roof, installed in 2003, is
one of the world's largest. The plantings work
as a sponge (reducing storm water runoff) and
as insulation (protecting the building in both
hot and cold weather).
• But more than that, its location near the
visitor's center makes the nine varieties of
plants—and the birds and wildlife they
attract—a powerful communication tool for
Ford's story of environmental reclamation.
Colorado Court, Santa Monica (2002)
• There's no shortage these days of projects
rated "gold" on the Green Building Council's
LEED—for Leadership in Energy and Economic
Development—scale, but what attracted
attention to Colorado Court when it opened in
November, 2002, was its combination of
affordable housing and energy neutrality in a
dense urban environment.
• It has 44 single-room-occupancy units for very
low income tenants, and its combination of an
on-site natural gas cogeneration plant system
and photovoltaic panels allows the building to
send electricity back into the grid during the
day. Passive cooling eliminates the need for air
conditioning, while rainwater collection
prevents polluted water from entering Santa
Monica Bay.
BedZED, London (2002)
• The "Beddington Zero (fossil) Energy
Development"—or BedZED—applies the
concept of carbon neutrality to a small
London neighborhood. Developed in
partnership with the engineers at Ove Arup,
the goal was a "triple bottom line:" social
amenity, financial effectiveness, and
minimized environmental impact. All of the
eighty-two units have gardens to provide a
sense of connection to the outdoors.
• Extra insulation reduces energy
consumption—to the point, even, of
eliminating the need for conventional heating.
Instead, the development uses local tree
waste as a fuel source for both heating and
power, along with a combination of
photovoltaics, wind turbines, and wind-driven
ventilation (which explain those distinctive
chimneys).
Arcosanti, Arizona
• Architect and urban planner Paolo Soleri first
broke ground on the new desert town of
Arcosanti in 1970, with the idea of building a
sustainable community for 5,000 people.
Today, the population typically still hovers
around 100, and most of those are visiting
students, but Arcosanti has become shorthand
for visionary, utopian solutions to the
challenges of global development.
• Like a medieval village, it's designed for
everything to be within walking distance, and
the thick earth structures are oriented to the
sun for heating, cooling, and lighting. As
Soleri—who recently won a National Design
award for Lifetime Achievement—explains, at
Arcosanti, "the built and the living interact as
organs would in a highly evolved being."
30 St Mary Axe, London (2004)
• Inevitably known as the Erotic Gherkin, Norman
Foster's London landmark raised the bar for
sustainable skyscrapers around the world. Its
distinctive tapering profile is the key to its energy
efficiency because it creates a pressure differential
between inside and outside, driving fresh air into
the building. The diagrid structure—repeated, in a
different form, in Foster's Hearst Tower in New
York—allows for floor-to-ceiling windows, ensuring
the maximum amount of daylight.
• A system of atria
acts as the building's
"lungs," circulating
fresh air drawn
through the facade's
double-skin.
Combined, the
features reduce the
building's energy
consumption by half,
compared to a
typical air
conditioned office
tower.
The City of Chicago
• It may seem odd to call the city of broad
shoulders a green wonder of the world, but
Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley has set the
standard for comprehensive urban environmental
initiatives with his plan to make Chicago "the
greenest city in America." In 2001, Chicago's City
Hall became the site of the first municipal rooftop
garden in the nation. Since then, over two
hundred buildings throughout the city have
added similar gardens.
• All new municipal buildings will be designed to
receive at least Silver LEED certification—
400,000 trees have been planted, recycled
materials are being used to pave the streets,
and there are plans to install four wind
turbines on the roof of the Daley Center,
adjacent to city hall.
San Francisco Federal Building (2006)
• While it won't open for another six months,
the San Francisco Federal Building is already
shaking up expectations for green
architecture. The 18-story home for Federal
workers will be the first office tower in the
U.S. to eliminate air conditioning, at least over
70% of its area. It accomplishes this through a
computer-controlled skin, developed with
engineers at Ove Arup, which actively adjusts
to weather changes.
• Its narrow floor plate allows for natural
ventilation, while metal sunscreens shade the
floor-to-ceiling windows. But most striking are
its bold design and social agenda: Skip-stop
elevators, sky gardens, and open stairs will
foster interaction among employees, with the
idea of creating a healthy office environment
and a healthy culture.
Subaru of America's Indiana Plant
Achieves ZERO LANDFILL Status
• Everyone knows about Subaru and their fuel
efficient line of cars .... BUT ... did you know
that:
When you carry out your trash at home ...
next collection day, you'll be sending more
trash to landfills than the entire Subaru
manufacturing plant in Lafayette, Indiana
(SIA). ... was the first auto assembly plant to
achieve zero landfill status - nothing from its
manufacturing efforts goes into a landfill. It's
all reused and recycled."
2305 W. Adams Street
Chicago, Inner City 2004-05
• Our aim is to construct an urban single-family
home that is ecological, socially regenerative,
and self-sustaining. We will only use energy
generated on site. We would like this building
to be an inspiration to other homeowners and
developers in urban environments.