Future Ecology Designed

A little bit marketing splurlg and still to be tested in actual practical use, but interesting concept:

"The Dynamic Architecture building, which will be constantly in motion changing its shape, will be able to generate electric energy for itself as well as for other buildings. Forty-eight wind turbines fitted between each rotating floors as well as the solar panels positioned on the roof of the building will produce energy from wind and the sunlight, with no pollution. The total energy produced by this inbuilt ‘powerhouse' every year will be worth approximately seven million dollars."

"Each turbine can produce 0.3 megawatt of electricity, compared to 1-1.5 megawatt generated by a normal vertical turbine (windmill). Considering that Dubai gets 4,000 wind hours annually, the turbines incorporated into the building can generate 1,200,000 kilowatt-hour of energy."

"The horizontal turbines of the Dynamic Architecture building are simply inserted between the floors, practically invisible. They neither need a pole nor a concrete foundation. In addition, they are at zero distance from the consumer, making also the maintenance much easier. The particular design of the building and the carbon fiber special shape of the wings take care of the acoustics issues. Producing that much electric energy without any implication on the aesthetic aspect of the building is a revolutionary step in tapping alternative energy sources. This production of green energy will have a positive impact on the environment and economy."

http://www.dynamicarchitecture.net

Related to this, a novel idea for eliminating floor-envy in businesses. Reminds me, as also mentioned in the post of the Stairway I visited in a Loire Castle in France. It is strange how you never realise, once inside the spiral that there are two levels to it.

Read the post on the a 1D skyscraper with a single corridor here

Labels: architecture, Energy, habitation, wind

Would a move to renewable energy incite a change of lifestyle or a change of lifestyle lead a move to renewable?

Should we reconsider & redesign the process and products used for drying hair? It might allow for a large uptake in sustainable, micro-generation schemes.

Political myth-busting and making over at Daily Mail

From Expedition's blog, who comment:

Now I pose the question, do I a) be please that the online readership of the Daily Mail are discussing such issues, or b) scream at the simplistic understanding of these people?

Labels: Energy, Politics, Sustainability, wind

An interesting discussion over at Design Observer on the Aesthetics of Wind Farms.

"What is beauty and how does it relate to ecology? A look at contrasting aesthetic intuitions about wind farms reveals a paradigm shift in how we understand beauty. Our sense of the nature of beauty cannot be separated from our sense of the beauty of nature."

"In nature, there is no distinction between function and ornamentation. The opposite of wholeness is not ornamentation but fragmentation. Ugliness is the perception of fragmentation. Alienation is a form of fragmentation."

Read the full article here

Labels: Energy, nature, wind