DARYL’S HOUSE

Daryl

Meet Daryl, my tour guide, standing in front of his home.  Daryl is an engineer who designs and configures solar water heaters for the residential market across the southeast.  He integrates his 9-to-5 with his good stewardship to indulge in his real passion: environmental responsibility.  As passionate environmentalists, Daryl and his wife have taken personal responsibility to a new level, engineering every square inch of their home for optimum function, sustainability and well, true need.  In fact, a yellow card suspended from a string by their bathroom mirror reads: “Is it needed?  Is it kind?  Is it sustainable?” This, is their motto – their committment to being good stewards of the earth.

Daryl’s home can only be summed up in one word: ecclectic.  Solar water tanks and photovoltaic panels dot the roof above operable clerestory windows.  Deep, shade-providing overhangs hover over large, salvaged, double-insulated windows, in several sizes and colors.  A covered, screened porch is adjacent the living area that is jammed-packed with books and art.  And an uncovered, “sun” porch is lined with blossoming flowers and herbs.  A vegetable garden, solar cooking device, mushroom garden, and compost piles also provide them with sustainable ways to cook, grow food, and sustainably fertilize their gardens.

L to R: South facade, Sleeping loft above/living area below, Sun porch, Solar cooking device

Inside, the treads of the homemade stairs up to the sleeping loft, were trimmed by Daryl to minimize surface area, allowing the maximum amount of sunlight penetration to the kitchen and living areas below.  The two-story high space allows hot air to rise and solar-powered fans blow the heated air out of the high clerestory windows above.   In fact, all of their electricity is generated with photovoltaics and stored in a battery bank in the basement.

While not exactly what architects would typically call “aesthetically- pleasing design,” I thought it was perfect: the ultimate in fine-tuned engineering based on the true NEED for shelter.  Each piece of Daryl’s home was analyzed and planned for optimum daylighting, heating in the winter, cooling in the summer, and to be completely self-sustaining.

THE UNDERGROUND HOUSE

South facade

Next stop on this gorgeous day, was the underground house.  The group of 20 or so walked up a small hill and didn’t immediately realize we were walking on it’s roof, which also serves as their vegetable and herb garden.   Beyond the garden, was the top of the house, where a “drain-back solar hot water system” was mounted at the optimum angle for this specific latitude.   In this system, water ”drains back,” or out of the piping when the outdoor temperature is too low, so the pipes do not freeze.  Water is then heated by a wood stove in the winter.

Around the south side of the home (the only exposed facade), the owners planted grapes for shade throughout the summer.  In the fall and winter, when the plants die back, the sunlight is allowed to come streaming in, and helps heat the home.   Inside, the structure of the home consisted of three giant boxed-in I-beams resting on load-bearing walls.  All vertical surfaces are painted bright white to reflect natural light around the interior spaces.  In the kitchen and hallways, light wells (skylights) deliver a column of natural light from above.  At night and on cloudy days, the homeowners employ low-wattage lamps and LEDs to supplement the natural light.

Kitchen light well (L), Worm compost (C), Solar water heating device (R).

Because they have so many large window openings to maximize daylighting, and since glass is not a good insulator, the homeowners use thick, double-honeycomb window shades at night, to hold in heat from the wood-burning stove during the winter.  These type of shades can increase the the R-value of the window, depending on the cellular structure inside the shades.  In conjunction with double-paned windows, this can increase the energy efficiency of the the window by as much as 65%.

Outside, they taught us about Vermiculture, or Worm Composting.  All of these homeowners utilize worm composting, which basically uses Red Wigglers (a specific kind of species for this), in a bed of shredded newspaper, and some soil.  They keep it moist, using irrigation water from their rain-collection cistern.  They collect all of their food waste (coffee grounds, carrot tops, cirtus rinds – you name it) and add it to the compost.  You can even shred glossy magazines, bills, and junk mail and add to the mix.  The worms eat this over time, digest it, and their nutrient-rich waste makes the most fertile soil for growing.  They also filter the worm compost, to collect the liquid which is a highly-concentrated, nutrient-rich, powerful and organic fertilizer.  And, because they recycle all glass, metal and plastic, these families virtually have no trash or waste going to landfills, and do not even have a trash collection service to their homes.

THE DODECA-YURT

Originally a Mongolian nomadic home, this 12-sided structure was originally “designed” out of necessity to easily fold out the walls, add animal furs to the “walls” to repel high winter winds, add the conical roof, and viola!  Instant house.

Sun porch (L), South facade (C), Interior ceiling with skylight (R).

So while I don’t subscribe to the fact that a 12-sided structure is a wise thing to do THESE days, architecturally or constructability-wise, it does make for an amazing interior space.  The light inside was intense and beautiful.  The wood structure seemed seamless and added a warmth to the space.  However, their furniture was positioned around the perimeter of the room, making for an awkward residual space and for a seemingly large room, did not accommodate many people – standing room only.  The piercing light coming in from the skylight above was so strong  the homeowners had to later add a UV fabric over it and replace the faded fabrics on all their furniture and rugs.

The couple that lived in the yurt was the only family to have OUTdoor plumbing.  Yes, you read correctly.  The outhouse was located about 50 yards from the yurt, just inside the woods.  The small outhouse had “Rules for Use” written on the sidewall of the doorless “toilet” which included scooping a coffee mug-full of sand and covering your business when you are done.  It seemed to work much like a human litter box.  It was pretty odd using it, and got down-right embarrassing when another tour participant walked up to the litter box while I was still on it.   I am all for sustainable living, and the yurt was cool, but outdoor plumbing is a bit too primitive for me and day-to-day life.

THE STRAWBALE HOUSE

With it’s huge window openings, minimalist interior, all bright-white stucco walls, cast concrete roof tiles, and beautifully-crafted interior components, the strawbale house was my favorite of the tour.

The exterior walls of this home were constructed in a long process: Steel reinforcement bars are welded to a base plate.  Strawbales are continuously stacked, threaded onto the re-bar.  The bales are then covered with chicken wire and “woven” to secure the bales both vertically and horizontally.  At the top of the wall, threaded rods are welded to the re-bar tip, threaded through a continuous steel plate, and secured with a nut.  The nuts are tightened and the bales are fully-compressed.   A full, 3-layer stucco system is applied to both the interior and exterior, in total creating about a 16 inch-thick wall.

L to R: East facade/Front Porch, Interior, Sleeping porch, Handmade stairs.

This home was so beautiful, but my concerns grew about mold, fire, and insects – after all, this is Alabama, where much of the year is spent with super-high humidity.  So I posed the question to Daryl and the homeowner, and was quickly reassured all openings were completely and expertly sealed.  Of course, as architects, we have the basic understanding that moisture will find its way inside, regardless, so we should always provide a way for it to dry or escape.   I was told the risk of fire is a common myth about strawbale homes, as stucco acts as a fire-retardant much like gypsum board.  And they did not address possible insect infestation (I was wondering if there was a straw-eating insect that could plague the home, much like termites effect wood homes).

South facade

This home is completely off the power utility grid.  Lit only by daylight in the day and low-wattage lamps and LEDs by night, the solar panels beside their garden, deliver 2.5kW of photovoltaic electricity, stored in 12 batteries in the cellar.  Also in the cellar, is a homemade walk-in refrigerator with super-insulated walls and door, with a solar-powered compressor.  Upstairs, the stunning stucco walls reflect sunlight around the handmade stairs and wooden elements.  Their kitchen refrigerator is run by propane.  They do not have an active heating or cooling system, but instead rely on passive strategies: cross-ventilation in the summer and indirect thermal mass in the winter.

I would highly recommend the Solar Home Tour for any environmental enthusiast, designer, engineer, or homeowner.   This inspirational tour reminded me that sustainable design can create interesting spatial experiences as well as be functional and environmentally responsible.

For more information or to register for an upcoming Solar Home Tour, contact the Blount County Chamber of Commerce.

The car industry started to rebound with the “Cash for Clunkers” program encouraging buyers to trade in their old and inefficient cars for newer fuel efficient models.  Sears is piggy-backing on the idea and a similar program knows as “Cash for Appliance” rebate program has been implemented by the federal government for energy efficient appliances. Sears is helping consumers better understand and access the $300 million available in rebates. The rebate gives you the chance to recycle your old, inefficient appliances and get cash back when you purchase ENERGY STAR-qualified appliances. So if you are planning on rehabbing, remodeling, or renewing your kitchen, laundry, or basement…the time is now. Many states will launch their rebates over the next few months; however, each program will differ state-to-state dollars available, qualifying appliances, recycling requirements, and a few other stipulations. Nevertheless this is definitely a way for homeowners to not only save money but to also help save the environment.

Sears is working closely with state and  local government officials to develop various consumer resources to help track the state-by-state programs. The Sears websiteincludes an interactive map that allows Americans to easily locate information about their state’s rebates. In addition, the Sears Blue Appliance Crew will gladly fill out the rebate forms for you before you ever leave the store! If you are anything like me once you get home rebate infomation somehow never seems to make it into the mail.

As part of the rebate program, the Department of Energy recommends all states to encourage recycling. States likes Florida offer additional rebates for recycling, while California requires it. Sears also offers anther great program called the Responsible Appliance Disposal (RAD) program. In fact, Sears is the first and only retailer that is certified by the EPA to participate in RAD program.

How the RAD program works?
For those of us who don’t know how to properly dispose of their old appliances…Sears is there to help! The Sears Haul Away Service (through RAD) will provide removal of the one old, inefficient appliance for each new appliance purchased and delivered.  Once the old appliance is removed, Sears and its partners ensure that the disposal process takes place in an environmentally friendly manner to avoid the discarding of appliances in landfills, which significantly reduces emissions of ozone depleting substances and greenhouse gases.

Go to the Sears website to check out the details of the Cash for Appliances rebate program or the Responsible Appliance Disposal program. If you are considering new appliances Sears my be your way to GO GREEN. Out with the old and in with the new. Save the planet and save dollars.

If you haven’t heard about a Bloom Box, it may be the future of energy generation and can get your home off the grid. The Bloom Box is brought to you by Bloom Energy. Bloom energy was featured on 60 Minutes last night talking about their revolutionary new product. This is the interview done on CBS last night.

I won’t rehash what is the video but think of some of the ramifications:

• Each home making its own energy
• No more power lines over head creating visual clutter
• Reduced if not eliminated electric bills (would be replaced with much smaller fuel bill)

Bloom Energy will be making its public announcement tomorrow. Bloom Energy should be very well received especially since it has huge clients who have purchased and are testing it such as – eBay, Google, Staples, FedEx, and Walmart. If these mammoth companies are seeing savings and have not disposed of this tech then I think we should definitely take some notice.

The only dark side, I see coming out of this is that the price does not drop to the point where everyone has access, and the electric companies just integrate the technology into their systems and keep their prices the same. Thus the electric companies continue to make huge profits. Then again Google is now in the utilities business and Google has the motto of  ”don’t be evil.”

Some naysayers say it still uses hydrocarbons to run which is true but it will use considerably less and it can also use biofuels, processed algae biofuels, and methane gas from numerous sources. By any means if it reduces the amount of carbon produced it is a win for right now while other renewable technologies are improved.

UPDATE: February 26, 2010

Bloom Energy had their huge unveiling party earlier this week with great fan fair at Ebay. Here are some videos. The first is a Q&A with the CEO K.R. Sridhar and the second of the Bloom Boxes installed at Ebay.

Image Source:
CBS News

Sources:
http://www.bloomenergy.com/
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/02/18/60minutes/main6221135.shtml
http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2010/02/is-bloom-energy’s-secret-ingredient-zirconia/
http://www.dailytech.com/Is+the+Magic+Alternative+Energy+Bloom+Box+for+Real/article17752.htm

What if the drywall you put in your spaces was more than just a smooth surface to be painted or hang a picture on? Imagine if the walls served another purpose of regulating the buildings temperature. Well the future is almost here. ThermalCORE! Thermal Core is a National Gypsum product using BASF phase change technology.

How it works! This is my simplified understanding of how it works. So, BASF created a phase change technology that uses these little acrylic bubbles filled with paraffin wax. The wax when it warms up becomes a liquid and absorbs heat and when it cools down it solidifies and releases heat. Well, National Gypsum is taking this tech and putting it into drywall. By doing so, they add insulating properties to the drywall.

Some reports say that this product can reduce heating and cooling cost by 20%. They are still in the process of testing it and bringing it to the States. I am sure with all the Green Initiatives and growing knowledge about how much energy buildings are eating up that this product will be out sooner than later. If I could I would renovate my whole house in it.

Concerns? Since they have added acrylic and wax to the wall. How does that effect the fire rating? How sustainable is the product with those additional ingredients?

What do you think about this new drywall? Do you have any concerns or praise about the idea?

Source: ThermalCORE via Tech Review

A few of my concerns:

• How does this brick compare to the common brick structurally?
• How much water will it absorb before it starts to channel it?
• How durable is it?
• Would this be better compared to stucco than brick?

Either way, I think this is a great idea but as a practical replacement for brick not so much. I think it will fall in the middle where it will be used on projects that want the look of brick but do not need it for structure. I.E. Atlantic  Station in Atlanta, GA which has faux painted stucco bricks. What do you think about the Save Water Bricks? Leave your comments below.

Source: IIDA via Yanko Designs

Source: Thermeleon and Fast Company

The Lotte Super Tower will become the world’s second tallest building when it is completed in 2014 in Seoul, South Korea. Lotte Tower, which will be the the head quarters for the Lotte Group, will stand an amazing 1,821 feet tall, that is more than a third of a mile. The project designed by Kohn Pederson Fox Architects, a design firm with its headquarters in New York, is striving for this project to be LEED Silver Certified. Lotte Tower will practically be a self contained city with mass transit connections to the outside world. Inside the tower, there will be offices, retail, apartments and a hotel.

Sources: Kohn Pederson Fox Architects and Inhabitat

There are have been great strides in making the the world more green and here goes another one. The solar powered traffic light designed by Cheng-Tsung Feng, Yao-Chieh Lin  and Bo-Jin Wang, who won the 2009 Lite-On Award (Silver Level). This new and innovative traffic light is an attempt to make the infrastructure of the city more sustainable. The light uses Discolor LED (Light Emitting Diode) technology. This technology integrated into the light, allows one light to take the place of the traditional three light system. The single light changes to green, amber and red. By using LEDs, which have become more common in traffic lights, the lights use less energy and by condensing three lights down to one the energy use is further reduced. The design in general is quite ingenious by incorporating the solar panels as a hood.

Source: Yanko Design

Do you know how the Sydney Opera House is an iconic and international travel destination? Well here comes the next big urban icon. The Taichung Convention Center in Taichung City, Taiwan, <– link to Google Maps. The convention center was designed by Beijing based MAD Architects. MAD architects is a young firm made up of some pretty impressive individuals with awards from all over the place. For their first project in Taiwan, these MAD architects have designed something extraordinary. The pleated skin that covers the whole facility is a work of art in its own right, but it also serves a practical purpose too. The practical applications of the pleated skin are air flow throughout the buildings and power via the intergrated solar cells. The concepts of sustainability went beyond mondern thinking to draw on "Eastern philosophy of a harmonized synthesis between human and nature." This large project also took the form from the typical convietion center made up of blocks to a collective form that drapes from one area to the next. This pleated and draped structure will definitely redefine Tiachung from a city to a true International Cultrual Center.

Who would think that you could turn your breakfast into clothes? Maybe you but not me. And at the end of NY fashion week with a late breakfast, these two ideas collided. To make it even better, lets throw in some sustainability. Many may think sustainability, fashion and breakfast have nothing more in common than me writing this, but those people are WRONG. There are some really smart people out there making it happen. Just a few sources for these green fabrics that will make sustainable fashion a reality are Milk, Soy, and Coffee.

Milk
Filo Di Latte (literally translated – thread of milk) is a world wide patented textile technology that is owned by Mapier. How do you turn milk into fabric, you ask? Warning – Do not attempt at home. Evidently, they have to dehydrate the milk, then place in a centrifuge, a little bioengineering tweek or two. The result is a soft and healthy fiber that has all the characteristics and amino acids of milk. This new and fabulous fabric can be used all by its self or blended with luxurious fabrics like cashmere and silk. The only reason this fabric has not been adopted more quickly is that it takes 100 pounds of skim milk to make 3 pounds of Filo di latte.

http://www.senses-is.com/eng/home.html

Soy
I would never think that they could make anything else out of soy but someone has. That someone is Uranus Apparel, UA may have an odd name but they have a eco-friendly product, which closes the loop on soy. UA uses by-products from the soy food industry that would be considered waste to produce their line of boy-short underwear for women. The UA underwear is machine-washable, dryer safe, absorbent and breathable. This soft and comfortable soy fabric has been compared to silk, cashmere, and “being totally naked.”

http://www.uranusapparel.com/

Coffee
No, seriously! Coffee once your sustainable source for energy on those late night projects has become a sustainable source for clothing. Jason Chen, general manager of Singtex Industries, had this brainwave while sipping coffee with his co-workers at—where else?—Starbucks, according to the Taipei Times. After years of research and development they found a process to “extract and transform waste coffee grounds into S.Cafe yarn.” They tout that this new fabric will dry quickly, protect against UV rays and control odors all while reducing the strain on landfills (which is where most of your coffee grounds go after your coffee is made… just fyi). So the next time you have a cup of coffee, think about the fact that that one cup can make two t-shirts.

http://www.scafe.com.tw/

Source: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/08/weird-eco-fabrics.php