the energy bubble

MOTOR MONDAY = Riding the TOD Wave

2012-02-13T06:00:00.000-05:00

Beauregard plan brings better buses, affordable housing
greatergreaterwashington.org

The city of Alexandria is in a period of transition. As older suburban strips come under increasing pressure to redevelop, the city is working hard on solutions to transportation issues and increasing the supply of affordable housing. The Beauregard area plan is a key example of these challenges and potential solutions.
"We're growing as a city and as a region, so how do we manage that growth?" This was the focus of Alexandria Deputy Director of Planning and Zoning Jeff Farner as he presented the draft Beauregard Small Area Plan at a recent press conference.
Beauregard, which lies northwest of I-395 between the Landmark area and King St, is currently comprised of low density garden style apartments. But with the addition of Bus Rapid Transit, additional density, and the preservation of 703 units of affordable housing, the area is primed for change.
Alexandria is in a period of urbanization, a transformation from largely suburban apartment housing, strip mall shopping centers, and industrial brownfield areas to a series of walkable, mixed-use, transit oriented places. At the same time, the housing stock in much of Alexandria is aging and reaching the end of its useful life.
Now the city is working feverishly, using a rare opportunity when so many developments need to be replaced within a few decades to undo mistakes of the past 40 to 50 years. Simultaneously, the city is riding the Transit Oriented Development wave and filling in formerly industrial brownfield sites while trying to keep traffic impacts to a minimum.
Not everyone welcomes all these changes. Real estate values in walkable neighborhoods are on the rise, a sure sign that demand for such units outstrips supply. Unfortunately, that also means creating new walkable places will often drive housing prices out of the affordable range, even for those making 70 or 80% of Area Median Income (AMI).
But what can be done when a building reaches the end of its useful life? With today's construction costs, even renovating or rebuilding an old building will drive rent prices out of reach for many existing residents.
Deputy City Manager Mark Jinks highlighted one example of this in the Beauregard corridor, where the Encore building saw rent increases of 90% after renovation. Jinks warned that without proper planning, this pattern will be repeated as developers update and replace their aging buildings and look to recoup costs.
With the Beauregard Small Area Plan, Alexandria may have partially solved that problem. Under the proposed plan, as the corridor rebuilds, the 5 developers involved will fund the majority of the creation of 703 dedicated affordable and workforce housing units. The development footprint currently contains over 5,500 total units of housing.
According to the plan, "approximately 44% of the existing units [in the plan area] are market rate affordable units, which constitutes more than 25% of the City's total market affordable housing inventory." Of the current 2515 units of market rate affordable housing, the plan as drafted would ensure that 28% of the existing affordable housing units are retained as dedicated affordable and workforce housing units. Depending on future market rates, additional housing may stay in the affordable range.
The units will be broken down into three levels of affordability, with those making a maximum of 55%, 65%, and 80% of AMI eligible to rent the various units. As is the standard, rents of affordable housing units will be set to a maximum 30% of the AMI tier.
For example from the following chart, 60% of AMI is currently about $58,050 for a three-person household, and rent for a two bedroom apartment is set to a maximum of $1,432 per month and a three bedroom comes in at no more than $1,655. The two bedroom rate is below 30% of their earnings, while the three bedroom comes in slightly above. Of course, those making less than 55% of of AMI are still eligible to rent the units as long as they are tenants in good standing. In some cases, housing vouchers could help lower earning tenants make rent.
Each affordable housing unit will cost the City somewhere in the ballpark of $47,000. Montgomery County recently posed as much as $90,000 per affordable housing unit in a similarly sized affordable housing push. Alexandria's lower share per unit in this plan appears due to the developer picking up a substantial chunk of the cost in exchange for upzoning.
The Beauregard Small Area Plan covers 220 acres, more than three times the 70 acres of the North Potomac Yard Small Area Plan. The planning process was led by a developer-funded consultant working closely with the City and the community over a 2-year planning period.
The study area currently contains development totaling about 6 million square feet. Current zoning allows up to about 10 million square feet, but the plan calls for upzoning to allow 12-million square feet of development. This would include a minimum of 250,000 square feet of retail between a town center area and around a traffic oval dubbed "the ellipse".
As a comparison, the Potomac Yard plan allows up to 7.5 million square feet in approximately one third of the acreage, making the Beauregard plan almost exactly half as dense as the Potomac Yard plan. However, even at half the density of the Potomac Yard plan, this upzoning would bring a very large development proffer.
The developer contribution of $187 million will be augmented by $33 million from tax revenues for an extensive list of community benefits.
The most dramatic changes will be Bus Rapid Transit along the entire corridor, the dedicated affordable housing units, the creation of the "ellipse" traffic oval at the intersection of Seminary and Beauregard Roads, a new fire station, and an expanded street-grid with smaller block sizes. These specific contributions will be in addition to typical developer public benefits such as streetscape enhancement, sewer and utility upgrades, public art, etc.

upzoning... density + walkability = value

FAB FRIDAY = A house built in a day

2012-02-10T06:00:00.000-05:00

Prefab LEED-certified home to be Modernism centerpiece
www.MyDesert.com

The prefab modern house that went up on North Palm Canyon Drive on Monday is clean and green and took only about a day to install on a vacant lot north of Alejo Road. The house, a project of Santa Monica-based LivingHomes, will be the centerpiece of a Prefab Showcase planned for Palm Springs Modernism Week Feb. 16-26. The three-bedroom house — made up of three components — was prefabricated in a factory before being installed in about eight hours on a long-vacant lot north of Alejo. It's designed to LEED Platinum standards, with minimal energy use or carbon emissions, said Alan Hotchkiss, a junior designer with the firm.
As a small crew of workmen maneuvered the units off trucks and linked them together, reactions from curious passersby were mostly positive. “It's got interesting design,” Michael Napoli of Palm Springs said. “I like the notion of a sustainable house.” “I think it's wonderful,” said Mike Brill, a Palm Springs resident out for a morning walk with his wife, Carol, and the couple's Australian cattle dog, Luna. “Obviously, it reflects the modern, Albert Frey period.” Frey, one of the seminal midcentury modern architects, designed Palm Springs City Hall and the Tramway Valley Station.
LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, a rating system for energy-efficient buildings developed by the U.S. Green Building Council. Platinum is the highest of four rating levels. Modernism Week officials said the house and Prefab Showcase are a natural extension of the event's focus on midcentury architecture and design. “There have been requests from people coming to town to see something more green, more sustainable,” said J. Chris Mobley, a Palm Springs designer who is organizing the showcase. “Today, there are so many new homes and products that are inspired by midcentury modernism but developed in a more eco-friendly manner.”

looking west, again... in the 'design desert' that is currently accepted housing, this model is inspired by the future

POWER WEDNESDAY = Less of an Eyesore

2012-02-08T06:00:00.000-05:00

BAYERNLB ARRANGES US$48.5M PROJECT FINANCING FOR GERMAN PROJECT
thinkgeoenergy.com
In a release by the bank, German BayernLB announced it “has structured and successfully implemented the first private project financing of a geothermal plant in the Free State of Bavaria in cooperation with the development company Süddeutsche Geothermie-Projekte Gesellschaft (SGG).
The long-term financing for the power plant in Dürrnhaar near Aying has a volume of EUR 35.6 million. Shareholders HOCHTIEF PPP Solutions, a subsidiary of HOCHTIEF Concessions, and RENERCO Renewable Energy Concepts AG, in which Baywa AG holds a majority stake, each own a fifty percent share of SGG.
Development company SGG is the first partner in Germany which has already been able to successfully tap into the subterranean heat source over 3,000 metres below ground using its own funds. Project Dürrnhaar thus kicks off a series of geothermal power plants of the 5 megawatt category developed by SGG.
“The power plant, situated south east of Munich, is the fourth geothermal project in Upper Bavaria that BayernLB has supported. What makes this project unique is its private character, as in previous geothermal projects in Bavaria, BayernLB and other banks always acted as partners to a municipality. In the case of the Dürrnhaar plant, on the other hand, the customer is a company with no municipal background,” BayernLB informs.
The only source of repayment in this type of financing is the forecast cash flow over the term of the project. BayernLB expects the proportion of privately financed geothermal projects to increase in future.
Alexander von Dobschütz, head of the Project Financing division at BayernLB, said, “Financing the geothermal plant in Dürrnhaar will enable BayernLB to prove its structuring expertise and make a further contribution to supplying environmentally-friendly energy to our home market of Bavaria. In the next few years we expect more municipal and also private geothermal power plants to be developed in the region.

alternative energy plants aren’t just smart, they’re good-looking

MOTOR MONDAY = Prius Fallacy

2012-02-06T06:00:00.000-05:00

It's Too Easy Being Green
online.wsj.com

A favorite trick of people who consider themselves friends of the environment is reframing luxury consumption preferences as gifts to humanity. A new car, a solar-powered swimming-pool heater, a 200-mile-an-hour train that makes intercity travel more pleasant and less expensive, better-tasting tomatoes—these are the sacrifices we're prepared to make for the future of the planet.
Our capacity for self-deception can be breathtaking. In 2010, a forward-thinking friend of mine took me for a ride in a Ford Fusion, a gas-electric hybrid that gets more miles per gallon than comparable cars with conventional engines. His dashboard fuel gauge filled with images of intertwining green foliage, a symbolic representation of the environmental benefits we were apparently dispensing from the tailpipe as we aimlessly drove around.
I felt a twinge of idiotic virtue while in that car, as I also do when I leave an especially large pile of cans, bottles and newspapers at the end of my driveway for the recycling truck. Like many concerned Americans, I'm susceptible to the Prius Fallacy: a belief that switching to an ostensibly more benign form of consumption turns consumption itself into a boon for the environment.
If only all big problems could be tackled with product substitution. We're consumers at heart, and our response to difficulties of all kinds usually involves consumption in one form or another. My car's a problem? Tell me what to drive instead. Wrong water heater? I'll switch. Kitchen counters not green? I'll replace them. The challenge arises when consumption itself is at issue. The world faces a long list of environmental challenges, yet most so-called solutions are either irrelevant or make the real problems worse. That's the conundrum facing anyone who yearns for "sustainability."

reduced demand to a preindustrial level may be our fate, not choice

FAB FRIDAY = Innovation through Simplicity

2012-02-03T06:00:00.000-05:00

Olpererhütte
hermann-kaufmann.at

For more than a hundred years, a shelter had been standing at this exposed location high above the “Schlegeisspeicher” reservoir; opposite it were the glaciers and the mountain tops of the Zillertal Alps. Since refurbishment of the old building was impossible, in 2005 the decision was made to build a new one.
The architect’s office Kaufmann, with its motto of “innovation through simplicity”, won the invited architectural competition. Hermann Kaufmann: “High elevation construction did and still does depend on the availability of transportation. The old hut was made of stones from the surrounding area. The transport of large quantities of construction material from the valley was not feasible in those days; the labor-intensive stone masonry was cheaper. Modern means of transportation, such as the helicopter, have changed things. Prefabricated construction materials, together with the new possibilities provided by glue-laminated timber allow for easy transport. Furthermore, they can be quickly assembled, which is an important aspect in high elevation construction. In addition, the physical qualities of timber allow for direct and optimal ecological construction: The glue-laminated timber panels have both load-bearing and insulation properties. Extra insulation – the hut is only open in the summer – was not required. This pure timber structure without insulation materials, cladding etc. can – plainly spoken – just rot up there. Due to the harsh weather conditions, we have shingled the outer surfaces and in a few years, the grayed wood will have entered into dialog with the surrounding world of stone.” Kaufmann deliberately designed the hut as a refuge and not as a hotel. It is a summer hut; the comfort is commensurate with the expectations reasonable for such a location. The entrance and bedrooms are unheated. The building utilities are limited to a minimum; a tiled stove and the waste heat of the photovoltaic and canola oil powered CHP used for water purification both supply the building with heat. The motto of “innovation through reduction” is already reflected in the typological approach. A compact structure with a pitched roof, cantilevered over a retaining wall towards the reservoir, has replaced the old building. The concrete base, which has been clad with stone from the surrounding area, has been backfilled with rubble from the demolition, the house itself consists of glue-laminated spruce timber. The outer walls of the ground floor act as support plates and are, in order to reduce the load on the cantilever, hinge jointed to the base. Mounted to these cantilevers is the large-format picture-window on the gable wall. Suspended from this are the floor plates of the restaurant. The bracing is provided by the floor plate and by the roof, which also acts as a slab. A small, thermally insulated auxiliary building serves as winter shelter and accommodation for selfcaterers. (Otto Kapfinger - wood works)

past & future meet... tread lightly

POWER WEDNESDAY = Bridge Too Far?

2012-02-01T06:00:00.000-05:00

Fracking Would Emit Large Quantities of Greenhouse Gases
scientificamerican.com

Add methane emissions to the growing list of environmental risks posed by fracking.
Opposition to the hydraulic fracturing of deep shales to release natural gas rose sharply last year over worries that the large volumes of chemical-laden water used in the operations could contaminate drinking water. Then, in early January, earthquakes in Ohio were blamed on the disposal of that water in deep underground structures. Yesterday, two Cornell University professors said at a press conference that fracking releases large amounts of natural gas, which consists mostly of methane, directly into the atmosphere—much more than previously thought.
Robert Howarth, an ecologist and evolutionary biologist, and Anthony Ingraffea, a civil and environmental engineer, reported that fracked wells leak 40 to 60 percent more methane than conventional natural gas wells. When water with its chemical load is forced down a well to break the shale, it flows back up and is stored in large ponds or tanks. But volumes of methane also flow back up the well at the same time and are released into the atmosphere before they can be captured for use. This giant belch of "fugitive methane" can be seen in infrared videos taken at well sites.
Molecule for molecule, methane traps 20 to 25 times more heat in the atmosphere than does carbon dioxide. The effect dissipates faster, however: airborne methane remains in the atmosphere for about 12 years before being scrubbed out by ongoing chemical reactions, whereas CO2 lasts 30 to 95 years. Nevertheless, recent data from the two Cornell scientists and others indicate that within the next 20 years, methane will contribute 44 percent of the greenhouse gas load produced by the U.S. Of that portion, 17 percent will come from all natural gas operations.
Currently, pipeline leaks are the main culprit, but fracking is a quickly growing contributor. Ingraffea pointed out that although 25,000 high-volume shale-gas wells are already operating in the U.S., hundreds of thousands are scheduled to go into operation within 20 years, and millions will be operating worldwide, significantly expanding emissions and keeping atmospheric methane levels high despite the 12-year dissipation time.
Howarth said he is particularly concerned about fracking emissions because recent data indicates that the planet is entering a period of rapid climate change. He noted that the average global temperature compared with the early 1900s is now expected to increase by 1.5 degrees Celsius within the next 15 to 35 years, which he called "a tipping point" toward aggressive climate change. More and more fracking would speed the world to that transition or undermine efforts to reduce emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases. The notion, Ingraffea said, that shale gas is a desirable "bridge fuel" from oil to widespread renewable energy supplies several decades from now "makes no sense" in terms of climate change.

bridge too far... taxing our environment for the perception of conservation

MOTOR MONDAY = Hybrid Racing + Research

2012-01-30T07:00:00.000-05:00

Toyota Will Field Two New LMP1 Hybrid Racecars at Le Mans
insideline.com

Toyota Racing will enter two of its new Le Mans Prototypes in this year's running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with the primary objective of development and refinement of the high-performance hybrid gas-electric power train. The company unveiled the new TS030 Hybrid racecar and elaborated on its plans in an announcement Tuesday.
"Hybrid is a core technology of Toyota so it is important to demonstrate this in a motorsport arena," team President Yoshiaki Kinoshita said. Alex Wurz, Nicolas Lapierre and Kazuki Nakajima are set as drivers for one of the two entries. The second car's driver lineup has not been confirmed.
The Toyota Hybrid System-Racing (THS-R) powertrain and new carbon-fiber chassis underwent extensive testing earlier this month at the Paul Ricard circuit in France. The new car is scheduled to make its competition debut May 5 in the Six Hours of Spa in Belgium, the second round of the FIA World Endurance Championship.
THS-R consists of an all-new 3.4-liter normally aspirated gasoline V8 and an electric motor, with capacitor storage developed by partner Nisshinbo. Toyota returns for its third attempt in the historic Le Mans endurance classic at Circuit de la Sarthe in June.
The LMP1 field has been weakened by the recent withdrawal of Peugeot, which took on Audi in a titanic duel of cars powered by turbocharged diesel engines. Sanctioning body Automobile Club de l'Ouest continues to make rules changes to minimize the advantage of the diesels, but Audi remains the prohibitive favorite.
"Of course, we would love to win Le Mans," Kinoshita said. "That is the dream for all competitors in this race. But we are realistic and we know we need to develop and to learn in order to compete with some very strong competition. "Our target this year is to show the performance level of our car and particularly the THS-R power train."

not just cars... platforms for low carbon technologies & development

FAB FRIDAY = Synergy with the Environment

2012-01-27T06:00:00.000-05:00

Garden Rooms
initstudios.co.uk

We are a company that is passionate about designing and delivering the best in contemporary garden rooms. Our enthusiasm for architectural design, blended with an acute attention to detail and vast experience in the manufacturing industry has allowed us to offer a leading edge product that is a cut above the rest.

We pride ourself on the architectural aesthetics and quality we offer our customers and ensure we deliver a product that will meet and usually exceed expectations. We feel that our studios and company are leading the way forward in the market sector and is now a leading player in the supply, installation and manufacturing of timber framed garden buildings, studios, offices and houses.

in.it.studios utilises the manufacturing facilities and experience from its sister company Bark Joinery. This unique position has allowed in.it.studios to manufacture all the components in-house in a controlled environment. Not only does this ensure quality is kept to a high standard, it also offers considerable savings which we gladly pass onto our customers. Additionally, we are not restricted in our design to relying on suppliers and are fortunate to be able to offer a design and aesthetic that cannot be matched.

The original and primary goal was to challenge the current garden studio market as it was felt that the current available products lacked design, creativity, function and aesthetics. Many years later, this has now come to realisation and we feel that in.it.studios offers the best in contemporary garden rooms in both design and aesthetics, cost and materials.

got garden... got extra space solutions

POWER WEDNESDAY = Concentrated Solar Power Plant

2012-01-25T06:00:00.000-05:00

Scientists look to Sunflowers for Solar Panel Design
earthsky.org

In early 2012, researchers at MIT announced a design that might make concentrated solar power arrays more feasible and useful. Use of these multi-mirrored solar power production facilities has been hindered by the large areas of land they require. Yet the payoff might also be large, if we can get them right. Proponents suggest that concentrated solar energy plants could deliver up to a quarter of the world’s energy by 2050. In an effort to improve efficiency, a group at MIT led by Alexander Mitsos proposed to arrange the mirrors in a design based on the exquisite geometry of a sunflower’s florets.This biomimetic design – or design that mimics nature – might help make concentrated solar power plants take up less space and therefore become widely used.
Mitsos’ team worked in collaboration with RWTH Aachen University in Germany to devise the design, which they say reduces the amount of land required to build a concentrated solar power plant, while increasing the amount of sunlight its mirrors collect.
The researchers looked to Europe’s first commercial concentrating solar power tower – the PS10 solar power plant, operating near Seville in Spain. The PS10 solar power plant has a 100-meter-high pillar. The pillar is surrounded by rows of more than 600 mirrors, each the size of half a tennis court. The mirrors track the sun throughout the day, and they concentrate sunlight on a reservoir of water in the central tower. The concentrated light is used to steam the water, turn turbines, and generate electricity — enough to power 6,000 homes, in the case of the PS10 tower.
So far, so good, but the design has its flaws. The main issue with this type of plant is how to direct the maximum amount of reflected sunlight toward the reservoir. One issue is that you want to minimize the amount of reflected light that simply hits the back of an adjacent mirror apparatus, instead of traveling to the tower. The obvious thing to do is to space out each individual mirror at a greater distance. However, the more spaced out the mirrors are, the farther away from the tower they are. This results in less power reaching the tower as an appreciable amount of the reflected rays simply gets absorbed in the air. So, you want to arrange the mirrors as close to the tower as possible without them getting in the way of each other.

like bees in a hive... many hands make light work

MOTOR MONDAY = Use of electric cars for commuting makes sense

2012-01-23T06:00:00.000-05:00

How far do we drive and can EVs satisfy our needs?
solarjourneyusa.com

The one-way trip distance distribution may not be a good indicator of the necessary range for an electric car. This is especially true for the first years of implementation, as the charging infrastructure for EVs is limited to Level 1 and Level 2 chargers at the owners’ homes. For this reason, daily driven distances for vehicles were calculated, assuming the EVs will be charged overnight. Trip distances were summed for unique Vehicle IDs and plotted in the same histogram and cumulative distribution graphs. Note that the graphs do not include cars that were not used on the Travel Day.
With car trips aggregated for the Travel Day, 93% of all vehicle-days show a total distance below 100 miles. It is important to note that only vehicle-days are included where the cars were used that day. As was mentioned before, 39% of cars owned by the participating households were not used on the Travel Day.
The use of electric cars for commuting makes sense, as the daily commute is typically of fixed length and employees’ parking space is likely to be one of the first places where charging stations will be installed.

it's the commute... biggest impact comes from shortest distances

FAB FRIDAY = This one will grow on you

2012-01-20T06:00:00.000-05:00

Industrialized prototype for a growing house
herrerosarquitectos.com

Industrialized modular housing prototype that allows growth and changes over time. All building systems, are ready to be installed without complex construction procedures.
This elements are manufactured in specialized factories composing single complete units, including all the interior finishes, up to the maximum size supported by the conventional transport (3m wide, 2.50m high, and up to 12m long).
Only the last layer of the facade and the roof is put in place to ensure continuity, overlap and waterproofing of the material junctions. Interior partitions, storage and fixed furniture are incorporated to the vertical walls, which house highly qualified technical facilities, automation and electronic systems and other elements, are tailored to the program for each configuration. The resulting collection provides quality, control on the schedules of the construction, maintenance plans and desirable chances for growth, that come up much better than with traditional construction. The principles of sustainable economy and the spirit of recycling guide and support all the project decisions.

natural design strategy for growth... open-ended, flexible, responsive

POWER WEDNESDAY = Navigating the New Normal

2012-01-18T06:00:00.000-05:00

JWT 10 Trends for 2012 Executive Summary
slideshare.net

JWT’s 10 Trends for 2012 report is the result of quantitative, qualitative and desk research conducted by JWTIntelligence throughout the year. For this report, we conducted quantitative surveys in the U.S. and the U.K. using SONAR, JWT’s proprietary online tool. (We surveyed 531 Americans and 524 Britons age 18-plus from Oct. 31-Nov. 8; data are weighted by age, gender and income.) We also received input from nearly 70 JWT planners across more than two dozen markets, and we interviewed experts and influencers across sectors including technology, luxury, social responsibility and academia.

In this 102-page trend report:
• Executive Summary
• Navigating the New Normal
• Live a Little
• Generation Go
• The Rise of Shared Value
• Food as the New Eco-Issue
• Marriage Optional
• Reengineering Randomness
•  Screened Interactions 
• Celebrating Aging
• Objectifying Objects

experts say... embrace the here & now

MOTOR MONDAY = Change is Green

2012-01-16T06:00:00.000-05:00

AMP Fleets
ampelectricvehicles.com

AMP offers a practical way to upgrade your fleet to electric: we remove the gasoline-combustion engine and install an all-electric powertrain in its place. The rest of the vehicle remains the same. You’ll still have the same space, features and versatility that you always had, but without the high cost of fuel.

UPFIT TO ELECTRIC
When you upgrade any of your vehicles to electric, you’ll keep the removed gasoline-combustion engine parts to supply the rest of your fleet.

MAKE THE COMPARISON
Keep the same features you rely on and reduce your overhead.
$4 for 100 miles with an AMP all-electric vehicle.
$16 for 100 miles with a gasoline-powered van.
Note: Delivery vehicles that handle a daily route in stop-and-go city traffic will experience even greater energy savings. The electric powertrain will shut off and automatically restart when the driver presses on the accelerator. A gas-powered vehicle continues to use fuel when idling.

CHANGE IS GREEN
Making the switch to greener vehicles is within reach. Keep the same vehicles and features you need, and achieve zero emissions with an impressive return on your investment.

big hit of detroit auto show... this company combines the best existing technologies

FAB FRIDAY = Large-scale, Carbon-negative Building

2012-01-13T06:00:00.000-05:00

Straw Bale Cafe
modcell.com
This project comprises an extended 100 seat cafe, refurbished kitchen and cafe terrace for the Holme Lacy campus of the Herefordshire College of Technology. The extension was conceived as a College learning aid in low-impact environmental design , with the following features:

Prefabricated Construction: The building structure utilised ModCell® prefabricated straw bale Panels in order to minimise environmentally disruptive on-site works. It was assembled by a workforce comprising of 4 Nottingham University post-graduate students.

Demountable: The building is designed to be dismantled at end of 15 year design life and most components re-used / re-cycled.

Energy efficient: The building requires very little heating/cooling as the straw bale insulation is approximately 3x better than current regulations require. The building is naturally ventilated and makes use of natural daylight where possible. All artificial lights are on motion / daylight sensors.

On-site energy generation: The building generates up to 6kW of green electricity from a combination of photovoltaic panels and wind turbine.

Local Materials: The cedar cladding/boarding and organic straw insulation come from the College estate. Varieties for the green planted wall was sourced from local nurseries.

home grown... straw can be regrown so is totally renewable & can be collected from local farms so saving on transport

POWER WEDNESDAY = Huge Impact

2012-01-11T06:00:00.000-05:00

Zubabox - Solar Internet Hub
computeraid.org

In 2010 Computer Aid launched its first solar powered internet cafe called the ZubaBox. Zuba is the word for Sun in Nyanja - a language spoken in Zimbabwe, Malawi and Southern Zambia - the area where our first ZubaBox was deployed to harness power from the sun and provide internet connectivity for the community.
The ZubaBox has been designed to help rural communities access the IT and internet, which can have a huge impact on poverty reduction. For example, access to local weather forecasts allows farmers to adjust the planting and harvesting times of their crops, increasing agricultural productivity and food security. Additionally, learning IT skills at school means children will be able to gain better paid employment in the future.
Currently, many people in developing countries, particularly in rural areas, do not have access to electricity and the internet.

In 2008, the UN found that there were only 5.6 internet users in Zambia per 100 people, compared to nearly 80 internet users per 100 people in the UK.
Furthermore, in more than half of Africa’s countries, annual internet access costs range from more than 500% of average annual income to just over 100% of annual income.
In 2007, NEPAD stated that electricity access in the rural areas of many Sub-Saharan African countries can be as low as 1 % of the population, with an average of about 8 %

The ZubaBox aims to provide one way of overcoming these challenges by enabling access to both IT and the internet without the need for existing electricity and internet access.

So far Computer Aid have shipped three ZubaBoxes to Africa - one to Kenya and two to Zambia - and we hope to send many more!

pv + container = huge impact... systems integration is true power

MOTOR MONDAY = It's Important to Look Miraculous

2012-01-09T06:00:00.000-05:00

It’s Electric. Should It Look Electrifying?
nytimes.com
A CENTURY ago, when electric cars were popular — especially in cities and among women drivers — they looked discernibly different from gasoline-powered automobiles. In the age of the horseless carriage, the transportation historian James Flink wrote, electric cars looked even more like carriages.
Those early electric cars were upright and boxy, just the look that today’s designers are trying to avoid.
The electric cars on display this week at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit are adopting one of two overriding design philosophies: make it exciting, or make it familiar.
Joel Piaskowski, Ford’s director of exterior design for the Americas, says both approaches are valid. “Some people want to stand out and make that an expression,” he said. “Others want to be discreet.”
While the electric design studies of the recent past were often futuristic pods, the designs of the latest production models are dictated largely by one mundane factor: where the batteries go. The most common solution, in the vehicles’ floor, usually establishes what designers call the small-tall format.
Fitting the elements of electric drive into a conventional body can limit range or passenger space, and the small-tall configuration isn’t inherently stylish.
The challenge, said Adrian van Hooydonk, head of design of BMW, is to present the small-tall configuration in an attractive way. Many designers have resorted to visual tricks to keep electrics from looking gawky or humpy.
In an effort to reduce the car’s apparent height, the designers of the Chevrolet Volt, a General Motors team lead by Robert Boniface, worked to fool the viewer’s eye. They artificially lowered the beltline — essentially, the baseline of the car’s windows — by putting shiny black trim under the greenhouse. They added dark glass beneath the spoiler to make the rear seem less high-set.
Nissan designers kept the Leaf from looking goggle-eyed by reducing the headlights to blisters that swell above the hood. The designers also rolled the tail of the car backward and downward in an effort, not wholly successful, to hide its awkwardness.
But even within the small-tall genre, the cars’ shapes vary a great deal. The small electric car that Mitsubishi calls the “i” (adapted from the Japan-market i-MiEV) uses the same beanlike body as a gas model.
Franz von Holzhausen, who had been a designer for Volkswagen, General Motors and Mazda and is now chief designer at Tesla Motors, says that designing electrics does not require sacrificing style. To judge from the latest prototypes of the company’s Model S, he has achieved the sensuous lines of a traditional sports car, differentiated from an internal-combustion vehicle mostly by its grille.
Mr. Piaskowski of Ford says there are “two camps” on the design of hybrid and electric cars. “One is to have a dedicated architecture,” he said. “The other is to use an existing architecture.”
An start-up carmaker might expect a better reception if its models arrive in a familiar package. The Coda electric suggests a small, generic family sedan.
Likewise, mysterious new technology might find greater acceptance if it is embedded in a traditional body style. Ford’s electric Focus, for instance, is virtually indistinguishable from its gasoline-powered siblings.
Some analysts foresee a time when car buyers will pick from similar-looking cars that offer various types of electric, hybrid and conventional powertrains — much as shoppers now choose among 4-, 6- or 8-cylinder engines.
The other approach — to make electric cars look altogether different — offers drivers a way to actively demonstrate an ecological commitment and a faith in new technology.

pushing the envelope... perhaps more transparent vehicles will make for more civilized behavior

FAB FRIDAY: Burst My 2011 Bubble = good & cheap (111223)

2011-12-30T04:00:00.000-05:00

MIMA House
archdaily.com

MIMA started with the intention of planning a dwelling that responds directly to the lifestyle of nowadays’ societies. How can architecture adapt to the quick life changes and ambitions of a well informed and increasingly exigent society? MIMA architects researched for years to design a fast produced, flexible, light and cheap yet good quality product, wrapped up with a pleasant clean design.

More fundamentally, MIMA responds to the modern dream for clean sophisticated design and bright open spaces, launching in the housing market a dream 36 sqm dwelling which costs the same as a mid-range car.

MIMA’s concept is fundamentally inspired on the traditional Japanese house, the perfect paradigm for lightness, flexibility, comfort and pleasing lines. The restrained order of its standardized building parts appealed to MIMA architects as the hallmark of a deeply rooted culture, confirmed over centuries and easily adaptable to any new development.

convergence solution... low-price/high-performance (we waited all year for a winner, but with this amazing formula 2012 will really be popping! 12/30/11)

FAB FRIDAY: 2011 #3 = Upcycled Container Cafe in Austin (110304)

2011-12-30T03:00:00.000-05:00

Trailer Treasure:
La Boite

austin360.com | 11.17.2010

The coffee-and-pastry trailer La Boîte (‘The Box') is like an aggregator site on the Web, tracking down interesting bits from local content producers, repackaging it and adding enough original content to make it its own.

The producers are places like Casa Brasil for coffee, Animal Organic Farms for greens, Pederson's Natural Farms for ham, Farmhouse Delivery for fruit and Dai Due for sausage and spreads.

Owners Victoria Davies and Dan Bereczki make way for sandwiches, too, but two things make La Boîte more than just a South Austin bake sale on a street-corner card table — or in this case an old 20-foot-by-8 foot shipping container mounted on wheels and painted white. Those two things are macarons and almond croissants.

more food for thought... the prefab pop-up of popovers

FAB FRIDAY: 2011 #2 = Art School & Exhibition Space (110325)

2011-12-30T02:00:00.000-05:00

Shipping Container Art School

inhabitat.com

LOT-EK has just won the New York AIA Chapter Honors Award for their APAP OpenSchool in Korea. The school which was inaugurated in the summer of 2010 is an art school featuring an open-air covered amphitheater, studios and exhibition space. Positioned over the popular Hawoon Park pedestrian walkway, along the Anyang River, the school is a welcome addition blending boldly with the tranquil surroundings and creating a salient burst of color set against a backdrop of monotone edifices. The criteria used by the AIA jury included design quality, program resolution, innovation, thoughtfulness and technique.

from the leading container designers... this little project is making a huge impact on the lives of these students

FAB FRIDAY: 2011 #1 = Pittsburgh People (110520)

2011-12-30T01:00:00.000-05:00

Shipping Containers: Creative Architecture at Work

buildipedia.com

One of the many advantages to shipping containers is their versatility. Moshier Studio worked with Los Angeles firm Koning Eizenberg Architecture to design a bicycle commuter center to supplement an adaptive reuse of a historic office building into affordable apartments in the Cultural District of downtown Pittsburgh. The building itself is seeking LEED Gold Certification, but the Bicycle Commuter Center also received an AIACC Merit Award for small projects. It included the use of two shipping containers, providing secure indoor and outdoor storage for almost 50 bicycles – for use both by residents of the building and the community at large. Moshier explains, “It’s really successful, and it’s completely leased out to tenants. Every time I’ve been by the extra bike racks are at least 75% full, and downtown has really turned into a pretty vibrant bicycling commuter community.” He continued to describe the added housing that has been introduced to the downtown Pittsburgh area -- over 1,000 units, not including added student housing, in the last few years. The Bicycle Commuter Center has thus been an important addition to downtown street life, facilitating a form of transportation that is both sustainable and embracing of community.

building blocks, coming to your block... great work pittsburgh people!

POWER WEDNESDAY: Burst My 2011 Bubble = Not-so-sunny San Francisco (110323)

2011-12-28T06:00:00.000-05:00

San Francisco mayor calls for city to go 100% renewable by 2020

www.grist.org

There was plenty of drink and slow food to be had at the Vote Solar bash, and a self-confident air of optimism among the largely young crowd. But given the politicians and corporate solar heavyweights like SunPower and Suntech backing the event, it's clear that the green scene promises to have far more staying power than the dot-com bubble.
"We've got to make sure this city is on 100 percent renewable energy," San Francisco Mayor Edwin Lee told the crowd. Folks in attendance were decked out in cowboy hats, to commemorate the defeat last year of Proposition 23 -- the ballot measure backed by Texas oil companies that would have derailed California's landmark global warming law.
"Not just municipal," added Lee, noting the city now generates 17 megawatts of solar electricity. "Everybody has got to do that. Everybody. We want the whole city in 2020 to be 100 percent renewable energy."
Adam Browning, VoteSolar's executive director, told partygoers that action on pro-solar policy would shift from Congress to the states.
"We've got real trouble and out of crisis comes opportunity," he said. "The way forward will probably not be at the federal level. Talk about real trouble. Which leaves us with our strategy at the state level."

sun city... vote for solar in your home town (it burst by bubble to learn that pittsburgh must play catch-up - 12/28/2011)

POWER WEDNESDAY: 2011 #3 = Piecemeal Reductions (111214)

2011-12-28T03:00:00.000-05:00

The Myth of Renewable Energy
thebulletin.org

"Clean." "Green." What do those words mean? When President Obama talks about "clean energy," some people think of "clean coal" and low-carbon nuclear power, while others envision shiny solar panels and wind turbines. And when politicians tout "green jobs," they might just as easily be talking about employment at General Motors as at Greenpeace. "Clean" and "green" are wide open to interpretation and misappropriation; that's why they're so often mentioned in quotation marks. Not so for renewable energy, however.
Somehow, people across the entire enviro-political spectrum seem to have reached a tacit, near-unanimous agreement about what renewable means: It's an energy category that includes solar, wind, water, biomass, and geothermal power. As the US Energy Department explains it to kids: "Renewable energy comes from things that won't run out -- wind, water, sunlight, plants, and more. These are things we can reuse over and over again. … Non-renewable energy comes from things that will run out one day -- oil, coal, natural gas, and uranium."
Renewable energy sounds so much more natural and believable than a perpetual-motion machine, but there's one big problem: Unless you're planning to live without electricity and motorized transportation, you need more than just wind, water, sunlight, and plants for energy. You need raw materials, real estate, and other things that will run out one day. You need stuff that has to be mined, drilled, transported, and bulldozed -- not simply harvested or farmed. You need non-renewable resources:
• Solar power. While sunlight is renewable -- for at least another four billion years -- photovoltaic panels are not. Nor is desert groundwater, used in steam turbines at some solar-thermal installations.
• Geothermal power. These projects also depend on groundwater -- replenished by rain, yes, but not as quickly as it boils off in turbines.
• Wind power. According to the American Wind Energy Association, the 5,700 turbines installed in the United States in 2009 required approximately 36,000 miles of steel rebar and 1.7 million cubic yards of concrete (enough to pave a four-foot-wide, 7,630-mile-long sidewalk).
• Biomass. In developed countries, biomass is envisioned as a win-win way to produce energy while thinning wildfire-prone forests or anchoring soil with perennial switchgrass plantings.
• Hydropower. Using currents, waves, and tidal energy to produce electricity is still experimental, but hydroelectric power from dams is a proved technology. It already supplies about 16 percent of the world's electricity, far more than all other renewable sources combined.
All of these technologies also require electricity transmission from rural areas to population centers. Wilderness is not renewable once roads and power-line corridors fragment it. And while proponents would have you believe that a renewable energy project churns out free electricity forever, the life expectancy of a solar panel or wind turbine is actually shorter than that of a conventional power plant. Even dams are typically designed to last only about 50 years. So what, exactly, makes renewable energy different from coal, oil, natural gas, and nuclear power?
Renewable technologies are often less damaging to the climate and create fewer toxic wastes than conventional energy sources. But meeting the world's total energy demands in 2030 with renewable energy alone would take an estimated 3.8 million wind turbines (each with twice the capacity of today's largest machines), 720,000 wave devices, 5,350 geothermal plants, 900 hydroelectric plants, 490,000 tidal turbines, 1.7 billion rooftop photovoltaic systems, 40,000 solar photovoltaic plants, and 49,000 concentrated solar power systems. That's a heckuva lot of neodymium.
Unfortunately, "renewable energy" is a meaningless term with no established standards. Like an emperor parading around without clothes, it gets a free pass, because nobody dares to confront an inconvenient truth: None of our current energy technologies are truly renewable, at least not in the way they are currently being deployed. We haven't discovered any form of energy that is completely clean and recyclable, and the notion that such an energy source can ever be found is a mirage.

demand less... the only real sustainability is lower consumption

POWER WEDNESDAY: 2011 #2 = 6 Renewable Energy Technologies (110511)

2011-12-28T02:00:00.000-05:00

Renewables Could Supply Majority of World's Energy by 2050
ens-newswire.com

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, May 10, 2011 (ENS) - Renewable sources of energy could meet 77 percent of the world's energy supply by mid-century if backed by enabling public policies, finds a new report endorsed by the member countries of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. By contrast, renewables met 13 percent of the world's total primary energy supply in 2008.
The rising adoption of renewable energies could lead to cumulative greenhouse gas savings equivalent to 220 to 560 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide (GtC02eq) between 2010 and 2050, the report finds.
The upper end of the scenarios assessed - a one-third cut in greenhouse gas emissions from business-as-usual projections - could help keep concentrations of the heat-trapping gases at 450 parts per million.
This could contribute towards a goal of holding the increase in global temperature below 2 degrees Celsius - an aim recognized in the United Nations Climate Convention's Cancun Agreements.
Abengoa Solar's PS10 solar power tower in Spain concentrates sunlight from a field of heliostats. (Photo by afloresm)
"The IPCC brought together the most relevant and best available information to provide the world with this scientific assessment of the potential of renewable energy sources to mitigate climate change," said IPCC Chairman Rajendra Pachauri, introducing the report. "The Special Report can serve as a sound knowledge basis for policymakers to take on this major challenge of the 21st century."
Approved by government representatives from 194 nations, the findings were released Monday as a summary for policymakers of the Special Report on Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Change Mitigation.
The summary is a short version of the thousand-page comprehensive assessment compiled by over 120 experts from around the world for IPCC's Working Group III. The full report is due out May 31, 2011.
Professor Ottmar Edenhofer, a German economist who serves as co-chair of Working Group III, said, "With consistent climate and energy policy support, renewable energy sources can contribute substantially to human well-being by sustainably supplying energy and stabilizing the climate."
"However," he cautioned, "the substantial increase of renewables is technically and politically very challenging."

something for every climate... which strategy do you feel holds the greatest promise for your projects?

POWER WEDNESDAY: 2011 #1 = Helix Wind (110112)

2011-12-28T01:00:00.000-05:00

Integrated Wind Turbine

Gideon Fink Shapiro | 12.06.2010

Despite their high-tech appearances and promise of free energy, building-integrated wind turbines have been criticized as ineffective, noisy, and incompatible with cities’ unpredictable wind patterns. One recent project that may prove more successful in matching wind energy with architecture is the Greenway Self Park, a partially self-powered, 11-story parking garage in downtown Chicago designed by HOK. The building’s dozen vertical-axis wind turbines, which are stacked in two double-helical columns along the southwest corner, have a specific, finite objective: Generate enough power to cover the cost of lighting the building exterior at night, including the elegant turbine system itself.

The design makes intelligent use of passive as well as active technologies for harnessing natural energy flows. Ventilation, for example, is accomplished without a mechanical plant because the garage’s porous skin—a tapestry of vertical cast-glass planks spaced at varying widths and overlaps—is at least 20 percent open on every level, meeting local code requirements. The client, Friedman Properties, saved several hundred thousand dollars on air handlers and ducts, according to HOK, and will also see savings on monthly utility costs. Interior light fixtures are conventionally powered, but shut off automatically in response to ambient daylight.

The 12 self-starting, lightweight aluminum S594 turbines, manufactured by Helix Wind, were selected for the relatively low wind velocity (11.1 mph) at which they start producing usable electricity, explains Todd Halamka, director of design for HOK’s Chicago office. Vertical-axis turbines can exploit wind from any direction at a wide range of velocities, a strong bonus for harnessing the fickle breezes of urban microenvironments. The more familiar horizontal-axis turbines—which resemble propellers—produce energy more efficiently, but they take up more space and are harder to integrate architecturally.

best systems integration of 2010 (Motor Monday - 100830)... jury still out on ROI, but this was one of the most significant projects from last year, not to mention HOK's celebration of chicago's famous windy reputation!

MOTOR MONDAY: Burst My 2011 Bubble = The only semi-budget-priced subcompact that offers remotely adequate acceleration (111031)

2011-12-26T09:00:00.000-05:00

2012 Fiat 500 vs. 2011 Mini Cooper Comparison Test and Video
insideline.com

We're not sure how we ended up on Mulholland Highway with the 2012 Fiat 500, but the little red hatchback is taking the abuse well. We chuck it into corner after corner, and it always takes a set (eventually) and then gathers itself up for the next challenge. As economy cars go, this Rosso Cinquecento is a gamer.
So is the 2011 Mini Cooper. There's no turbocharger or optional sport suspension on this base Cooper hardtop, but it doesn't matter. The Mini reacts to steering inputs like a good hitter who gets a fastball down the middle of the plate: It turns on them immediately and delivers us to the apex quicker than we expected.
Maybe we're missing the point of the Fiat 500 and Mini Cooper, hammering on them like this. These are already hip cars. They don't get more hip when you put a sweaty Inside Line editor in the cockpit. Eventually, though, the puppy-dog cuteness will wear off, and you'll want to be left with a hatchback you actually like driving — rather than a tiresome pet car you wish you'd never brought home.

Apple vs. Smaller, Cheaper Apple
The Mini Cooper's 15 minutes of fame ended years ago. But this car has lasting appeal. It's as big a cultural icon as the Snuggles fabric softener bear, and every time we get behind the wheel of one, the car's sharp responses suck us right back in like it's 2002.
Of course, buying a Mini isn't as cheap as it used to be. Our Cooper hatchback starts at $20,100, and optioning it with essentials like the Value package (which provides Bluetooth and an iPod adapter), Sport package (16-inch wheels and sport seats), xenon headlights and a center armrest pushes it past $23K.
Additionally, this 2011 Cooper was built during a promotional period when Mini threw in the Cold Weather group (ordinarily $675) for free if you bought the Value package. Tack on our test car's Mini Yours tats/bathtub appliqués ($250) and you land at $23,600 — just shy of the Cooper S hardtop's $23,700 base price. Prices increase $100 for the 2012 model year, but otherwise the Mini is unchanged.
Meanwhile, the 2012 Fiat 500 is the hatchback of the hour in the United States. Nobody who stops to talk about the car asks us how fast it is or how it handles. They just want to sit in the little Italian car with the vintage design. A good day in the 2012 Fiat 500 involves picking up our dry-cleaning and treating ourselves to overpriced organic berries.
It certainly doesn't hurt that the base price on our long-term 500 Sport model is just $18,000, and it comes standard with 16-inch wheels, Bluetooth and a USB input to boot. With the addition of a sunroof, satellite radio and an alarm that makes a loud noise if anyone tries to appropriate your Fiat, the total is $19,200.
Mind you, you're buying considerably less car. The Fiat is 7 inches shorter than the Mini nose to tail and more than 2 inches slimmer across the shoulders. It rides on a 6.5-inch shorter wheelbase and a 2-inch narrower track (2.8 inches narrower in back). Fiat's kid has a pointed head, though — it's 4.4 inches taller than the flat-top Cooper.

now you know my personal preference... so small, yet so fun!

MOTOR MONDAY: 2011 #3 = Bully for you, Bulli for me! (110307)

2011-12-26T06:00:00.000-05:00

Volkswagen Bulli Concept is a Microbus redux for Geneva

autoblog.com

Remember the 2001 Volkswagen Microbus concept? For those who need reminding, it was a new look at an old icon – one that got enthusiasts and the automotive press all hot and bothered right after we ticked over into the new millennium. Sadly, management changes at Volkswagen killed the concept before it could become a reality.

Now, a decade later, VW is trying out the concept again at this year's Geneva Motor Show. This time it's called the Volkswagen Bulli, and like its 2001 ancestor, this one is designed to carry on the legacy of the brand's famous Microbus. This Geneva concept packs a 113-horsepower electric motor drawing power from a lithium-ion battery pack. At full charge, the Bulli is said to be theoretically good for 186 miles before a recharge. When it's time for more juice, VW says the Bulli can be fully charged in less than an hour.

no bull... micro + bus = max design

MOTOR MONDAY: 2011 #2 = 2012 Best & Worst MPGs (111219)

2011-12-26T05:30:00.000-05:00

2012 Most and Least Efficient Vehicles
eere.energy.gov

you are what you drive... how do, or will, you measure up?

2012 Most Fuel Efficient Cars by EPA Size Class (including electric vehicles)
EPA Class	Vehicle Description	Fuel Economy
EPA Class	Vehicle Description	Combined
Two-Seaters	Honda CR-Z 4 cyl, 1.5 L, Automatic (AV-S7), HEV, Regular	37
Minicompacts	Scion iQ 4 cyl, 1.3 L, Automatic (CVT), Regular	37
Subcompacts	Mitsubishi i-MiEV A-1, 66 kW DCPM, Electric Vehicle	112‡
Compacts	Chevrolet Volt 4 cyl, 1.4 L, Automatic (AV), Plug-in Hybrid	60§
Midsize	Nissan Leaf A-1, Electric Vehicle	99‡
Large	Hyundai Sonata 4 cyl, 2.4 L, Manual (6), Regular Hyundai Sonata 4 cyl, 2.4 L, Automatic (6), Regular	28
Small Station Wagons	Audi A3 4 cyl, 2.0 L, Automatic (S6), Diesel	34
Small Station Wagons	Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen 4 cyl, 2.0 L, Manual (6), Diesel	34
Midsize Station Wagons	Toyota Prius v 4 cyl, 1.8 L, Automatic (CVT), HEV, Regular	42

2012 Least Fuel Efficient Cars
EPA Vehicle Class	Vehicle Description	Fuel Economy
EPA Vehicle Class	Vehicle Description	Combined
Two-Seaters	Bugatti Veyron, 16 cyl, 8.0 L, Auto (S7)	10
Minicompacts	Aston Martin DB9, 12 cyl, 5.9 L, Manual (6)	13
Minicompacts	Aston Martin DBS, 12 cyl, 5.9 L, Manual (6)	13
Subcompacts	Bentley Continental GTC, 12 cyl, 6.0 L, Auto (S6)	14†
Subcompacts	Bentley Continental Supersports Convertible FFV, 12 cyl, 6.0 L, Auto (S6)	14†
Compacts	Bentley Continental GT FFV, 12 cyl, 6.0 L, Auto (S6)	14†
	Mercedes-Benz CL600, 12 cyl, 5.5 L, Auto (5)	14
	Mercedes-Benz CL65 AMG, 12 cyl, 6.0 L, Auto (5)	14
	Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe, 12 cyl, 6.7 L, Auto (S6)	14
	Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe, 12 cyl, 6.7 L, Auto (S6)	14
Midsize	Bentley Mulsanne, 8 cyl, 6.8 L, Auto (S8)	13
Large	Mercedes-Benz S600, 12 cyl, 5.5 L, Auto (5)	14
	Mercedes-Benz S65 AMG, 12 cyl, 6.0 L, Auto (5)	14
	Rolls-Royce Phantom, 12 cyl, 6.7 L, Auto (S6)	14
	Rolls-Royce Phantom EWB, 12 cyl, 6.7 L, Auto (S6)	14
Small Station Wagons	Cadillac CTS Wagon, 8 cyl, 6.2 L, Auto (S6)	14
Midsize Station Wagons	Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG (wagon), 8 cyl, 5.5 L, Auto (7)	18

MOTOR MONDAY: 2011 #1 = No Escape (110110)

2011-12-26T05:00:00.000-05:00

Ford Vertrek Concept - 2011 Detroit Auto Show

Ed Hellwig | 01.10.2011

This is the compact SUV of the future according to Ford. It may be called the Vertrek concept for now, but it's actually an early look at the 2012 Ford Escape due out later this year. Unlike the current Escape, which was built primarily for the U.S. market, the Vertrek is Ford's next worldwide crossover. It may not get the same name in Europe as it does in America, but they'll all be more or less the same underneath the skin.

Built on the same platform as the 2012 Ford Focus, the Vertrek concept is bigger than the Escape in most dimensions. Although the Vertrek is only about four inches longer than the Escape, the concept's wheelbase is nearly seven inches longer. The overall width is up by 2.7-inches. The only dimension that is smaller on the Vertrek is its height as the roof is nearly two inches lower than the boxy Escape. Ford says the sleeker shape of the Vertrek makes it 5% more aerodynamic than the Escape. We would have guessed it was even more.

this one hits home... may be the replacement for our 2002 Tribute on it's 10th anniversary and dawn of $5/gal gas

POWER WEDNESDAY = Do the Right Thing

2011-12-21T06:00:00.000-05:00

Facebook Unfriends Coal and Likes Clean Energy Thanks to Greenpeace
triplepundit.com

Greenpeace is celebrating another successful campaign. This time it’s the “Unfriend Coal” Campaign that called on Facebook to power its data centers with clean energy instead of coal. After 20 months of mobilizing, agitating and negotiating to green Facebook, and with more than 700,000 people who took part in its campaign, Greenpeace announced that Facebook finally agreed to go green, presenting a new commitment to give preference to clean and renewable energy.
The new agreement between Greenpeace and Facebook shows not only the journey Facebook completed during these 20 months, but also how Greenpeace is becoming one of the most powerful players in the world when it comes to mobilizing businesses and encouraging them to do the right thing.
Greenpeace Unfriend Coal campaign started after Facebook announced the construction of a massive data center in Oregon in February, 2010. This facility was supposed to be very energy efficient, but at the same time receive power from PacifiCorp, whose energy mix is mainly based on coal. Greenpeace urged Facebook to increase the use of clean energy and ran an impressive online campaign with 700,000 online participants.

going, going, gone... there's no such thing as clean coal

FAB FRIDAY = Ready, Sett, Go!

2011-12-16T06:00:00.000-05:00

Sett Studio
settstudio.com

Sett Studio is a forward-thinking approach to functional space. By combining modern and contemporary design with the latest in energy-efficient building materials, we provide usable space for people who are interested in an attractive, eco-friendly alternative.
With our modular construction, we build your studio in our warehouse and deliver it to your property. Instead of months of on-site construction, Sett installs in just days.
Sett can be utilized in an variety of ways - as a home office, art studio, yoga space, kids room, game room, guest room - the space fits your needs. Layouts range from 97-192 square feet, eliminating the requirement for building permits in most cases.
To effectively create engaging, responsible space, we focus on three fundamental elements - design, materials and purpose of space.

keeping it simple... the sky's the limit

MOTOR MONDAY = Obama’s green-car goal

2011-12-12T07:00:00.000-05:00

Green Cars Fail To Deliver
washingtonpost.com/politics

The Obama administration has poured roughly $5 billion in taxpayer funds into the electric-car industry, offering incentives to manufacturers, their suppliers and even car buyers who might want to go green.
But analysts say the risk is rising that taxpayers in many cases will not see a return on their money soon, if ever. Instead, they warn that some federally subsidized companies could be forced to shut down in coming months.

For President Obama, who has made clean-technology investment a hallmark of his job creation efforts, troubles in the electric-car sector pose a potential new political problem after the collapse of solar-panel maker Solyndra, which recently defaulted on a half-billion-dollar federal loan after filing for bankruptcy. The administration has channeled an estimated $80 billion of the stimulus recovery effort into grants and loans to clean energy and energy efficiency programs, companies and research.
Obama predicted in 2008 that green cars would create thousands of new U.S. jobs as demand soared. But in recent months, production lines and sales expectations have been dramatically scaled back.

the billion dollar battery... at this price it should never need charged

FAB FRIDAY = Pop Up Mall

2011-12-09T06:00:00.000-05:00

BOXPARK
boxpark.co.uk
ABOUT
Destined to be home to more than sixty carefully chosen fashion, arts and lifestyle brands. BOXPARK is a retail revolution – the world’s first pop-up mall.
THE CONCEPT
BOXPARK is a fresh retail revolution from Roger Wade, creator of Boxfresh and fashion brand consultancy Brands Incorporated, in partnership with real estate developers Hammerson and Ballymore.
BOXPARK strips and refits shipping containers to create unique, low cost, low risk, ‘box shops’. Put them together with a unique mix of international fashion, arts and lifestyle brands, galleries and cafés and you’ve got the world’s first ‘pop-up’ mall – so named because its basic building blocks are inherently movable: they can, and will, literally pop up anywhere in the world!
BOXPARK is radical stuff. It’s not some run-of-the-mall shopping centre. It’s a living, fertile community of brands packed with talent, innovation and attitude that puts creativity and fashion back where they belong: on the street.
BOXPARK isn’t just where you shop. It’s an inspiring and enjoyable place to drop in and hang out. It’s what a real brand experience should be all about.
BOXPARK isn’t intrusive or invasive. Wherever it pops up, it fits in, joins in and contributes to the community. BOXPARK aims to become part of the fabric of local life by adding colour, creativity and life of its own. Low-cost, low-risk ethos – for a revolutionary product mix.
BOXPARK is a home that nurtures the smaller brands, the edgy and innovative round pegs that can’t afford and won’t fit in to the high street’s square holes.

oh so fab... thinking outside the box!

POWER WEDNESDAY = Exceeding LEED Platinum

2011-12-07T06:00:00.000-05:00

CENTER FOR SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPES THE FUTURE OF GREEN IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION
phipps.conservatory.org

Sustainable architecture and landscape design are taking a giant step forward at Phipps. The new Center for Sustainable Landscapes, scheduled for completion in Spring 2012, will be one of the world's first certified living buildings, a model of sustainability for architects, scientists, planners and anyone interested in living greener. Phipps' dynamic new center for education, research and administration will generate all of its own energy and capture and treat all of its own water on site, meeting or exceeding the three highest green standards: the Living Building Challenge; LEED® Platinum and SITES Certification for landscapes.

The Living Building Challenge
CSL is the centerpiece of the $20 million Phase III of a multi-year expansion project underway at Phipps to upgrade and expand facilities, and to emphasize more green and sustainable building practices and operations.
During the planning stages of this project, Phipps accepted the Living Building Challenge issued by the Cascadia chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council. Based in Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia, the Cascadia chapter opens The Living Building Challenge to all projects across the United States, Canada and beyond.
The Living Building Challenge attempts to raise the bar and define a closer measure of true sustainability in the built environment. By accepting this challenge, Phipps plans for the Center for Sustainable Landscapes to exceed LEED® Platinum certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), currently the industry's most recognized certification for green buildings.

build it & we will come... starting today w/ our GBA program

MOTOR MONDAY = F1 @ Zero

2011-12-05T06:00:00.000-05:00

McLaren becomes first Formula 1 to be carbon-neutral
autosport.com

McLaren has announced it has become the first carbon-neutral Formula 1 team.
Last year, the team became the first Formula 1 team to achieve the Carbon Trust Standard, following a three-year audit in which the team measured improved its carbon efficiency.
Thanks to a series of efficiency-driven measures within the McLaren Technology Centre, McLaren was able to achieve annual savings of more than 1,500 tonnes of CO2 emissions.
More recently, McLaren was recognised by the government's Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency Scheme, which publishes a performance league table of more than 2000 participating British businesses. The team ranked 92nd overall.
"I'm both delighted and proud that McLaren has become the world's first carbon-neutral Formula 1 team," said team boss Martin Whitmarsh.
"It's a considerable achievement: the result of a lot of hard work by a number of extremely dedicated individuals within our organisation, and a testament to our philosophy of continuous improvement within the workplace.
"McLaren was also the first Formula 1 team to achieve the Carbon Trust Standard for our efforts in improving carbon efficiency.

racing to zero... leading by example is the essence of winning!

FAB FRIDAY = 15% to 20% savings

2011-12-02T06:00:00.000-05:00

Ratner Goes 'Modular' in Brooklyn
online.wsj.com

Straining to kick-start the housing portion of the Atlantic Yards project in Brooklyn, developer Bruce Ratner said Thursday he is planning to build the project's 14 apartment towers using a modular construction technique rarely employed in high-rise buildings.
Housing is a key component of the planned $4.9 billion development, for which the centerpiece arena—future home to the Nets basketball team—is currently under construction and slated for completion in September.
The modular approach, which involves constructing the building by stacking together pods that have been built off site, is designed to cut costs, and Mr. Ratner said he believes it could save 15% to 20% compared with traditional on-site construction.
"We intend to do it modular," Mr. Ratner, chief executive of Forest City Ratner Cos. said in an interview. "That's a breakthrough, we think, in a lot of ways."
Still, he cautioned the decision isn't final, as it depends in large part on construction unions accepting the plan.
The unions previously have come to the aid of Forest City by rallying for state approval of the contentious project, but the modular approach would bring lower wages and work hours than traditional construction.
Forest City executives in recent weeks opened up talks with the New York Building and Construction Trades Council of New York, a construction union umbrella group, on the issue, and Mr. Ratner personally met with the group on Monday, people familiar with the matter said.
In the interview, Mr. Ratner stopped short of saying the tower wouldn't be built without a deal with the unions, but said the 15% to 20% savings is "a number that I think makes the project work."

gap funding... this delivery will lead to more union factory jobs if we embrace "lean"

POWER WEDNESDAY = Power Pod

2011-11-30T06:00:00.000-05:00

ZEBRA Power Pod (in progress)
andersonanderson.com

The ZEBRA Power Pod can be rapidly deployed to any location in the world and connected to internet and telecommunications by wireless technology, with no physical connections to outside power or utilities. With its expandable array of photovoltaic panels and multiple options for satellite or wi-fi internet connectivity, it is adaptable to a wide range of applications with a minimum of setup time or site preparation cost.
Applications for the ZEBRA Power Pod are many, from open air education pavilions to fully climate controlled office work spaces. Permanent building applications are just as practical as temporary uses. Economical to ship and deploy, ZEBRA Power Pod can be quickly set up at a weekend music festival or sporting event as a cell phone recharging station and internet hotspot, then moved to a new location the following week to become a pop-up retail outlet. It could be a broadcast center for journalists covering a major political event, or an internet cafe in a park area where no utilities are available. The building’s rigid structural steel frame makes it possible to set it quickly on almost any kind of ground without needing expensive foundations, and available fold-down ramps, landings and steps make it possible to provide ADA compliant accessibility on uneven ground. The Power Pods can be set up in parking lots, on grass or gravel, on pier structures and barges, to provide high tech infrastructure in places with no services or utility connections.

pod up... pop-up's are the future & this project points the way

MOTOR MONDAY = Choose Green

2011-11-28T06:00:00.000-05:00

2012 Green Vehicles
onlydrivegreen.com

Green vehicles can be any car, truck, van, SUV or other mode of alternative transportation that offers significant improvements in the overall enironmental impact on earth and its natural resources. Hybrid cars currently offer one of the most popular options in driving green. However, other fuel sources and technologies are making their way onto showroom floors, from small city cars to the newest in clean diesel vehicles and plug-in electric cars. In addition, future automobiles with emerging technologies such as Fuel Cell Vehicles (FCV) and plug-ins continue to show promise in our quest to reduce pollution and a dependence on oil consumption. Today's options offer green vehicles priced to fit most budgets.
Here is a list of green cars with your requested features: Model Year: 2012 Models; use the selections at the left to change the green vehicles displayed.

one size does not fit all... something for everyone as the technology is offered by all major constructors

FAB FRIDAY = Black Friday

2011-11-25T06:00:00.000-05:00

Black Barn
busyboo.com
The Black Barn, from the Pinc House Prefab House Collection, is a stylish adaptation of the old Viking Long House. This beautiful yet simple structure comes in black calcimine with a tarred wooden roof and visible beams.
The Black Barn prefab home has a narrow shape, which i love, yet still provides many bedrooms, a flexible attic and lots of storage and interior design options, making it ideal for a family with children.

back in the black... black is the new black, the presence of all colors

POWER WEDNESDAY = Brine Batteries

2011-11-23T06:00:00.000-05:00

Extracting Lithium From Spent Brine
evbatteryforum.com

A new process is in operation to extract lithium from the spent brines of a geothermal power plant near the Salton Sea in California by Simbol Materials, at a demonstration facility in Brawley, Calif.
“We developed the technology and the process to take the brines coming out of geothermal power plants‘ post–power production and harvest lithium, manganese, zinc and, maybe in the future, some other materials, and we convert those into usable compounds,” says Simbol CEO Luka Erceg. “We’re essentially leveraging the best renewable resource and co-producing strategic materials.”
Geothermal power plant produce electricity using the underground heat to produce steam for the generator turbines. Simbol would borrow the spent warm brine from the power plant. The 90 minutes process will run the fluid through a pipeline and a series of purification steps consisting of membranes, filters and adsorption materials to extract valuable elements like lithium. After adding water the brine will go back to the power plant for re-injection to underground. The extraction method was developed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, under the U.S. Department of Energy funding.

renewable recipe... brine your battery & the thanksgiving turkey

MOTOR MONDAY = Quicker Pit Stop

2011-11-21T06:00:00.000-05:00

Nissan's $9,900 quick charger a game changer?
green.autoblog.com

Electric vehicles typically come with a home charging cord, and additional stations for 120v or 240v connections are relatively inexpensive. However, when you start trying to cram electrons into a battery in a hurry, the cost can rise steeply. In particular, "Level 3" quick charging stations can be a significant investment, with costs starting around $20,000.
Still, there are companies and organizations working on bringing these sorts of EVSE stations to market. After all, having the infrastructure to easily charge an electric car to 80 percent in only 30 minutes can have a profound impact on the practicality of EVs. Imagine doing it for less than $10,000.
This is Nissan's new hope. The automaker's new station halfs the price of the previous quick charge unit for the Nissan Leaf, reduces the size, and makes installation easier on both the bottom line and garage space. The $9,900 unit will be available for pre-order in the United States by January. Delivery of the units is expected in spring of 2012.

plug & play... faster, but not yet cheaper

FAB FRIDAY = day at the beach

2011-11-18T06:00:00.000-05:00

Coromandel Beach House
1kindesign.com
A small scale holiday home that is casually laid back yet highly refined, the Coromandel Bach home, designed by Crosson Clarke Carnachan Architects is located in Coromandel, New Zealand. The residence was conceived as a container home sitting lightly on the land for habitation.
An open plan living space forms the majority of the house, with windows across both front and back, flowing casually onto the sand and directly down to the water. Two bedrooms are located either side of the bathroom adjacent to the kitchen. The large fireplace allows winter occupation and the open bathroom and movable bath allows the rituals of showering and bathing to become and experience connected to nature. Concealed glass panels extend out of the walls to close off spaces as required.
A series of bi-folding slatted cedar shutters open across the elevations to the living zone. When open these panels provide privacy from the closely located neighbors; when closed the shutters provide shelter from stormy weather, and ensure security when the bach is not in use. Relatively compact, the house is likened to a jewelry box, with highly efficient use of available space and concealed cabinetry throughout. A series of projections and cutouts punctuate the spaces, variously admitting light and capturing specific views.
The exterior palette of materials is natural and recessive relating to the colors in the beachfront and the weathered driftwood found there. Inside, splashes of color and dark stained cabinetry provide subtle counterpoints to the hoop pine wall linings and white oiled American oak floors. The rough sawn cedar cladding is judiciously carried through to the interior, extending the effect of the cantilevered folding shutters to the internal elevations, while also providing a balanced contrast to the other more refined linings.

we can dream... Visit Crosson Clarke Carnachan Architects website here

POWER WEDNESDAY = Water World

2011-11-16T16:08:00.001-05:00

An energized industry
economist.com
What are the world's biggest sources of renewable energy and where are they located?

EFFORTS to tackle climate change include heavy investment in renewable sources of electricity around the world. Solar power saw the biggest leap in 2010, with the installed base jumping 70% compared with 2009 to 40 gigawatts. Wind power also grew strongly, adding 24% of generating capacity. Yet the biggest source of renewable electricity, hydropower, and the smallest, geothermal, both only added 3% to capacity. Finding usable sources of either is becoming increasingly hard or costly. The region that saw the biggest growth in renewable energy projects was power-hungry Asia. Investment in renewables also saw the biggest leap since 2007, with $243 billion spent, a 30% increase over 2009.

diversify or die... but then again, the earth is 70% water

MOTOR MONDAY = 700 adventurers & explorers

2011-11-14T06:00:00.000-05:00

Are You EV Ready?
bmwactivatethefuture.com
RISE, ELECTRONAUTS

BMW Electronaut /i-'lek-trə-nät/ n.
A BMW ActiveE driver; one of 700 adventurers and explorers. A front runner of innovation, and an advocate for sustainability. A surveyor of the present, and a proponent of the future — the future of mobility.
Become one of the first to drive the all-new, all-electric BMW ActiveE, and join us in the next frontier. Together, we’re redefining the way we live and the way we move. It starts with 700 cars, two years, and one collective mission that will reshape history.
TO BECOME A BMW ELECTRONAUT
STEP 1: Fill out a reservation form on bmwusa.com/ActiveE when it is made available later this year.
STEP 2: Complete a charging station consultation with our partner, AeroVironment.
STEP 3: Complete a closed-end, two-year lease at a participating BMW ActiveE center and finalize your charging station installation. Vehicles will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

sign me up... if not for the ActivE, the certainly the i3

FAB FRIDAY = Green, Modern & Affordable

2011-11-11T06:00:00.000-05:00

Achieving Balance
piecehomes.com
pieceHomes are green, modern, modular homes designed by Davis Studio Architecture + Design. Taking advantage of the beauty of the surrounding environment is a hallmark of the designs by Davis Studio Architecture + Design, the husband and wife design team of architect Jonathan Davis and designer Mary Jo Davis. Bringing an appreciation of, and care for, the environment is a key goal of pieceHomes. Their combination live + work residence in the Venice area of Los Angeles was designed in part as a showcase of green technologies and materials and as the pieceHomes prototype, showing clients that green, modern, and affordable can go together.
The modules are built in factories and arrive at the project site complete or nearly complete, depending on the complexity of the house design. Each house is made to order in the factory so each house, even our pre-designed homes, receives individual attention and care. Periodic reviews at the factory by pieceHomes architects are part of the building process.
pieceHomes are offered in three ways: our pre-designed lines of plans (Standard, Premium, extraPieces, and Multi-Family); pre-designed plans with adjustments; or custom designed houses.

goal getting closer... seeking $100/sf cost & lower w/ scale economy

POWER WEDNESDAY = Solar Carports

2011-11-09T06:00:00.000-05:00

Why solar and electric cars should be friends
gigaom.com

Solar power and electric cars are an ideal match. Both are tied to the grid and disruptive technologies, which are in an early market stage and which are trying to reduce costs. It just makes sense to partner up, and that’s exactly what some solar panel companies and EV developers and chargers are starting to do.
For example, on Tuesday, solar installer REC Solar announced it will start selling General Electric’s WattStation, a level-2 charger that should fill up a car in under eight hours. REC will bundle the charger with its solar projects, and also sell the charger separately.
“The concepts of EV and PV have been around for a long time. [But] for Americans to buy an EV car and get a PV system with a nice functioning WattStation – that collection hasn’t been readily available,” said Lee Johnson, CEO of REC Solar.
The idea of marrying solar with electric car charging has grown in popularity as more automakers have been rolling out plug-in hybrid and all-electric cars. The Nissan LEAF recently passed 10,000 units sold globally. However, the numbers are still tiny for EVs, so joining with larger solar firms is a real asset.
At the same time, the plummeting price of solar panels probably has helped to encourage solar companies to look to diversify and to add on other lines of business.
In addition, the two groups’ customers probably aren’t all that different: early-adopter home owners who are well-off and lean environmental. Customers who have already committed to spending tens of thousands of dollars on rooftop solar projects are likely more willing to spend a few more thousand dollars on a home EV charger, if they also have an EV.
There’s also a good PR strategy to the partnership. The combination of solar and car charging helps to quell criticism that running electric cars on power from dirty fossil fuels undercuts the notion of driving a low- or free-emission vehicles.

systems integration... closing the loop between supply & demand

MOTOR MONDAY = Smaller than Leaf

2011-11-07T06:00:00.000-05:00

Audi A2 Concept Features Small Stature, Electric Power
greencar.com

Like many automobile manufacturers, Audi plans to compete in the electric car market. It recently unveiled its Audi A2 Concept, a pure electric vehicle. The Audi A2 is a five-door, four-passenger city car with small external dimensions It has an overall length of just over 149 inches, about 25 inches shorter than the Nissan Leaf. The Audi A2 Concept can accommodate a special city bicycle between the seats and in the rear cargo compartment.
Audi’s A2 Concept uses a lithium-ion battery pack that stores 31 kilowatt hours of energy, of which 24 kilowatt-hours is usable. Typically, about 80 percent of an EV's battery capacity is available for propelling the vehicle. Lithium-ion batteries packs prefer a partial cycle rather than a deep discharge, since deep discharging can reduce battery life. They don't have the ‘memory effect’ found in some other battery chemistries.
The battery powers an electric motor rated at 116 horsepower of peak power and 199 lb-ft torque. This gives the lightweight, 2535 pound EV a governed top speed of 93 mph with 0 to 62 mph acceleration of 9.3 seconds. The lithium-ion battery pack is located in the sandwich floor and the electric motor is transversely mounted in the front of the vehicle, driving the front wheels via a single-speed transmission. The A2 Concept features electric steer-by-wire and brake-by-wire systems.
A driving range of 124 miles is achieved under the European driving cycle. It takes roughly 1 1/2 hours to fully recharge the battery using 400 volt, three-phase European current and about four hours when using 230 volt household current. It is also designed for Audi Wireless Charging. Here, a driver pulls the car over a parking spot that contains a primary coil. Electrical energy is automatically transferred inductively to a secondary coil in the EV, which in turn transfers power to the battery pack. Audi says contactless Audi Wireless Charging takes about the same amount of time as other charging technologies.

park & eat... recharge your ride while dining w/ this new smart parking space tech

FAB FRIDAY = Predictable Budget

2011-11-04T06:00:00.000-04:00

How & Why
stillwaterdwellings.com

STILLWATER DWELLINGS ARE AFFORDABLE TO BUY
Our homes start below $200/sf per square foot depending on floorplan and style package, while many of our competitors homes end up closer to $300+/sf. Our prices includes all architecture, structural engineering, and State permit fees.
No Markup. By managing all of the other activities such as site work, foundation, transportation, etc. for you, but allowing you to pay directly for these services, Stillwater helps you avoid the typical 15% general contractor markup.
Lower Construction Financing Costs. Because your home is built in a factory and can be built at the same time your site work is being done, your construction schedule is cut to just a fraction of the normal duration. This drastically reduces your construction loan interest fees.
Predictable Budget. With a Stillwater home, you get a solid, upfront price on the home, not a guesstimate or budget that usually only goes up.

Sample Costs
The following are estimated costs for an average size., single story, Stillwater home on a relatively flat lot, located in the Western region:
Stillwater Dwellings Home $259,875
Architecture/Engineering Fees Included
Installation & Finish Detail Included
Site Work/Utilities $15,000
Foundation $14,000
Transportation $14,000
Crane $8,000
Permitting $4,000
Project Mgmt. Assistance Included
Total Cost $314,875 or $199 per square foot

magic numbers... on the way down & even lower w/ economy of scale in large development projects

POWER WEDNESDAY = PennFuture

2011-11-02T06:00:00.000-04:00

Green Power Update
pennfuture.org

Update on the Solar Jobs Bill
Representative Chris Ross (R-Chester) introduced the Solar Jobs Bill (House Bill 1580) in October with 107 co-sponsors – a majority of the 203-member Pennsylvania House of Representatives. The bill was referred to the Consumer Affairs Committee chaired by Representative Robert Godshall (R-Montgomery) on October 20, and a hearing on the bill will take place November 17.

New state energy efficiency ranking revealed

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) released its annual State Energy Efficiency Scorecard in October. Pennsylvania lost some ground in this year's ranking, dropping to 25th in the nation for best practices and leadership in energy efficiency policy and program implementation. The rankings are based on scores in policy areas including utility programs and policies; transportation policies; building energy codes; combined heat and power; state government initiatives; and appliance efficiency standards.

Electric vehicle charging station opens at King of Prussia Mall

Two self-serve electric vehicle charging stations became operational in October at the King of Prussia Mall. The stations are located on the Upper Level Parking Deck of the Plaza in front of Nordstrom. The mall partnered with 350Green, a developer of wide-scale electric vehicle charging networks, to deploy "Level 2" chargers standard to all electric cars. Two additional units will be installed later this fall on the Upper Level Deck of the Court, near Bloomingdale's.

U.S. reaches significant renewable energy milestone

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration's (EIA) Monthly Energy Review, domestic production of renewable energy has now surpassed nuclear power and is continuing to close in on oil.

Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority awards announced

The Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority (PEDA) Board of Directors selected the winners for the 2010 PEDA solicitation on Friday, August 27. Thirteen projects received funding toward advanced clean energy projects located in Allegheny, Bedford, Dauphin, Lawrence, Lehigh, Luzerne, Montgomery, Snyder, Union and Washington counties.

read about it, learn how... let's go!

FAB FRIDAY = The ecopod began its life as a shipping container

2011-10-28T06:00:00.000-04:00

The ecopods - Custom container modifications
ecopods.ca

What makes the eco-pod 'green'?
The ecopod began its life as a shipping container, hence its sturdy, engineered form and tight weather seal. The imbalance of goods traveling from East to West has created a surplus of these in North America, which means that the purchase price is a fraction of the original manufacturing cost - this saving is then passed on to you, the 'end user'. The process of recycling can itself require a huge amount of energy, although in this case we are working within the parameters of what exists already, so again less energy consumed means both lower production costs and a much smaller 'carbon footprint'

MagnesiaCore
Magnesiacore Inc. is committed to producing an environmentally friendly board and core material. Towards this end, we have implemented a myriad of innovations and processes that reduce the use and consumption of natural resources and fossil fuels, from the source of materials going into magnesiacore, to the final delivery of product to our customers. We believe magnesiacore is a leading source of material friendly to the environment in its many different uses.

ECOsurfaces Flooring
For 10 years, ECOsurfaces has offered a fashionable selection of patterns and colors that make a unique design statement, without sacrificing the environment. In fact, ECOsurfaces was environmentally correct long before sustainable design made the scene. Because of their many positive environmental attributes, our floors make it easy to design responsibly. ECOsurfaces is FloorScore certified. This means that our products are in compliance with rigorous indoor air quality emission requirements. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are evaluated using healthbased specifications. Flooring and adhesives that earn FloorScore certification qualify for use in high performance schools and office buildings. ECOsurfaces flooring also meets the Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) criteria, the State of Washington standard for indoor air quality and supports the ASTM E2129-01 Sustainability Assessment.

SUPERTHERM ecopod interior wall finish
SUPERTHERM ® is a unique single component combination of high performance aliphatic urethanes, elastomeric acrylics, standard acrylics and resin additives in a water borne formula. No co-solvents are present and will dry by evaporation. Due to the unique combination of acrylics and urethanes, SUPERTHERM ® cures out completely in 14 - 21 days to an extremely tough, durable, non-yellowing, water resistant coating that also provides flexibility, water proofing and UV stability. SUPERTHERM ® has passed 2000 hours of salt spray testing which equals marine specifications and in fact has DNV certification.

SUN-MAR Composting
By using a Sun-Mar composting toilet you are doing your environment a huge favor.
You are protecting your lake and ground water from being polluted by pathogens and nutrients
You are saving huge amounts of water.
You are recycling the nutrients directly back to the plants they came from.
No other way of handling human waste can compare with a Sun-Mar!

Protecting Your Lake or Ground Water
Toilet waste is over 90% water content. Sun-Mar evaporates this liquid and carries it back to the atmosphere via the vent system. Depending on the model, a Sun-Mar can evaporate up to 2 gallons per day. That’s a lot, when you consider there is no flushing water to bother with. By evaporating liquids, your Sun-Mar is ensuring that no pathogens or nutrients escape to pollute your lake, river, stream or groundwater. Zero output means zero pollution.

Saving Water
Water is our most valuable resource, and in many places it’s getting scarce. So scarce that we can’t afford to be flushing it down the toilet. Because many Sun-Mar models use no water at all, a Sun-Mar saves a huge amount of water.

Recycling Nutrients
Waste is mostly made up of moisture, and complex organic molecules. These molecules contain plenty of carbon and hydrogen atoms. In a Sun-Mar, aerobic bacteria work to break these molecules down by converting the hydrogen to water and the carbon to carbon dioxide. Both are vented to atmosphere along with the moisture. The small amount of remaining materials are largely oxidized salts which are collected by a Sun-Mar in the finishing drawer.

The Water Mill
What is the WaterMill? Technically speaking, the WaterMill is an atmospheric water collection device that condenses water vapor and purifies it. In English: It's a home appliance that makes drinking water for your whole family - using only air.
Here's how it works: The system draws in moist, outside air through an air filter. The moist air passes over a cooling element, condensing the moist air into water droplets. This water is then collected, passed through a specialized carbon filter and is then exposed to an ultraviolet sterilizer, eliminating bacteria.

i can barely contain myself... imagine innovative mass-production of these existing technologies

MOTOR MONDAY = the clean dozen

2011-10-24T06:00:00.000-04:00

Urbee is a two-passenger hybrid car designed to be incredibly fuel efficient, easy to repair, safe to drive, and inexpensive to own.

urbee.net/home

The Urbee design team had a vision. That vision was written out and posted on the walls of our shop. It is the fundamental design ideals we followed in working on the Urbee Car Project.
01. Use the least amount of energy possible for every kilometre traveled.
02. Cause as little pollution as possible during manufacturing, operation and recycling of the car.
03. Use materials available as close as possible to where the car is built.
04. Use materials that can be recycled again and again.
05. Use parts and materials that last as long as possible.
06. Be simple to understand, build, and repair.
07. Be as safe as possible to drive.
08. Meet the standards and regulations applicable to traditional cars.
09. Be buildable in small quantities so we don't have to wait for it to become more widely accepted before we can begin manufacturing it for the public.
10. Be mass-producable so it can be built more economically once it becomes more widely accepted.
11. Be affordable.
12. Be visually appealing.

our post-jobs revolution... function follows form with this 'clean dozen'

FAB FRIDAY = cube. copy. cut.

2011-10-21T06:00:00.000-04:00

C3 prefab project. Chicago.
designapplause.com
The C3 Prefab project, is a prototypical example a prefabricated sustainable residence (Chicago’s first) constructed in an urban environment. C3 sets a high standard for energy efficiency by surpassing the current energy code by 54%, and becoming the first model for sustainable, affordable housing in Chicago. Reducing the upfront cost of housing is only part of the equation. The compounded savings by reducing energy usage gives homeowners an additional $282,000 at 10% over a 30-year period.
The C3 was designed to meet the LEED Platinum and Energy Star standards with low-tech, common sense solutions in lieu of expensive gadgetry. Many materials used were sustainably harvested as well as sourced through local vendors to encourage economic growth within the region. To date, this project has received Energy Star.
Relative to this project, the word ʻprefabʼ means that portions of the home were constructed off-site and shipped to the project location once the foundation and utilities were prepared. There are many prefab benefits. There’s a higher level of quality control within a factory setting. No “bad weather” means year-round, simultaneous construction for speedier delivery and timelines are more predictable. And an economy of labor and material Reducing labor and through the use of repetitive assembly lines and volume purchasing.

oh so fab... and smart too ;)

POWER WEDNESDAY = People Powered

2011-10-19T06:00:00.000-04:00

Five Technologies that will
Change the City Forever
thisbigcity.net

Running parallel to global urbanisation is rapid technological development with the potential to change the city as we currently know it. This will affect our human interactions, the way we use public space, and the methods involved in constructing the cities we live in. Essentially, the city of the future will be a very different place, and here’s five technologies that will have helped shape it:
1. The Electric Car The long-running battle to end our addiction to the automobile is essentially a pointless one, because the car is a brilliant invention. In its current form, the personal travel device has one major flaw – its fuel – but this flaw can be overcome.
2. Social Media Social Media has already changed the way people interact with each other, so is it too much to assume it will change the way we interact with our cities? As explored in a previous post on this site, social media interactions based around the built environment are becoming more mainstream thanks to services like Foursquare and geo-location facilities being implemented in established services like Flickr and Twitter.
3. Wireless Utilities Wi-Fi and 3G technologies have taken broadband out of our offices and into the wider world, and have already inspired a wealth of technologies and services that never existed before, including many of the social media features mentioned above. But in the city of the future, electricity will be wireless too.
4. Smart Concrete Despite being solid and adaptable, concrete is inflexible and energy intensive. However, advances in nano-technology mean it is now possible to make it stronger, lighter, and self repairing. Nanotubes are tiny hollow tubes around 10,000 times thinner than a human hair, and simply by inserting them into concrete you end up with a much improved version of its predecessor.
5. Crowd Management As the population of most cities increases, managing the millions of people that move through them will become increasingly difficult. Thankfully, advancements in crowd management technologies are removing the risk involved in designing new buildings and public spaces.

real or virtual... will you recognize the city of tomorrow?

MOTOR MONDAY = Gone, but not forgotten

2011-10-17T06:00:00.000-04:00

Dan Wheldon

racer, husband, father

1978-2011

FAB FRIDAY = Living Pod

2011-10-14T06:00:00.000-04:00

Culture Vulture: Architecture
brisbanetimes.com.au

REM KOOLHAAS is the epitome of cool, if not for a generation of architects, then for a generation of architect wannabes and design groupies who gravitate towards his charismatically difficult designs. Throw the name of this Dutch architectural guru into a conversation and it's as if hipness is magically bestowed upon the speaker by its very utterance. ''Rem Koolhaas'' is just such a cool name to pronounce, especially if you elongate the surname and exhale simultaneously as if you are in a 1970s cigarette commercial: ''Rem Kool-h-a-a-s - come to where the flavour is.''
Koolhaas seems to inhabit every pop-culture cliche of what a brilliant architect should be. In all his public appearances he comes across as a bit like Gary Cooper's uncompromising architect Howard Roark, who builds iconoclastic skyscrapers in the 1949 movie The Fountainhead, combined with some of Paul Newman's can-do architectural nous when faced with a particularly tricky design problem in The Towering Inferno (1974).
Like them, Rem Koolhaas is thin, angular and intensely intelligent but unlike Cooper and Newman's versions of sleeves-up architects, he is more famous for his theories and aphorisms, which include ''the cosmetic is cosmic'' and ''the bubbles of certainty are constantly exploding''. Having said that, his design for the Prada store in Los Angeles is quite something, especially at sale time.
Anyway, Koolhaas was apparently in Tokyo last week for the opening of a large exhibition about the Japanese architectural movement known as Metabolism, which is on until January 15 at the Mori Art Museum atop a monolithic skyscraper overlooking Tokyo.
The Metabolism movement was started by a group of young architects and designers in the late 1950s as Tokyo was on the cusp of a huge population increase. The movement was influential well into the '70s for its philosophy, which contended that buildings and cities should adapt like organisms and grow or retract as they need to.
Metabolism was actually more famous for what it espoused in designs and models rather than for what was actually built. It is said to have had an influence on Koolhaas's thinking, so his attendance at the exhibition was creating a buzz there last weekend, though it was hard to know which of the gallery's many middle-aged hipsters with closely cropped hair and wearing interesting and expensive eyewear might have been Koolhaas.
Was the guy with the heavy Euro accent saying ''Where is the exit?'' Koolhaas on his way to one of his Zen-like epiphanies, or was it just Helmut from Heidelberg trying to work out how to get down from the 53rd floor to the shopping plaza?
Wherever he was, this was a blockbuster of an exhibition, with more than 500 items on display - plans, maps, film footage and models including a coloured, to-scale rendering of the entire Osaka World Expo site in 1970.
The exhibition also includes a life-size ''living pod'' that shows how whole apartments could be added to an existing building in the way we used to see on the television show The Jetsons.

rem is the steve jobs of architecture... bricks & mortar sometimes give way to bubbles of optimism

POWER WEDNESDAY = Renew Your Home

2011-10-12T06:00:00.000-04:00

Renewable Energy Center for Homeowners
francis.edu/rec.htm

REC's Renewable Energy Rules of Thumb: Homeowners
Start with energy efficiency. You can save money and reduce your impact on the environment. Buy efficient appliances and light bulbs.
What resource should I use?
Geothermal heating and cooling systems provide constant humidity and comfortable temperatures while using only enough electricity to power a blower that sends the warm or cool air throughout the building.
Hydro is often cost effective but requires running water on your property.
If you don't have running water on your property, see if you have good wind resource.
There are many different ways to use solar, from passive space heating to water heating to electricity generation. Often the most cost-effective solar technology is a solar hot water system. Solar electricity is expensive, but prices are dropping.
Financing for a renewable energy improvement or to add it to new construction is similar to financing any other home improvement or capital project. However, there are some important differences, challenges and resources you should be aware of. These systems are not cheap and typically you will need to make a significant investment on your own plus have some help from incentives to make it pay.

change starts at home... visit the REC to find your best options

MOTOR MONDAY = up for fun!

2011-10-10T06:00:00.000-04:00

VW up! prices revealed
autoexpress.co.uk

Volkswagen has revealed prices for the new up! will start at £7,995. Limited-edition flagship models will cost £11,180. Order books have already opened, and the car will arrive in showrooms next spring.
Revealed at the Frankfurt Motor Show, the three-door up! will be available with a choice of three 1.0-litre, three-cylinder petrol engines – one of which will offer fuel saving Bluemotion technologies. Trim levels include the Take up!, Move up! and High up! – and there are two specials edition, the up! black and up! white. A five-door version is expected to join the line-up in the second half of 2012.
Take up! Priced £7,995, the Take up! gets a 1.0-litre 58bhp engine. Standard specification includes body-coloured bumpers, daytime running lights, front and side head and chest airbags. There’s also a CD player with an MP3 jack plug, rear ISOFIX childseat anchors and 14-inch steel wheels.
Move up!  The £8,970 Move up! gets everything offered by the Take Up! and adds remote central locking, air-conditioning, electric front windows and 60:40 split and fold rear seats. Outside, the Move Up! has colour-coded door mirrors and handles.
High up! At £10,390 the 73bhp High up! comes with heated front seats, and a leather trimmed steering wheel. Electrically adjustable door mirrors are also offered and the car gets VW’s new removable sat-nav system. The High Up! is distinguished by its front fog lights and 15-inch alloy wheels.
up! black and up! white Flagship up! black and up! white models are based on the High up! and cost £11,180. Cars get black pearl or pure white metallic paint and chrome door mirror caps and door side strips. 16-inch alloy wheels are also offered, with body-coloured centre sections. Inside there is a body-coloured dash, special ‘stripes’ upholstery and carpet mats.

up for this... new gen cars are getting more attainable, efficient & desirirable

FAB FRIDAY = Let's Roll

2011-10-07T06:00:00.000-04:00

California Roll House
violentvolumes.com

At times, the simplest form with least manipulation from its original form can offer visual amenities and adapted solution to the context. California Roll prefabricated house takes this methodology to create its morphological adaptation to its environemt : desert. Homogeneous exterior material which provides high grade of energy efficiency and reflects heat from the sun covers the entire surface except for glass panels which is electronically controlled to change its transparency.
Modularization of every structure members and finish materials are maximized to provide mobilty with rapid assembly and disassembly on site.
To sustain its challenging structural stand, carbon fibre truss frame under neath the exterior material holds the entire architecture. Hydraulic powered automatic doors and security system is used for main entrance door which allows less spaces to operate the door mechanism. California Roll house features these latest technologies applied to architecture which breaks the boundary of product or vehicle design and architectural design which brings more mobility to living spaces.

let's roll... approaching perfection

POWER WEDNESDAY = Top-up Zone

2011-10-05T06:00:00.000-04:00

UK's Electric Highway rollout includes world's first wind-powered EV charging post
gizmag.com
Ecotricity has unveiled plans to install green-energy-powered electric vehicle (EV) charging points at selected motorway service stations running up the UK's automotive backbone. Aiming to help ease range anxiety and speed up the adoption of EVs in Britain, the national network of charging posts will be rolled out to every Welcome Break service station, as well as other key locations, in the UK by the end of the year. Each charging post will receive its power from the company's wind and solar parks across the country, and one of the first three to go live is directly connected to the resident wind turbine at Reading's Green Park business park - offering electric motorists true zero emission driving.
Ecotricity's Electric Highway support structure for EV owners in the UK began with the installation of double-socket charging posts at Welcome Break's South Mimms services (at the Junction of the M1 and M25), Michaelwood Services on the M5 and the Green Park Business Park in Reading. The green energy company will add another nine by the end of September and follow this with installations at all of the remaining Welcome Break motorway services in the UK by the end of the year.
The new network aims to break away from the concentration of charging facilities available in cities like London (which is home to around 250 of the nation's 400 charging points) and expand availability across the length and breadth of the country. The charging points will currently serve the estimated two thousand EV motorists now on Britain's roads and be ready for future adopters.
Each charging post features two power sockets. Drivers will be able to use the 7-pin 400v/32A supply to top up in 20 minutes or leave the vehicle for a couple of hours to fully charge the batteries. There's also a slower 3-pin 220v/13A supply for a more leisurely top-up of two hours, or for those motorists looking to charge overnight while staying at motorway services hotels.

range anxiety no longer... both you & your car can recharge & then be on your merry way

MOTOR MONDAY = Early Adoption

2011-10-03T18:00:00.000-04:00

5 Things You Need To Know About Green Cars
blogs.forbes.com/eco-nomics

Don’t worry about battery life
The biggest question I get about electric vehicles is about that great big battery pack — will I be out thousands of dollars if the most expensive component in the car gives out on me? People ask this both because they don’t want to be liable for buying a new pack and because they’re worried about the pack ending up polluting a landfill. Neither is likely to happen.

Plug-in hybrids are not range challenged
When the Toyota Prius first came out, the public was generally misinformed about how the cars worked — the belief that hybrids needed to be plugged in was fairly widespread. We’ve finally got past that one, but now we have a whole new challenge with plug-in hybrids, which are plugged in to achieve 15 miles of all-electric range (the Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid), 25 to 40 miles (the Chevrolet Volt) or 50 miles (the forthcoming Fisker Karma).

Don’t wait for public charging
Are you worried about owning an electric car because there won’t be anywhere to plug the car in? Calm down. Some 80 percent of EV charging will be done at home, where you’re likely to have a government-subsidized charger in the garage (or outside if you don’t have a garage), and that will always be the best (and cheapest) place to tank up on electricity.

Electric cars aren’t as expensive as they seem
Yes, the prices are in the $30K-range (Leaf, Mitsubishi i), $40s (the Volt) and higher ($96,850 for a Fisker Karma, $109,000 for a Tesla Roadster). But luxury cars are always expensive, and you can take whatever price quoted and deduct the $7,500 federal tax credit, as well as a 30 percent (up to $1,000) tax credit for installing a garage charger. And then there’s the very low operating costs. As one rule of thumb, a gas car that gets 20 mpg average would cost 20 cents a mile to operate, and a comparable electric just 3 cents. So you do start saving money immediately, though it may take a while before you pay back that initial investment.

It pays to be an early adopter
Consider this. If you’re a Californian and you jumped on the Nissan Leaf waiting list when they first announced it, you probably not only have your car now but also
A free charger, courtesy of ECOtality;
A huge cut in the bottom line, combining that federal tax credit with the $5,000 state rebate from a fund that’s been totally exhausted since last July;
The catbird seat in the state high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes, because standard hybrid cars like the Prius are now banned from them. All told, your $32,000 Leaf probably ended up costing $20,000.

jump in... the time is right to be a pace setter

FAB FRIDAY = The People's House

2011-09-30T06:00:00.000-04:00

Empowerhouse
parsit.parsons.edu/our-house

This house is the product of an interdisciplinary team of graduate and undergraduate students from a number of design disciplines— including architecture, interior design, lighting, fashion, product design, communication design, and design and technology— as well as engineering, management, and urban policy students. Since the project began, over 200 students, 20 faculty and administrators from our three schools have been a part of the team.

The Empowerhouse team worked in partnership with the D.C. Department of Housing and Community Development, Groundwork Anacostia, and Habitat for Humanity of Washington, D.C., a volunteer-led organization that works to build affordable, energy– and resource–efficient homes for people in need.

energy independence is power... think local inter-structures, as the foundation of a rebuilt national infrastructure

POWER WEDNESDAY = These Old Houses

2011-09-28T06:00:00.000-04:00

The Older Home: Save energy and turn your vintage home ‘green’
northjersey.com/community/house_gardening

Vintage houses often come with minimal insulation and drafty spots around the windows, doors and outlets. If you’re tired of high utility bills, warm up to the idea of making your older home "greener."
You can take on a major reconstruction project, make over one or two rooms at a time, or solve small issues with little effort. In the long run, solutions that curb wasteful energy usage can save you money as well as help the earth.

Major Reconstruction
Homeowners willing to take on a large "green design" renovation can replace their old insulation for better energy efficiency, said William Martin of WJM Architect, Westwood (wjmarchitect.com). He admitted it’s an expensive project, because every wall will have its interior surface removed and replaced.
"To change the insulation in an older home, you’d have to remove the finish on the interior walls and remove any insulation that’s in there," he said. "Very often, it’s fiberglass or mineral wool. You remove all of that; you fill the cavity with a closed-cell, spray foam insulation, which is sprayed in by an insulation contractor; and you reinstall the interior finish."

Going Solar
Mercury Solar Systems, with offices in the tri-state area and Pennsylvania (mercurysolarsystems.com), specializes in solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. Company President Jared Haines said the only installation challenge with older homes has to do with putting the inverters in the basement.
The inverters change the direct current (DC) from the solar panels into alternating current (AC), which matches the voltage supplied by the utility company.
"We have to get wires from the roof through the attic, then through the first or second floor into the basement or garage," Haines said. "It’s usually a lot easier with a newer home — it’s easier to get through the rafters and the boards and the wall."
If Haines can’t get the wires installed through the interior of an older house, he’ll run a 2-inch pipe down an outside wall.
"We’ve taken the front side of a gutter and cut the backside out so we could put that over the pipe," he said. "It looks like a gutter coming down the side of the house."
Haines said a North Jersey homeowner who installs a solar PV system on a 2,000-square-foot Cape Cod could save up to $1,000 a year on the electricity bill. The homeowner also could earn up to $2,000 in Solar Renewable Energy Certificates (SRECs), which goes into an account created prior to the solar-panel installation.

here it is, the recession recovery plan... fix the suburbs, before they decline & become a permanent drag

MOTOR MONDAY = far from rocket science...

2011-09-26T06:00:00.000-04:00

Skypump
urbangreenenergy.com

Renewable Energy EV Charger
The Sanya Skypump gives its users the assurance that the energy being used in their car is provided 100% by clean, renewable energy produced directly on-site. Powered by Urban Green Energy's elegant 4 kW turbine and taking advantage of GE's advanced WattStation, the Sanya Skypump offers an excellent addition to the ever-evolving infrastructure necessary to support the electric vehicles entering the market.

hybrid planet... integrated systems

FAB FRIDAY = Roofpod

2011-09-23T06:00:00.000-04:00

Vote Team New York for the People’s Choice Award! Poll runs until Sept. 30!
ccnysolardecathlon.com

Team New York, comprised of students from the Spitzer School of Architecture and the Grove School of Engineering at The City College of New York, is one of 20 teams competing in the 2011 US Department of Energy Solar Decathlon. We are designing and building an operational solar-powered prototype dwelling to be installed and open to the public on the National Mall in the nation’s capital Washington, D.C., from September 23 to October 2, 2011.
Our team is interdisciplinary, comprised of creative minds from architecture, engineering, and the arts. We, the students, are engaged in all the project phases, from initial concept design to through to the fabrication of cabinetry.
We’ve called our Solar Decathlon entry “The Solar Roofpod.” It is designed for the most underutilized real estate in the city: the flat rooftops of existing mid-rise (4 to 10-story) residential or commercial buildings. These roofscapes offer tremendous potential as living space because of their direct access to solar energy, ventilating breezes, and nourishing rain. Team New York’s Solar Roofpod is designed to enable eco-conscious urban dwellers to live lightly, as stewards of a more resilient urban environment, cost-effectively producing solar power and heat, cultivating roof gardens, and retaining and recycling stormwater.
Our modular design uses lightweight, durable, and renewable materials, smartly incorporating photovoltaic technologies. Its adaptability allows it to be reconfigured to meet the needs of various market segments. Our prototype also addresses the challenges outlined by New York City’s 2030 sustainability agenda, PlaNYC.

one of many... visit the solar decathlon here

POWER WEDNESDAY = Air Tree

2011-09-21T06:00:00.000-04:00

Amazing “Madrid Air Tree” Architecture
ginva.com

In Madrid, Spain, a unique, hulking structure is currently being built. An “Air Tree,” it’s designed to both affect the surrounding environment and act as a social center. It’s loaded up with solar panels that create electricity that’s sold to the local electric company. It’s completely self-sufficient, powering itself and using the money it makes from selling excess energy for upkeep. It also produces oxygen like a tree, hence the name. And as for it being a social center, it’s designed to be a public gathering place. It’s really pretty cool, a completely unique idea and one that, unlike most out-of-the-box ideas like this, is actually being made a reality. (Source : Gizmodo)

vertical forrest... raising awareness & an urban oasis

MOTOR MONDAY = Smart Move

2011-09-19T06:00:00.000-04:00

GreenTech Intends to Build E.V.’s in Mississippi
wheels.blogs.nytimes.com

The MyCar is a Smart-sized, two-seat electric vehicle with an international pedigree to match its manufacturer’s outsize ambitions. Designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, one of the auto industry’s most famous stylists, the MyCar was originally intended for a manufacturer based in Hong Kong. But the diminutive E.V. is now scheduled to be produced by GreenTech Automotive, based in Mississippi, and shipped to Denmark for European distribution later this year.
The MyCar project grew yet another wrinkle this month. Terry McAuliffe, GreenTech’s chairman and the former chairman of the Democratic National Committee, said the car’s hybrid and electric drivetrains would be built not at the brand’s Chinese joint-venture plant — currently under construction in Inner Mongolia — but in Mississippi, a distinct reversal of the usual flow of manufactured goods.
Mr. McAuliffe, who also headed the presidential campaign of Hillary Rodham Clinton and mounted an unsuccessful bid for Virginia governor in 2009, was described in 2000 by Vice President Al Gore as “the greatest fund-raiser in the history of the universe.”
In recent media appearances, Mr. McAuliffe has presented GreenTech as a catalyst of American job creation. “I am sick and tired of seeing our jobs go to China,” Mr. McAuliffe recently told MSNBC. “I am sick and tired of seeing big cargo ships coming in from China.”
GreenTech’s plans have engendered some skepticism. According to Automotive News, Mr. McAuliffe’s ambitious scheme faces “overwhelming obstacles” and is “dead on arrival.”
The Truth About Cars, an automotive news and commentary Web site, recently recounted GreenTech’s history as an offshoot of Hybrid Kinetic Motors, founded by Yang Rong — also known as Benjamin Yeung — the former chief executive of Brilliance, another Chinese automaker. In 2009, Hybrid Kinetic outlined a plan to build green cars in northern Mississippi with the involvement of Charles Wang, currently the chief executive of GreenTech. But Mr. Wang and Mr. Yang parted ways before any cars were built. Brilliance’s plans to enter the European passenger-car market also were dealt a blow when one of its products received a zero-star safety rating in a crash test.
Despite the skepticism, Mr. Wang said in a telephone interview that crews were moving at “warp speed” to build the Inner Mongolia plant, which he said would be completed by the end of 2012 and have the capacity to produce 300,000 cars annually for the domestic market.

smarter than smart... priced right, it will be a no-brainer

FAB FRIDAY = Mini grocer inside a shipping container

2011-09-16T06:00:00.000-04:00

Stockbox Grocers, working to fix the grocery gap in a neighborhood near you.
stockboxgrocers.com

Stockbox Grocers is a convenient miniature market that is tucked inside a reclaimed shipping container and placed into the parking lot of an existing business or organization.
Imagine dozens of these stores, located throughout urban food deserts and within walking distance of home, work, and school.
The stores are small and they are designed to offer the essential grocery items and fresh produce communities need to get through the week.
Across the U.S. a growing number of people live in food deserts, which means they don’t have access to healthy and affordable food within walking or biking distance of their home.
We innovate on the espresso stand model to build stores throughout urban communities, and provide fresh produce and grocery staples to those who currently without access to good food, where they live.

food for thought... imagine one of these located along your work commute

POWER WEDNESDAY: Together we can move toward a more efficient & sustainable lifestyle

2011-09-14T06:00:00.000-04:00

A Comprehensive Regional Festival and Conference on Sustainability and Energy Independence
paenergyfest.com

2011 Festival Dates: Sept. 16, 17, & 18 2011
Kempton Community Center: 83 Community Drive, Kempton, PA 19529
A three-day festival about renewable energy, natural building construction, sustainable agriculture, alternative transportation options, land-use planning, forestry and healthy living practices in general.
Featuring dynamic speakers, national exhibitors, workshops, hands-on demonstrations, vendors, eco-friendly fashion show, alternative transportation, live music and entertainment, children's activities, food and more.

The answers to our energy needs and the steps to a sustainable lifestyle are in all of us. The solutions will be "Home Grown"... You are invited to bring your ideas to this year's Energyfest.

MOTOR MONDAY = The Really Big Show

2011-09-12T06:00:00.000-04:00

10 new cars to keep an eye on
wheels.ca

2011 will mark the 64th iteration of the International Automobile Exhibition in Frankfurt, Germany. The first IAA took place in 1897 and featured just eight vehicles inside a hotel lobby in Berlin.

The event, more commonly known in North America as the Frankfurt Auto Show, has come a long way since then.

This year’s show runs from Sept. 15 to 25 and will feature an off-road vehicle test track, new vehicle test drives, a journey into the history of German automobiles, a go-cart track, a custom digital Carrera race track, a hall dedicated to electric mobility, a convention for model car collectors, and even a parallel parking challenge.

Of course, the most anticipated feature of the IAA — or any self-respecting auto show for that matter — is the unveiling of new, never-before-seen vehicles. The last IAA for passenger cars in 2009 featured 100 automobile world premieres. 2011 promises about as many — too many to list — so here’s a roundup of the promised reveals somewhat relevant to the Canadian market.

Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid
It has been some time since Toyota made headlines with its Prius Hybrid. For 2012, the company promises a plug-in version of the Prius that is all about fuel economy.

Aston Martin Zagato
The production ready V12 powered Zagato will premiere at the IAA this year. Featuring a handcrafted form of aluminum and carbon fibre, the Zagato promises 510 hp and 420 lb. ft. of torque churned out of Aston Martin’s acclaimed 6.0L V12 engine.

Audi Urban Concept
A 1+1 staggered seating arrangement is just one of the unique traits of Audi’s Urban Concept. It also features a roof integrated with its side body panels, which slide rearward in order to facilitate getting in and out of the car.

Bentley Continental GTC
The 2012 model of this recognizable convertible will mark the beginning of the second generation for the Continental drop top. In typical Bentley style, the automaker promises that the new model will have improved in “virtually every aspect” and boast “an uncompromising focus on quality.”

Ferrari 458 Spider
Although the vehicle is set to debut at the Frankfurt Auto Show, Ferrari is already taking orders for it. The 458 Italia was a sensation all its own, and now the 458 Spider aims to further strengthen that image with its retractable hardtop roof design.

Ford Evos Concept
Four seats and four gull-wing doors hint at the direction Ford is taking with its Evos Concept. Ford designers seem to have created a vehicle that addresses both functionality and style with its plug-in hybrid sensibilities along with air quality sensors housed in GT fastback panache, along with the aforementioned gull-wings.

Mazda CX-5
This all-new Mazda compact crossover will be the automaker’s first amalgamation of their design philosophy “KODO - Soul of Motion” and innovative SKYACTIV technology, a blanket term Mazda is using to describe a concerted move toward low tail pipe emissions while improving driving fun.

Mercedes-Benz B-Class
Although not currently sold in the U.S., the B-Class is a strong segment for Mercedes-Benz in Canada. Since its launch in 2005, the B-Class has brought new buyers to this old brand with its promise of a low price prestige car.

Porsche 911
The 48-year-old 911 will be lower, wider, and longer for 2012. This newest generation of the 911 will also be 100 lbs. lighter and feature an active roll stabilization system.

Subaru BRZ Prologue
The long anticipated love child of a Toyota-Subaru joint program is a step closer to production with the Subaru BRZ. Toyota has been showing off their version of the partnership, the FT-86, for some time now.

something for every taste & pocketbook... look for over 100 intros at the frankfurt show, now perhaps more important than detroit

FAB FRIDAY = Look West

2011-09-01T06:00:00.002-04:00

Modern, Eco-friendly Houses through a Streamlined & Painless Process
marmolradzinerprefab.com

Established in 2005, Marmol Radziner Prefab is an extension of the award-winning Los Angeles-based architecture and construction firm Marmol Radziner. Dedicated to creating sustainable, modern homes built in a factory and delivered complete, Marmol Radziner Prefab is committed to the design, fabrication, installation, and delivery of its green homes. Marmol Radziner has incorporated prefab modules into large commercial projects since 1996 and began applying the technology to residential projects with The Desert House, a sustainable prefab prototype completed in 2005. Facilitated by a flexible modular system, award-winning design aesthetic, and more than twenty years in the design/build industry, Marmol Radziner Prefab is able to design homes in virtually any size or configuration. The company has completed projects throughout the West, including Southern and Northern California, Utah, and Nevada. Marmol Radziner Prefab’s work has been featured in Architectural Digest, Dwell, The Los Angeles Times, Time Magazine and GQ and has been awarded numerous design honors for both architectural and industrial design.

fab pioneer... here today, designing for tomorrow, with the spirit of an industrial revolution

POWER WEDNESDAY = One Nation off the Grid

2011-08-31T06:00:00.009-04:00

Homeowners in Pittsburgh are saving an average of $1200 a year by going solar
1bog.org

Solar Economics – Financial Benefits of Solar Power

Cost of Solar
Typically solar installations cost approximately $9-10 dollars per watt in a turnkey system. So a 3kW (3,000W) system might cost $27,000-$30,000 before rebates. HOWEVER, federal, state, and local rebates can bring the price down considerably, and in some locations, magnificently. The size of the solar system that you need will depend mostly on how much electricity you use, as well as a long list of other criteria that an installer or sales professional will evaluate. Tilt, orientation, and shading of your roof are examples of some of these.

Federal Solar Incentives
Starting in 2009 the $2,000 cap on the Federal Solar Tax Credit has been lifted and instead it is 30% of the out-of-pocket cost with no cap. This rebate is a reduction of your tax obligation. It is not a deduction, it’s a credit. Its as good as cash and can be rolled over if you don’t have that tax liability. Note, if there is a rebate provided by a utility to a homeowner as an inducement to install solar panels, then the basis of the solar equipment is reduced by the amount of the rebate.

State and Local Incentives
Please check each 1BOG Solar cities page for information about specific local rebates and government incentives. We’ll update these pages as news comes in!

Volume Pricing
Rebates and incentives are one way to get the price down. Another way is to group together residents and negotiate volume purchase discounts. A $1 per watt discount could mean $3,000 in savings! Visit 1BOG.org to see how group discounts help you buy solar panels for your home.

Creative Financing Products
Even if rebates and incentives are paying for more than half of the costs, there can still be a considerable cash outlay to the consumer. Interestingly, if you finance with a home equity loan (note: you might be able to deduct the interest there) many people find that their electricity savings are greater than their loan payments, meaning that they save money from day 1.

Also worth noting is that there will soon be many financing companies offering to lease solar systems, which means no up-front cost… and possible immediate savings as well.

MOTOR MONDAY = Trip Tips

2011-08-29T06:00:00.004-04:00

Drive More Efficiently
fueleconomy.gov
Gas mileage tips can help you reduce the amount of gas you use. If you are already following these tips, you are probably getting the best gas mileage your car can deliver.

Drive more efficiently
Keep your car in shape
Plan & combining trips
Choose a more efficient vehicle

here we are... make the most of your trip

FAB FRIDAY = Demand High-Performance

2011-08-26T06:00:00.009-04:00

The Rise of Prefab Design
ibtimes.com/art-design
Prefabricated design has been around since at least the 1940’s, but has lately seen resurgence in popularity. By assembling off-site, prefab gives homebuyers attractive alternatives to the standard residential developments that have become commonplace. While prefabricated homes are not without their disadvantages, they are an interesting component of the post-housing bubble residential market.
With the recent recession and bursting of the housing bubble, prefab design has returned as an efficient and somewhat cheaper version of regular home construction. The cost of prefab versus built at site homes suggests that there can be cost savings that make prefab homes attractive, but this savings largely depends on the designer and factory that produces the home. The resurgence of prefab can be most clearly seen in the number of companies now providing homes for purchase. This list of companies includes those that offer the cheapest options, at $115 per square foot, such as Clayton Homes and ECO-Cottages, all the way up to the expensive models at $250 per square foot by Living Homes.
Somewhere in between these relative extremes lies one of the most promising prefab designs, by Resolution: 4 Architecture. This firm has designed some of the most interesting prefab homes, designs that are both formally interesting and functional. The success of Resolution: 4 Architecture highlights one of the main benefits of prefab design: the availability of an architect-designed home for between 20 and 40 percent less than if the home was built on site. The criticism of this is that the home would still be more expensive than if built by a residential contractor, but if you are in the market for an architect-designed home prefab is an exciting cost-saving alternative.

come & they become affordable (under $100k/sf)... economy of scale will occur when consumers demand the same high-performance from their homes as they do from their cars

POWER WEDNESDAY = A PA Pioneer

2011-08-17T06:00:00.000-04:00

Engineer gets most out of grid with electric car, solar panels
bizjournals.com/pittsburgh

For electrical engineer and Cranberry resident George Totolos, getting an electric car wasn’t enough — he wanted to power it with the sun, too.

Totolos’ decision to go electric with the Chevy Volt had less to do with the environment than with a desire to be more American in his energy consumption. That it was a General Motors product was another patriotic plus.
“I like the idea of using domestic energy,” he said. With the Volt, “I’ve gone from using Middle East energy to American energy. Now I want to go from American energy to Cranberry energy.”
That’s why Totolos decided to slap a solar array on his roof of his home and power his American car with his Cranberry sunshine.
The 5.5-kilowatt system installed last month comprises 25 Sanyo panels, each capable of producing 220 watts of electricity.
Over a year, Totolos estimates the panels will produce 6.7 megawatts hours, “enough to drive my Volt for 20,000 miles.”
“Because the panels are tied to the grid, I’ll borrow electricity from the utility company on cloudy days and give it back when it’s sunny,” he said.
With government tax credits and net metering, Totolos estimates a payback period of 10 to 15 years.

our newest sustainability pioneer... focus on renewables is our future, even though PA sits above all this natural gas

MOTOR MONDAY = Drive for Green

2011-08-15T06:00:00.002-04:00

Ford Wants Focus Electric Owners To “Drive Green For Life”
fordinthenews.com

Ford is teaming up with SunPower Corp. to offer customers a rooftop solar system, allowing Focus Electric owners with enough clean, renewable energy to offset the electricity used to charge the vehicle. This new initiative, dubbed the ‘Drive Green for Life’ program, integrates seamlessly with Ford’s aggressive electrification strategy which includes the launch of five electrified vehicles in North America by the end of next year.
SunPower’s 2.5 kilowatt rooftop solar system is comprised of solar panels that produce an average of 3,000 kilowatt hours of electricity annually. These high-efficiency solar panels generate approximately 50 percent more electricity than conventional panels and utilize a smaller footprint on the roof. The system was sized to accommodate a customer who drives about 1,000 miles per month.
“Under the ‘Drive Green for Life’ program, Focus Electric owners can reduce their total cost of ownership by generating enough energy from their high efficiency SunPower rooftop solar system to offset the electricity required to charge the vehicle at night,” said Mike Tinskey, Ford director of Global Vehicle Electrification and Infrastructure. “It’s an eco-friendly solution that perfectly complements our plug-in products and other green initiatives.”

systems integration... this may be as close to a perpetual motion machine as we'll ever see

FAB FRIDAY = Summer House

2011-08-12T06:00:00.003-04:00

SOMMERHAUS
patrick-frey.com

The summerhouse Piu is a mondern per-fabricated wooden house with an unusual design and is beautifully finished. It is simple, elegant and versatile.
Piu can be used in different ways. It offers occupants may be a holiday house, a calm every-day study, a weekend-holiday home, a comfortable domicile through the whole year.

verb... to summer in style

POWER WEDNESDAY = Penn's Future

2011-08-10T06:00:00.002-04:00

PennFuture Launches Campaign to Protect Clean Energy and Pennsylvania Jobs
renewablesbiz.com

As word of cuts to Pennsylvania programs supporting clean energy leaked from inside the Corbett administration, and as some legislators discussed plans to gut Pennsylvania's landmark clean energy laws, Citizens for Pennsylvania's Future (PennFuture) today launched a comprehensive Campaign to Protect Clean Energy and Pennsylvania Jobs.
"In the past 12 years, Pennsylvania has gone from having virtually no clean energy jobs to employing more than 106,000 Pennsylvanians in the clean energy industry, despite the national recession," said Jan Jarrett, PennFuture's president and CEO. "These program cuts and legislative attacks threaten to kill these good, family-sustaining jobs."
"Our campaign will enlist the clean energy businesses that have built more than 4,000 solar installations, 16 large wind farms, the many farmers who are installing biodigesters, and the businesses that are installing effective energy and money saving measures. We will also engage concerned citizens and clean energy consumers across the Commonwealth, many of whom have personally invested in renewable energy and energy efficiency," said Christina Simeone, director of the PennFuture Energy Center for Enterprise and the Environment. "We intend to stop these cuts and protect our clean energy laws with this army of empowered, educated citizens and businesses."
PennFuture revealed last week that a number of actions had already been taken or were planned by the Corbett administration that would derail the Commonwealth's clean energy laws and policies. These actions included disbanding the Department of Environmental Protection's (DEP) Office of Energy and Technology Deployment; firing the director and reassigning the staff of the office of Energy Management in the Department of General Services; forbidding executive agencies to enter into contracts for clean energy; and firing the director and reassigning the staff of the Governor's Green Government Council. Many of these agencies had been developed by Republican elected officials.

connect, don't cut... jobs, jobs, jobs will pay for themselves if public policies provide opportunities for innovation