The design team includes our own Ziger/Snead Architecture as well as Stephen Stimson Associates for landscape and Vanderweil Engineers for MEP. Together this group of designers have produced a series of award winning projects in the region.

Interestingly, the project is just the latest in a succession of green buildings in the area. The state of Maryland established itself as an early leader in the green building industry as home to the first ever LEED Platinum building, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Philip Joseph Merrill Environmental Center. To date Maryland has 52 certified and 565 registered LEED projects. Baltimore City on the other hand has far fewer with only eight certified and 83 registered LEED projects.

We are thrilled to see the green building industry moving forward in our area! For more information stay tuned. We will post updates as the project moves forward.

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Ideas for Vertical Farms have been sprouting up all over the place from New York to Dubai. Proponents of the concept believe that farming up will reduce the need for farmland and produce more food for more people while using less resources. Vertical farming would reduce transportation costs and provide year round sustenance for the surrounding city.

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http://www.independencestation.com/index.shtml

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(above) advanced ecoceramic structural systems

Greenline believes that next generation building systems has the potential to have a profound influence on the sustainability of our built environment. We try to highlight articles we find relevant that lie at the intersection of art, science, technology and architecture and do so with a passion. We take special notice then when building scientists out there in the research community pursue the same end. In that context we wanted to share with you the work of the Center for Architecture Science and Ecology (CASE). The center is a ‘multi-institutional and professional office research collaboration co-hosted by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Skidmore, Owings & Merril.’ Located in lower Manhattan, the center ‘unites advanced architectural and engineering practices with scientific research through a unique and intensive collaboration between multiple institutions, manufacturers and professional offices within the building industry.’

Music to my ears.

  (above) next generation high-efficiency solar power systems for building envelopes

Research currently being produced includes: Dynamic Window Shading System with Integrated Concentrator PV Modules / PATH: Thin-Film Active Building Envelopes / Active Building Envelope for Energy Self-Sufficiency, Design, Optimization and experimental Validation / NVMG Dynamic Window to name a few.

  (above) structural optimization through the amplification of wind flow

For more information please visit the CASE website or read A CASE in Point in MetropolisMag or The Solar Race in The Rensselaer Review.

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RETROSolar is a German company known for producing complex aluminum roll formed profiles for the building industry, notably advanced reflector technology for daylighting systems, light fixtures, and dropped ceilings. Design of the systems shows significant research on the part of Retrosolar into maximizing the efficient use of available light through the use of geometrically optimized reflectors, all of which have characteristic radiuses or angles in their profiles. The products are ideal for multi-floor buildings where access to daylight through the ceiling plane is not practical and where light is primarily being delivered from one side of the occupied space. Retrosolar allows sustainable designers to optimize the lighting performance of a space, something especially important when limitations on natural and artificial light become obstacles to providing the needed foot-candle levels within a space. Efficiency is a big part of sustainability and these products accomplish both through simple innovations on an already widespread technology.

(above) an example of the Retrosolar Retrolux blind system and a brief explanation of how the geometry affects the reflection of light deep into the room

I am most familiar with the Retrosolar Retrolux product which is essentially an advanced horizontal mini blind/louver system. The product can be installed on the interior or between the glazing and can be controlled manually or by an input controlled motor. Innovative geometry on each blind acts to reflect daylight out of the building and throw light deep into the building interior depending on the rotation of the blinds. My experience from the Center for Building Performance at CMU is that the blinds performed exceedingly well when compared to traditional mini blinds which neither effectively daylight or shade the interior space. When reviewing options for daylighting in the context of designing a building envelope, it worth considering that these shades are also rather attractive. In contrast to aesthetically banal standard blinds, the build quality and appearance of the Retrolux is robust and attractive.

Another innovative product introduced by Retrosolar is Retrolight. The system improves the traditional dropped acoustic ceiling by introducing a ribbed ceiling plane which uses the same geometrical tricks seen in the Retrolux to reflect light from windows, light shelves, and indirect lights deep into a space. Again the product simply makes the ceiling plane more efficient at spreading light evenly throughout a room which can mean the difference between good and bad daylighting for sustainable project with limited lighting availability.

It is great to see this type of optimization happening in the building industry. I feel very strongly that the best innovations are oftentimes subtle intelligent modifications of already existing or syntheses of different technologies. The Retrosolar product line is to me a clear example of how manufacturers can have a positive impact on the sustainability of buildings by designing smarter products.

For more information on please visit the RETROSolar website. Further description of their products can be found at D-Lite.

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The Artek Pavillion by Shigeru Ban was built in 2007 as part of an installation at the 2007 Salone Internazionale del Mobile in Milan. The mobile exhibition space was commissioned by Finnish furniture company, Artek, and forest industry group/paper producer/wood materials manufacturer, UPM. As part of their company philosophies, the two sponsors, beyond just asking noted architect Ban to design a swank pavilion, also added that the structure should highlight sustainability in form, function and materiality. The subsequent investigation led the team to review how recycled products could be applied in the design of the pavilion and resulted in a goal of using one primary material throughout the entire project. Steel, aluminum, and wood would all be suitable choices, but because of the relationship both Shigeru Ban and UPM have with wood and paper products, the material turned out to be an extruded wood plastic composite made primarily of recycled paper material, specifically recycled self-adhesive labels. In the end, it seems likely that it is the material palette which gives the project form and claim to sustainability.

Form, in the case of the pavilion, comes through a very limited kit of parts. The pieces include angles, floor ‘boards’, corrugated roof and corrugated wall panels. Out of this kit, Shigeru developed a two meter long by five meters wide by seven meters high ‘bay’ or ‘unit’ which could be repeated to generate the pavilion. A simple pitched roof ‘proto-house’ form was applied because it sheds water, does not require long spans, and helps to reduce the scale of the overall pavilion. The ‘unit’ includes one truss system made from bolted angles and has attached to it the wall, roof and flooring panels. In the final pavilion the bay was repeated 20 times which resulted in an overall structure length of 40 meters. The pavilion is open to the air on both ends and has a translucent corrugation at the center to admit natural light. No building systems are incorporated except for electricity and artificial lighting.

The entire pavilion, including materials, was produced and assembled in Finland. The structure was then deconstructed, boxed and shipped to Milan for the final show. The modular, kit of parts, design has allowed the pavilion to be assembled and deconstructed several times since it was first used. It was eventually auctioned at Sotheby’s for an undisclosed sum to a private buyer. Sustainability is therefore not only inherent in the materiality of the building, but also in the fact that it can be relocated and reused so easily. The only trace it leaves behind are twenty or so temporary footings placed along the length of the pavilion.

Fascinating to me is that the pavilion is sustainable from beginning to eventual end. Used self-adhesive labels are used as a main ingredient in the primary material. Those recycled labels generate a simple kit of parts that can be assembled and deconstructed to move or adapt the pavilion to multiple locations. The kit of parts in turn evokes a simple building form appropriate for many locations. Furthermore, no environmental systems are included which means the building has a very small environmental energy footprint. The pavilion can be adapted for a variety of events and functions which mean that its useful life can be extended over many. Finally the building can be entirely recycled back to raw materials.

Reflecting on this project, I am doubtful that many buildings out there can be made of one material wholly. In fact it is counterintuitive when considering natural balances that a sustainable approach uses only one material, but principles such as recyclability, deconstruction, and healthy materials can be applied to any project and should gain traction as the building industry refine’s chain of custody. The Artek Pavilion is a great example of how good design can leverage materials, form and function to create something better than the individual pieces.

For more information please visit Shigeru Ban’s website.

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The video below shows the human body as it heats the surrounding air. Watch as plumes of warm air rise from the head, face, shoulders, hands. As you watch think about how much heat our buildings shed into the environment when the inside temperature is maintained at 72°F and the exterior temperature is 32°F!

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A coworker pointed out the cooling towers today after his visit to one image gallery from the Beijing Blaze. Take a look at the cooling towers in the foreground of the image below. The photo is perfect. The burned Koolhaas building in the background a perfect analogy for the rejected heat being pushed out into the atmosphere from the the 100 cooling tower units on top of that physical plant building. Every action as a consequence. In this case you can witness the brutal nature of moving thousands of tons of BTUs from one system, the building interior, to another, the exterior environment, and vice versa. Entropy will have its revenge.

I don’t question the need for cooling towers, but hope that designers out there understand real consequences of our decisions. Enjoy hunting for the next most conspicuous building system!

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(above) grasspave2 sample/ (below) grasspave2 detail

One manufacturer of note is Invisible Structures based in Golden, Colorado. The company started in 1982 producing a basic grass paving system and has now expanded their offerings to include a variety of porous paving and landscaping products. A central emphasis stated by the company is the development of products to ‘help manage stormwater and protect and enhance the environment.’ The product lineup highlights that focus even in name only with products such as Grasspave2, Gravelpave2, Rainstore3, Slopetame2, Draincore2, and Beachrings2. Not all of these are porous pavings as the names suggest, but all share an underlying technology and ability to render surfaces accessible (ADA Compliant in some cases), varied in material, and generally better for the environment than the common impervious asphalt alternative. Another important aspect of many of the systems is modularity and ease of installation.

(above) gravelpave2 installation

The strictly environmental benefits of these products include natural processing of stormwater, erosion and soil migration prevention, contamination remediation, groundwater recharge and reduction in heat island effect depending on the type of product being used. Greater vegetation also allows for more absorption of carbon dioxide and local oxygen production. The final product surface can be sand, gravel, vegetated and anywhere in between. The important point is that the surface is a more natural, human scale, if you permit poetic license.

From an economic perspective the porous paving materials have low first and life cycle costs when compared to poured in place solutions. Programmatically the surfaces are available for multiple uses which enables space to be planned more efficiently, possibly reducing the needless duplication of programmed area simply due to surface requirements. Parking and landscaped areas can co-exist in the same area eliminating the need to duplicate paved dedicated parking and vegetated landscaped areas. My favorite example is the use of Grasspave2 as a fire lane and landscape element. (Designers out there know what it means to design a project and then be forced to build a road along the exterior of the building just to satisfy fire land requirements)

For more information on Invisible Structures please visit the company website.

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(above) exterior rendering by Karin Adalbert

Villa Åkarp is a positive net energy house (plusenergihus in Swedish) being built outside of Malmo, Sweden. The house, brainchild of doctor of building physics, Karin Adalberth, will generate more energy on an annual basis than it consumes by combining energy conservation, energy recovery and energy generation technologies, an amazing feat given that Sweden is hardly known for gratuitous solar energy. Improvising to find a solution, the designer created a partnership with local ‘green’ utility company, E.On, so that the house can purchase energy in the long dark winter months and sell electricity back to the grid during sunny (energy intense) summer months, maintaining a positive net energy ratio with the grid. The project illustrates distributed energy production and individual building energy efficiencies’ potential to revolutionize the energy industry.

Partnerships, an important aspect of groundbreaking projects such as this, are a hallmark of the villa project. The official list of collaborators includes primeproject (construction), roxull (insulation), elitfonster (windows), exoheat (solar panels), rec indovent (mechanical system), benders (roof), airglass (aerogel insulation), and aquapanel (cementboard) to name a few. Oftentimes teaming with product manufacturers and service providers affords experimental projects such as this an advantage through using cutting edge materials and strategies. In the case of Villa Akarp, sophistication and performance is certainly achieved using advanced materials, but even more important is the integrated design process which ties all the disparate elements together into a super efficient, energy producing, home.

(above) first floor plan

(above) second floor plan

The villa uses a variety of strategies to achieve excellent energy performance, but it must be noted that the design is as dependent on time-tested, traditional building, strategies as it is on high-end technological or material solutions. Dr. Adalberth lists eight strategies on the project website: 1) insulation, 2) ventilation with heat recovery, 3) low infiltration, 4) collect heat, 5) collect electricity, 6) guarantee heat generation in the wintertime, 7) install water saving devices and fixtures, 8 ) install electricity efficient devices and systems. You will notice that the project parameters are particular to a Scandinavian climate as it puts the strong emphasis on heating and none cooling. Adapting this project to a more temperate climate would mean changing some of the strategies, but the basic strategies of energy conservation, recovery and generation would still hold true regardless of location.

Insulation

  The integrity of the building envelope is a crucial design element in Villa Akarp. The walls and roof have a total of 5.5 decimeters of insulation with an overall U-value of 0.08 w/m2. Karin notes that in Sweden a badly insulated wall with only 1 decimeter of insulation has a U-value of 0.5 w/m2 and that the difference could save a family 75% in energy costs for a typical house. Roxull mineral wool fiber was used throughout the house, inserted between wood framing members, because of its excellent insulation and fire resistance properties. In addition insulation, a continuous infiltration barrier was installed to prevent energy transfer due to air movement. The result is a well insulated, tight envelope that does not unnecessarily shed energy.

(above) Karin Adalbert shows off the house insulation (ROXULL); photo by Lars Bartas

The continuity of the envelope was maintained well beyond the fundamental wall assembly. Windows and doors were designed to reduce energy transfer and air leakage. The front door uses a vestibule to control the air as occupants enter or leave the dwelling. A special slues system on the door prevents air from exchanging with the exterior. Windows are high U-value triple glazed units which are deployed sparingly to bring in the maximum amount of natural light without compromising the efficiency of the envelope.

(above) Karin shows off the triple glazed fenestration; photo by Marin Lindeborg

The foundation is also well insulated as can be seen in the sketch below. The reinforced concrete slab is insulated by expanded foam insulation to the tune of 4 decimeters below and 2.5 decimeters on the perimeter. I don’t recall seeing a more robustly insulated slab in any building section.

(above) section detail of the foundation edge insulation; grafik by Krister Kronkvist

Heating

The house is based on the concepts of Passiv Haus and so can generate much of its heating from energy that is already being generated in the house itself. Bodyheat, lighting, refrigerators, computers and many other things generate heat within the house and can go a long way to preconditioning the house before designers need to bring true ‘heating’ systems online to cover the difference. The heating system itself includes an 18 m2 solarthermal collector, an accumulator tank (the heart of the building – a big circle in the first floor plan), and traditional radiators. The solar thermal system both heats the house and (pre)heats the domestic hot water. The 2,000 liter accumulator tank (storage tank) retains enough heat for use during the evening and mornings while a connected fuel pellet heater is used to heat the house’s radiator and domestic hot water during the winter or any other time the solar thermal system cannot meet demand.

A particularly innovative system uses the tempered sanitary lines exiting the house to preheat the incoming water lines to help reduce the amount of energy needed to bring the cold exterior water up to usable temperatures.

(above) water / sanitary line heat exchanger

Solar Panels and Energy Balance

32 square meters of solar panels are used to produce energy for the house. Of course, because this is Sweden (I don’t mean to knock the weather but since I am Swedish I am just being realistic… the weather is hardly Mediterranean), the solar panels are used primarly between April and October. The calculated energy balance is 4,000 kwh sold back to the grid and 2,600 kwh purchased annually, leaving a net positive energy balance. The extra energy purchased is ‘green’ so the house also has a minimal carbon footprint.

Villa Åkarp is a terrific example to architects, clients and builders out there about what can be done to increase energy efficiency, improve occupant comfort, and reduce green house gas emissions. The house cost is estimated to be almost $100,000 more than a traditional home, but I suspect a disproportionate amount of that costs is going to pay for solar panels, an item that should be seeing significant cost reductions in the future as production becomes more efficient. The basic strategy of using energy conservation, energy recovery and energy generation technologies applies to all buildings. Congratulations to the team and especially Karin Adalberth for challenging the rest of the design community to make better buildings.

For more information please visit the official Plusenergihus website.

Om du kan forsta svenska spraket ar du valkommen at kolla pa “Energihus kapar elkostnaden helt” fran SVT

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Above is a striking combination light active chilled beam by TROX

A Chilled Beam is a building conditioning system that uses convection and water to efficiently move energy throughout a building. Chilled beams come in both active and passive varieties but are in no way a part of the building’s structural system as the name might imply. The units are linear in form however, which might create the appearance of a ‘beam’ to untrained eyes. Chilled beams are known for energy efficient, comfortable, quiet operation in a robust system with few moving parts and low maintenance requirements.

Chilled beams function similarly, and are often associated with, radiant ceilings and floors. A fundamental functional difference, however, is that chilled beams use convection, in lieu of radiance, to transfer energy from the water loop (most commonly) to the space. Interestingly, radiant systems rely less on conditioning the air within the space and instead concentrate on delivering heat or coolth directly to the objects that need to be tempered. Many, including myself, consider radiant heat to be the most comfortable way to condition a space because the body, or objects within the room, receive the heat directly rather than being dowsed by conditioned air. Both strategies benefit from the higher density (higher than air), increased energy carrying capacity, of water and are therefore more energy efficient efficient than forced air systems which have to spend energy heating, moving and dehumidifying large volumes of low density air.

Passive Chilled Beams use no fans, have no moving parts and as a result make almost no sound. Passive systems use properties of buoyancy, air temperature and density to move air across a foil connected to the conditioned water. The system does not provide ventilation air and so requires a separate ventilation system. However, because the ventilation air is not conditioning the space, the system can deliver much lower volumes of air, reducing duct and fan sizes.

Placement of a passive chilled beams must be considered carefully because of their use of natural currents of hot and cool air. For instance, placing a passive chilled beam above a heat source, like a copy machine, may interrupt the flow of cool air down from the beam unit as it meets warm air rising from the copier. Passive chilled beams do not cause drafts and so are much more comfortable stand under, it is however recommended that passive units not be placed directly above a workstation as the occupant below will feel a constant stream of cool air flowing down.

Passive chilled beams do have limitations. The systems are not good at heating a space. Thermodynamics prevent the hot air from reaching the bottom of the room and leave the space stratified into hot and cold zones.

If heating is needed, the solution is to install an Active Chilled Beam system. Does that name make sense? Of course not. An Active Chilled Beam system can both heat and cool air by using high velocity ventilation air to disperse the conditioned air throughout the room, thereby forcing hot air to reach the bottom of the room. In the case of the Active Chilled Beam, active means that the water and fin unit from the passive system is connected directly to a ventilation supply air system. The ventilation air is blown through high velocity nozzles and forces convection of air over the water foil unit.

Active Chilled Beams, like Passive Chilled Beams, are are quiet, efficient and have low maintenance requirements because they have no moving parts within the individual units. The only maintenance is an occasional dusting of the radiant foils. The system does force air into the space which creates a minor draft, but this is insignificant compared to the amount of air being circulated in a traditional forced air system. All chilled beam technologies use the same hydronic water loop system to transfer energy, the only difference is that in the Active Chilled Beam, the water loop can be both heated and cooled.

The hydronic water system can be conditioned by any number of heat exchange devices including boilers, cooling towers, condenser units, geoexchange units, and any other system that can decrease entropy. The only constraints are that Passive Chilled Beams require the water temperature to be at least 2°F above the room’s dew point (typically 57-60°F) whereas an Active Chilled Beam allows for water up to 1.5°F below the room’s dew point.

Superficially, chilled beams units represent somewhat higher upfront costs when compared to a traditional forced air system, but several case studies point out, however, that overall costs are lower once reductions in fan, duct and heat exchanger or boiler elements are considered. Reduced upfront cost coupled with lower operating costs make the technology very attractive to building developers and owners alike. Higher efficiency and increased occupant comfort make them a sustainable choice.

a ceiling integrated Active Chilled Beam by TROX

I will be doing more research into Chilled Beams and hopefully electing to use some in our projects in the near future. I am encouraged to see such innovations in the air conditioning industry, especially a product that has benefits for the environment, the economy, and society; the true measure of sustainability.

For more information please visit Wikipedia or a great article in Architectural Record titled “An Energy-Conserving Technology From Europe Makes Inroads in the U.S.”

For more information on building systems please visit other greenlineblog posts on Absorption Chillers, ETFE and Enthalpy Wheels.

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