A Metaefficient Bathroom – Environmentally Friendly And Functional

A bathroom may be one of the smallest rooms of a home, but make no mistake – it’s a vital one. Whether you’re building a new home or renovating an existing one, integrating efficient components into a bathroom will add convenience and improve functionality, and also minimize the environmental impact of energy and water consumption.
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Southface Energy Institute Headquarters In Atlanta, GA

Energy efficient building designs and technologies are everywhere these days. In fact, the sheer number of options can seem a little overwhelming for those interested in sustainable construction techniques. But Southface Energy Institute, headquartered in Atlanta, can be a valuable resource for homeowners, commercial or residential builders, or individuals who simply want to learn more about environmentally friendly design.

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LEED Gold REI Store In Round Rock, TX (image: REI)

REI’s newest LEED certified retail stores are evidence that smart business and environmental responsibility sometimes lead down the same path. These new stores enjoy lower operating costs, and customers appreciate the company’s dedication to sustainable building.

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Who says that a home with cutting-edge energy efficiency has to look like an ultra-modern pod? This recently completed Wisconsin home packs so much energy tech that it makes money by selling electricity back to the grid, and it still keeps a low neighborhood profile.

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Hyper-Efficient LEED Platinum In Virginia

This new home in Virginia was designed for optimal efficiency. It’s the first to receive LEED platinum in Virginia.

Optimal elements that set it apart: an integrated rain water collection system (the site design features zero site runoff for a one-inch rain event), integrated geothermal wells, and exceptional indoor air quality.

The home was built by Metro Green and designed by Kaplan Thompson Architects.

Found via Preston Koerner. Thanks Preston!

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Chicago's Green Alley Initiative (photo: Chicago DOT)

Urban alleyways. Grubby places that only scrappy cats or cop-show perps could love, right? Not in Chicago, where the Department of Transportation is giving them some serious TLC with its recently implemented Green Alley Program. This city-wide renovation initiative will offer some surprising environmental benefits and improve quality of life for residents.

Alleys may seem like a tiny fraction of a city’s infrastructure. But Chicago has more than any other city in the world – 1,900 miles of alleyways that translate to 3,500 acres of paved landscape. And traditional alley designs have been plagued with flooding problems that overwhelm the city’s sewers, plus they can worsen nighttime light pollution and trap heat in the summer months. In response to this, The Chicago Department of Transport has followed the lead of Portland and companies like Aviva and Johnson & Johnson who have introduced impressive green initiatives. The four basic components of Chicago’s Green Alley program are effective stormwater management, minimizing heat absorption, creating designs to reduce light pollution, and maximizing the use of recycled materials wherever possible.

Alley Before And After Renovation (photo: Chicago DOT)

Using permeable pavement along with proper grading for drainage is a key element of managing water runoff. Paving materials that let rainwater infiltrate the soil (instead of entering the sewers) allow groundwater to be recharged, and reduce unnecessary stress on water treatment plants. A variety of pavers are being used, including permeable asphalt and concrete materials as well as open grid-style pavement tiles.

Permeable Paving Materials (photo: Chicago DOT)

The “heat island” effect that occurs when paved surfaces absorb the sun’s rays can substantially increase ambient temperature (and energy demand) in the summer months. The Green Alley program mandates the use of high-albedo (light-colored) pavements that absorb minimal heat. Benefits include reducing the need for air-conditioning in surrounding structures, and creating a better environment for vegetation growth.

Nighttime light pollution means that in most urban areas, a starry sky is a rarity. The Green Alley program requires the use of directional light fixtures that give street-level illumination for residents without shining upward into the sky. The new fixtures also provide a natural white light instead of the ubiquitous yellow glow seen from older sodium lamps.

Using recycled construction materials is also crucial for the Green Alley program, and creates cost savings while reducing raw material consumption and stress on landfills. Recycled concrete aggregate is being used in both foundation and surface layers, and reclaimed asphalt and ground tire-rubber can be used in pavement. Slag waste from steel production can also be used in the concrete components of the projects.

The Green Alley upgrades are being gradually implemented throughout the city. The Department of Transportation is also working with property owners to encourage their involvement in the Green Alley program, by providing maintenance advice and encouraging projects like rain gardens to complement the new alley designs.
(Via Chicago Department of Transportation)

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A couple of years ago, we wrote about a 1.3 megawatt solar-powered stadium in Switzerland. A new solar powered stadium has been built in Taiwan for the 2009 World Games in July. Designed by Japanese architect Toyo Ito, the stadium incorporates 8,844 solar panels on the roof. The roof will generate enough energy to power the building’s 3,300 lights and two giant television screens.

On hot days, the stadium will generate more power than it needs, so the Taiwanese government plans to sell the excess capacity. A Taiwanese official said that the panels will generate 1.14 million KWh per year, preventing 660 tons of annual carbon dioxide.

The power system was tested in January. It took over six minutes to power up the lighting in the stadium, which illuminates the track and field with 3300 lux.

The stadium has a some other green features — permeable pavement is used throughout the complex, and all the raw materials used in the main stadium are reusable and made in Taiwan.

Huge photos of the stadium can be found on the Skyscraper Forum.

Link: Stadium Home Page

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“Low-E” Windows Maximize Buildings’ Energy Efficiency (photo: EWC)

Low-E stands for low emissivity, and these windows are constructed to minimize heat transfer through the glass. Since windows are essentially huge holes in the walls of a building, choosing a low-E window design that’s appropriate for local climate and architecture can greatly increase a structure’s thermal efficiency, while reducing energy use and utility costs.
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A Dutch architecture group MVRDV have won a competition to design a city center for Gwanggyo, a new city which could be built south of Seoul, Korea. The town is planned to be a self-sufficient city of 77,000 inhabitants.

The architects say that all the elements of the city centre will be design as rings, and “by pushing these rings outwards, every part of the program receives a terrace for outdoor life.”

Box hedges will be planted on the terraces and roofs of the buildings. The intention is to improve ventilation, and reduce energy and water usage.

The shifting of the floors causes as a counter effect hollow cores that form large atriums. They serve as lobbies for the housing and offices, plazas for the shopping center and halls for the museum and leisure functions. In each tower a number of voids connect to the atrium providing for light and ventilation and creating semi-public spaces.

Via: Dezeen

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