Green Architecture/Buildings.

[Michaelangelica]

Good nice to see an environment forum.
How about an architecture building one next?

This show is well worth watching.
It is about an extraordinary new building in Melbourne's CBD.
Very eco-friendly. Amazingly ingenious.
Among many things it uses sewerage as air conditioning!
You have to see it to believe it.
This is the future of architecture up and running NOW
Catalyst: Council House Two – the eco-office block of the future - ABC TV Science

Council House Two – the eco-office block of the future
Reporter: Graham Phillips
Producer: Graham Phillips
Researcher: Ruth Beran
Camera: Phil Hankin
Sound: Graham Fettling
Editor: Ben Eriksen

Transcript
Related Info

19 April 2007
Council House Two, or CH2 as its known, is quite possibly the eco-office block of the future – many of its design principles have been taken from nature.

To create environmentally friendly buildings, architect Mick Pearce says his profession should learn from the natural world. To cool and heat an office block, for example, we use massive energy-consuming air conditioners and heaters.
Yet, using no more than the natural elements of the sun and the wind, by careful design termites are able to keep their nests at around 30 degrees - despite outside temperatures varying between 40 degrees in the day and below zero at night.

Mick has put his money where his mouth is and designed an incredibly environmentally friendly building that’s been constructed in Melbourne’s CBD. It consumes only 15% of the energy of a regular building and about 30% of the water.

Find out exactly how he achieved this on a guided tour of this amazing building with the host of Catalyst, Dr. Graham Phillips.

[Ganoderma]

that is pretty cool! i am very interested to learn more about that air conditioning system. not so much the sewage part but the general concept.

then again i would also liek to know about the sewage filtration, as i plan to build something like that into our house soon.

thanks for the link!

[Michaelangelica]

Originally Posted by Ganoderma

that is pretty cool! i am very interested to learn more about that air conditioning system. not so much the sewage part but the general concept. !

Write to the ABC and ask for more info. I am sure they will help (eventually-they are woefully underfunded by the government.).

Did you manage to see pics/video of the air con units in the ceilings?

I can't see video as I don't have broadband

[Ganoderma]

the video was pretty bad. it was more like a slideshow

they had a circulating pipe system in teh ceiling, did not see much of it. just looked like coper tubing to me. although pretty damned ugly, its a cool building for sure!!!

[TheBigDog]

My favorite green home is located in Crawford, Texas. I have been trying to find an article about it that is not a political barb and it is nearly impossible. All I am left with is Wiki...

Originally Posted by Wikipedia

The land includes seven canyons and three miles (5 km) of frontage along Rainey Creek and the Middle Bosque River. It is a part of land settled in the mid-19th century by German immigrant Heinrich Englebrecht, who raised turkeys and hogs there and donated some of it to found the Canaan Baptist Church (the "Prairie Chapel").

Buildings on the land built by the Englebrechts were refurbished for new uses, such as Secret Service quarters and guest houses. Bush and his wife had David Heymann, then an associate professor of architecture at the University of Texas at Austin, designed a 4,000 ft² (372 m²) honey-colored native limestone single-level home on the site. In addition there is an open 10 foot (3 m) wide limestone porch that encircles the house. The house was built by members of a religious community from nearby Elm Mott, Texas and wasn't finally completed until after his inauguration because of needed accommodations for security, meeting space, etc.

The passive-solar house is positioned to absorb winter sunlight, warming the interior walkways and walls of the residence. Geothermal heat pumps circulate water through pipes buried 300 feet (100 m) deep in the ground. A 25,000 US gallon (151 m³) underground cistern collects rainwater gathered from roof urns; wastewater from sinks, toilets, and showers cascades into underground purifying tanks and is also funneled into the cistern. The water from the cistern is then used to irrigate the landscaping around the four-bedroom home. Photographs of the interior of the house indicate a sophisticated take on rough-hewn living, with generous English-style club chairs covered in what appears to be printed Fortuny linen.[citation needed]

Bush added an 11 acre (45,000 m²) man-made pond that he stocked with 600 largemouth bass and 30,000 bait fish. There are also bluegill and red ear sunfish. The pond has a maximum depth of 17 feet.

Bush also manages his property as protected habitat for the endangered Golden-cheeked Warbler (Dendroica chrysoparia).

Bill

[Michaelangelica]

Originally Posted by Ganoderma

the video was pretty bad. it was more like a slideshow

they had a circulating pipe system in teh ceiling, did not see much of it. just looked like coper tubing to me. although pretty damned ugly, its a cool building for sure!!!

It looked a bit better than that on the TV. I wonder if the building has a web site?
The ceiling was also concavely curved in a wave sort of formation.

The people who worked in it loved it;
and said they were getting a lot less sickness from flu etc

Bill
Who owns the hose now?
I just need to know what religion or political party I need to join for a holiday Sounds like a beautiful spot.

[TheBigDog]

Originally Posted by Michaelangelica

Bill
Who owns the hose now?
I just need to know what religion or political party I need to join for a holiday Sounds like a beautiful spot.

It is the Texas Ranch of President Bush. No religion or political party required, but you need an invitation to get past the Secret Service.

Bill

[Michaelangelica]

Maybe not green, but some fascinating photos

thecoolhunter.net - architecture

[freeztar]

Originally Posted by Michaelangelica

Maybe not green, but some fascinating photos

thecoolhunter.net - architecture

Cool link!

The Loft House just seems ridiculous to me. I love how the flash video shows a couple playing volleyball over a cloths-line. I'd be fine with that I guess but I would not be the one getting the ball once it falls down 20 stories and lands in traffic.

[freeztar]

More on topic, I've always thought Cob houses were pretty neat.

Green Home Building: Natural Building Techniques: Cob
cob house - Google Image Search