Ενέργεια στο Βραδεμβούργο

Φωτοβολταϊκό πάρκο ισχύος 78MW εγκαίνιασε ο πρωθυπουργός του κρατιδίου του Βραδεμβούργου, λίγο έξω από τη γερμανική πόλη Ζένφτεμπεργκ. Στην πραγματικότητα πρόκειται για νέο τμήμα υπάρχοντος φωτοβολταϊκού πάρκου, η ισχύς του οποίου αυξάνεται με αυτήν την προσθήκη στα 166MW, γεγονός που - όπως υποστηρίζουν οι υπεύθυνοι- καθιστά τις ηλιακές εγκαταστάσεις τις μεγαλύτερες παγκοσμίως.

330.000 ηλιακοί συλλέκτες και 62 κεντρικοί αντιστροφείς τοποθετήθηκαν σε άγονη έκταση, όπου κάποτε βρισκόταν ανθρακωρυχείο. Το έργο, που φέρει τη σφραγίδα του βερολινέζικου ομίλου Unlimited Energy, ολοκληρώθηκε μέσα σε μόλις τρεις μήνες, ενώ ιδιαίτερη έμφαση δόθηκε στην προστασία του οικοσυστήματος της περιοχής. «Διατηρήσαμε μεγάλες εκτάσεις γης μεταξύ των εγκαταστάσεων, ώστε να αναπτυχθούν περιοχές για την αναπαραγωγή πτηνών και άλλων ζώων», δήλωσε ο διευθύνων σύμβουλος του ομίλου Τόρστεν Κες.

Λίγες εβδομάδες μετά από την οριστικοποίηση της απόφασης για σταδιακό κλείσιμο όλων των πυρηνικών σταθμών στη Γερμανία έως το 2022, οι επιχειρήσεις του κλάδου των ανανεώσιμων πηγών ενέργειας έχουν επιδοθεί σε αγώνα δρόμου για να εξασφαλίσουν όσο το δυνατόν μεγαλύτερο κομμάτι της ενεργειακής πίτας.

Παρά τη δυσμενή οικονομική συγκυρία, αναλυτές προβλέπουν περαιτέρω ανάπτυξη του κλάδου των φωτοβολταϊκών κατά το τελευταίο τετράμηνο του 2011, εκτιμώντας ότι η συνολική εγκατεστημένη ισχύς θα ξεπεράσει τα 7GW.

Κινδυνεύει η ηγετική της θέση

Παρότι κατά μέσο όρο έχει μόλις 1.500 ώρες ηλιοφάνειας το χρόνο, η Γερμανία διατηρεί επί σειρά ετών ηγετική θέση στον κλάδο των φωτοβολταϊκών παγκοσμίως, με την Ιταλία, την Ιαπωνία και τις Ηνωμένες Πολιτείες να ακολουθούν. Αυτό αποδίδεται συχνά στις γενναιόδωρες επιδοτήσεις της γερμανικής κυβέρνησης για όσους διοχετεύουν ενέργεια στο εθνικό δίκτυο ηλεκτροδότησης.

Όλα αυτά ωστόσο κινδυνεύουν να ανατραπούν, όπως αποκαλύπτουν νέα στοιχεία γύρω από τις πωλήσεις ηλιακών συλλεκτών. Με λίγες εξαιρέσεις, οι μεγαλύτεροι όμιλοι του κλάδου καταγράφουν απώλειες, ενώ εκφράζονται φόβοι για απολύσεις και αιτήσεις πτώχευσης.

Πολλοί επιρρίπτουν ευθύνες... στην Κίνα: παρέχοντας δάνεια με ευνοϊκούς όρους στις κινεζικές επιχειρήσεις, το Πεκίνο έχει καταφέρει να ρίξει τις τιμές 30% κάτω από το κόστος παραγωγής, όπως σημειώνει σε συνέντευξή του ο Φρανκ Aσμπεκ, πρόεδρος γερμανικής εταιρίας φωτοβολταϊκών.

Παρά τον πανικό πάντως, οι μακροπρόθεσμες προβλέψεις είναι αισιόδοξες. Όπως λέει ο Ντάβιντ Βέντεπολ της Γερμανικής Ένωσης Ηλιακής Βιομηχανίας, ακόμη και εάν το μερίδιο των γερμανικών εταιριών στην παγκόσμια αγορά φωτοβολταϊκών μειωθεί, τα κέρδη τους θα ενισχυθούν - υπό την προϋπόθεση ότι οι Γερμανοί θα κάνουν αποφασιστικότερες κινήσεις να κατακτήσουν και άλλες αγορές με τα προϊόντα και τις υπηρεσίες τους, εγκαταλείποντας την ασφάλεια των κυβερνητικών επιδοτήσεων.

a Street Scape

The Acceleration Interchange is M1A’s proposal for an installation at Anaheim’s new regional transportation hub ‘ARTIC’. The project, a wayfinding pavilion, reflects Meridian 105′s ongoing exploration of equation-based parametric modeling and design-to-fabrication processes.

Placed in the facilitiy’s large exterior plaza, the piece activates the streetscape, encouraging circulation within and around and a primary orientation point for connecting travelers. The form finds reference to the transportation theme of the larger facility, modeled by the application of wave and acceleration formulae acting on its form. The resulting pavilian is a twisting organic gesture.

The installation is a fabrication of GFRP (glass fiber reinforced polymer) tube volumes formed from the digital model. The finished GFRP encases a structural steel frame cantilevered from concrete foundations, stabilized horizontally by a spine. A structural diaphram provides additonal rigidity at the pavilian’s open edge.

 

a prototype SeatSlug

The promise of 3d printing for usable mass consumed objects seem to have been just around the corner for nearly a decade now. A new formulation cement-based polymer developed by Rael San Fratello Architects in partnership with the University of Washington and University of California Berkeley replaces more expensive powder mediums for large scale objects. The prototype SeatSlug bench is a demonstration project of the potential of the material and 3d printing process to make sophisticated large pieces using low cost, non repetitive objects. The bench is comprised of 230 individual pieces, each developed as a unique shape. The cement based polymer has a compression strength of 4700 pounds but cost up to 90% less than conventional fusible powders. Rapid 3d printing technologies have been traditionally used to create relatively expensive prototypes for industrial design or more recently small scale objects with low cost devices.

The SeatSlug is based on the shape of the recently discovered flabellina goddardi sea slug and surface inspired by karakusamon patterns, traditional Japanese designs. The unique shape is both functional and collectable with its provocative massing and highly polished finish, possibly with an eye to be built individually for higher end furniture stores or galleries. The manufacture of large scale merchandise as low cost printed objects with hand assembly near the end user addresses the issues of scale and cost of high quality products, which are often not available to market due to restraints in supply and demand.
 

an Ultra Performance

The observation tower is the result of a study into the optimal application of Ultra High Performance Concrete by a case study team comprising of UNStudio, ABT, BAM Utiliteitsbouw en Haitsma Beton.

The design for the observation tower is the result of a case study which aimed to apply the characteristics of Ultra High Performance Concrete in a functional, operative design. The case study team consisted of designers, engineers and builders who together sought a solution through which architecture and construction could reinforce one another. According to Ben van Berkel, “The observation tower afforded our Inventive Materials Research Platform the opportunity to investigate the properties of Ultra High Performance Concrete and to truly test out the full potential of this new material in a real structure.” Ultra High performance Concrete differs from normal concrete as it has a very high density, contains steel fibres and has an extremely fine grain structure. These properties facilitate the application of large compressive stresses in structures of narrow dimensions. UNStudio’s Inventive Materials Platform is one of four in-house research platforms and aims to investigate custom-made material applications and to facilitate inspired and imaginative collaborations with other experts and with manufacturers in the construction industry.

The 25 metre high observation tower will be realised on the forested boundary of ‘De Onlanden’ nature reserve on the outskirts of Groningen. Once built, the tower will extend 5 metres above the trees and will offer views over the 3,000 hectares of natural landscape which form the largest water storage area in the Netherlands.
 

a Morphotel by ex-IAAC

The project was designed by an ex-IAAC student, Gianluca Santosuosso, during the MAA Self Sufficient Buildings Development Studio directed by Willy Müller. MORPHotel introduces the idea of luxury accommodation to the concept of floating systems. The hotel would be a mobile assemblage of habitable units, able to navigate the seas as a cruise ship.  It would be able to adapt its shape to the weather conditions and site morphology.

The linear structure is developed around a vertebral spine, achieving a high degree of organizational flexibility. Entering the main vertebra – where all the reception, administration and catering services are located – the guests will reach the services offered by this structure, which are located along the central axis of the structure (this consists in a covered “linear park” that serves as a connection between the different sectors). The two ends of the structure will contain the hotel rooms; these are conceived as capsules attached to the organism’s spine that will have varying degrees of luxury and comfort: from glass room located at the water level, to luxury rooms that function as independent boats that can leave the main structure and sail within a fixed range established for security reasons.

During its continuous movement, this artificial organism would stop for short or long periods in different cities, thereby becoming their temporary extension. Unlike the cruise ship, the MORPHotel would be moving slowly. It offers an opportunity to live within and explore the world by traveling, instead of simply transporting people from one point to another

a/LTA architects in Nantes

a/LTA architectes unveiled their winning design for 142 homes in Nantes, France. The project was conceived as a sustainable neighborhood with green technologies and a highly articulated landscape. The design consists of three housing buildings placed on top of a retail plinth. The whole is articulated by a landscaped garden with vegetal and mineral nuances.

The architects believe that “beautiful” housing accommodations are bright, well-oriented and offer large views. That is why they developed for the three buildings, views to the city center of Nantes and to the river. They used the same codes and registers, but declined for each operation. The aim is to distinguish each entity while having an overall unity. Thus, the staging of homes through their extension outside (loggias, terraces), scripted buildings from public spaces. The inherent quality of the housing draws the facades. The architecture emphasizes the use and the opportunity offered by the housing.

The architects are particularly interested in the orientation of housing. Thus the vast majority of the units have a Southeast or Southwest exposure. And most units have a double crossing angle or orientation. The slenderness of the corners buildings forms two “towers” that mark the ends of the plot and dialogue with Picasso’s Walk, as the central building, below, maintains a relationship with the garden.

a Cybernetic Green

The New York artist Mary Miss has proposed building a 1,500-foot bridge across a canal at a new 100-acre art and nature park for the Indianapolis Museum of Art. Miss is working with the New York structural engineer Guy Nordenson on developing the bridge as an innovative viewing device-a central platform for walking across, surrounded on either side with ha-ha's, or walkways depressed 42 inches that form a sort of moat, which visitors can occupy along the bridge's length. Imagine a "W" section through the bridge, with a wider center peak as the main path. The idea is to confront the viewer with nature, lessening the force of architecture by making such things as handrails effectively disappear.

"I'm trying to get people to notice what they take for granted in a landscape, to reveal multiple aspects of the site," Miss says. "The bridge seems to be a platform with no edges-I want you to feel free to see this place as you've never seen it before." In the 1970s, the art historian and critic Rosalind Krauss placed the work of artists like Miss in a new conceptual framework of practice, in an expanded field that included "site construction." For Krauss, these artists did not work in the conventions of sculpture, but in a category that existed between traditional notions of landscape, architecture, and sculpture.

An increasing number of architects and designers embrace this notion of site development-spanning between the traditional roles of architect and landscape architect-embedding a variety of interpretations of site conditions into a new performance-based architecture of sustainable principles. But an architect must be interested enough in this new scope of opportunity, in areas such as groundwater-recharge and wastewater-treatment design, since it falls outside traditional practice.

The site of the Indianapolis project lies within an elbow of the White River, which runs from north to south, looping around the western edge of the park. A 35-acre lake, the legacy of a quarry mined to build a nearby highway, occupies the park. A canal dating to the 19th century slices the site off from the main museum building on a bluff to the east. The new park lies in a 100-year floodplain, though the park's landscape architect, Ed Blake, wonders if the impact of global warming doesn't make such considerations for a site as utterly dynamic as this one a little bit useless. Blake's approach is not to keep water out, but to understand how it will travel.
 

a Solar Shift

Solar Shift is a proposal for an exterior art piece for the new Evansville Arena. Design by PROJECTiONE LLC, the structure looks at the large public outdoor space in combination with concepts of sustainable interactive lighting.  The project will dynamically change in response to individuals and groups in the space through the use of motion sensors, photovoltaics, and LED lighting.

Solar Shift is created as a fully self contained system that acts as a solar collector, using photovoltaic panels to charge during the day, and in turn power the reactive lighting in the evening. As the sun sets each day, the project shifts and slowly comes to life, recognizing the individuals inhabiting it and lighting up to follow their movement in space. Each component in the system will power itself and react independently, eliminating any electrical connections between panels or tapping into an existing power grid.
Formally, Solar Shift derives its shape from the sun path data of Evansville, Indiana. We began by digitally 3d modeling a surface that is optimized for ideal solar radiation throughout the year from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. From there, the form was modified to accommodate access to the site, circulation paths, and visual aesthetics. We then utilized parametric design software to divide the surface into a triangular component system, where each panel relates to the original sun path data.

a House weather

Architects at 10 Design have designed a prototype house able to tackle extreme weather. Equipped with high-tech mechanisms for tornado evasion and flood resistance, the building is able to change positions in order to avoid damage. The house has a set of hydraulic levers that are activated by high-velocity winds that can pull the house into the ground to safety. Once the house is underground, the roof locks to make it water and wind proof. With the optimal environmental conditions re-established, the building emerges, exposing its inhabitants to open air and natural light. Ted Givens, a design partner at 10 Design, apparently has a vision of communities wired up with sensors and can process weather data to tuck away the homes in case of an emergency.

Solar cells on the exterior rotate and flex to maximize solar power generation, while the skin itself is composed of a translucent insulation sandwiched between two layers of Kevlar. This high performance exterior provides maximum insulation, a weather tight barrier, strong protection and a translucent skin to let light diffuse in. 10 Design is also exploring photocatalytic coatings and carbon nanotubes on the skin to absorb toxins, pollutants and CO2, which in turn would be used to power the hydraulics.
 

a Roc Green model

For the hundredth birthday of the creation of “Taiwan R.O.C.”, the main aim of the Taichung City Government is to honour the local building traditions and symbolize the new Taiwan dynamics into economic, political, social and cultural achievements.

International model of the green building of the 21st century, the innovative and pioneering design of the Bionic Arch by Vincent Callebaut Architecture is part of the new master plan “Taichung Gateway – Active Gateway City”, the future urban oasis for lifestyle, innovation, culture and biodiversity in the heart of Central Taiwan.

The green tower combines and surpasses the nine major indicators defining a green building by law, and intensifies the relation between the building site and the surrounding Taichung Gateway Park, including an environmental integration of the park and the green land, the integration of green vertical platforms, sky gardens and living façades, interaction between human and natural environments. It actively contributes to the development of the use of new sustainable energies (solar and wind generated power, coupled with botanical and bio-technologies), emphasizes cohabitation and respectful attitude in order to reach even higher standards than regular green buildings.

Raising awareness of climate changes and the need for environmental protection, Taiwan Tower will become the new landmark of sustainability, 100% self-sufficient with CO2 zero-emission, therefore contributing to the government’s policies in terms of energy saving and carbon emission reduction.

material HI Macs

The natural acrylic stone material HI-MACS® was chosen by eminent French artist Ora-ïto for his entry into the recent Wallpaper/Reebok exhibition in London. Fabricated by Candido Hermida in Spain, HI-MACS® was selected for its outstanding properties, visual and tactile effects and the ability to offer the artist thermoforming capabilities that placed zero restriction on his vision and ability to create a stunning three-dimensional creation.

Five of the world’s leading creative artists were invited to participate and Ora-Ito’s contribution was an interpretation of the Reebok RealFlex shoe in the form of a wall-mounted installation made entirely from HI-MACS®.

The detail of Ora-Ito’s work was what he described as the “iconic sneaker soles”. In creating this by using HI-MACS® the designer was able to exercise various sculptural experiments taking inspiration from the RealFlex sole’s “hidden art” aspects, resulting in a topographic landscape made to touch and explore its own poetic qualities.

This amazing sculpture was fabricated by Candido Hermida, who commented, “To work for a top designer like Ora-Ito, is always a challenge and a pleasure, his creations are wonderful in terms of design, but inevitably extremely complex in terms of fabrication. In this case the fabrication complexity was mainly because we had to understand the design and determine how to program the software that controls the CNC machine automatically, in order to achieve the 3d shape required.

An Audi Ring

The project is a temporary building, part of the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show. It is designed by Schmidhuber + Partner and will remain in place until October 20, 2011, to house the Frankfurt Book Fair. The Audi Ring is 100 meters long, 70 meters wide and 12 meters high. The exhibition in the Grand Hall leads visitors through the vehicle presentation, followed by a technology park with various interactive exhibits. .The 400 meter-long  test track extends across both levels of the interior, visible from the exterior via cutaways along the structure’s sides and top, and permitting the travel of up to nine vehicles at once. The course is open for visitors to experience by riding as passengers alongside professional drivers in a range of current and future Audi vehicles. As co-drivers, visitors are immersed in the driving experience, provided by the combination of technology and architecture.

Audi elaborates on the design concept: “The test track pervades the building like a pulsating artery, forming the core of the architectural ensemble around which the whole building is shaped; all entrances, openings, and façade contours are geared towards this dynamic vehicle presentation. Movement, not only of the vehicles, can be felt in every corner of the building. [...] the sophisticated choreography of the test track defines the overall spatial and brand experience, [forming] the emotional climax and end of the tour.”

 

a Pavilion X

To honour London’s imminent hosting of the 2012 Olympic games, James Law Cybertecture has presented an Olympic Pavilion X design to offer a statement of passion and excellence whilst providing a thrilling platform for memorable celebrations by the city and its citizens.

Inspired by the fluid shape of a raindrop splash, Olympic Pavilion X becomes a modern iconic landmark to inject both fun and flair to the monumental Trafalgar Square. With an electrifying exterior façade stretching 375 square meters, Olympic Pavilion X offers functional features of information center, souvenir shop and administration office at the tip of its three separate corners.
In stunning style, Olympic Pavilion X captures the moment of the Olympic summer games to augment a vibrant and intense sporting atmosphere for the crowd. Infused with visual technology innovations, the core auditorium contains an internal 360 degrees display screen, whilst three external visual devices composing hundreds of minuscule LCD monitors are designed to relay and display live Olympic games real-time.

 

entropic Elements

Designed by Benjamin Ferns at the University of Nottingham, UK, St. Mary’s Church is an entropic product, dealing with a series of interrelating networks in a dynamic, fluctuating and self-augmenting system. Mechanisms maintain the coastal balance, whilst the architectures of Happisburgh are continually consumed through a cycle of 200 years. Elements from previous systems become reclaimed devices, suspended for eternity in the sunken courtyard of the time arena, a metamorphosis of energy. The architecture seeks to establish a new legacy of St. Mary, one of saviour and recollection, sacrificing the graves of HMS Invinsible to the storms, in exchange for the salt lines that inform the scavenging mechanisms of the impending loss.

A system of petrification and archive, these lands may be re-augmented but they will never be forgotten
 

forces of Beauty and Darkness

The interest of creating this project was to provoke opposing forces of beauty and darkness – the idea of immersing survivors into their environment of global flooding through an elegant and energetic fusion of floating architecture.

The project has the appearance of a glamorous water cube emerging from billowing cloudscapes to flood location by a hot air dirigible. The Water Capsule is a simple form constructed of highly engineered, gleaming white fiberglass-reinforced panels. The structure folds into a sequence of spaces illuminated by two skylights and a window to the sea below. The project’s overall organization follows the drift of its curving form floating experientially through air and water giving freedom to “one’s” imagination from their loss.

The project’s designer, Jay Stoughtenger, was born in 1975 in New York, USA but currently lives and works in Kuwait. He received a degree in architecture from USA and is a Senior Architect for a progressive office in Kuwait. The designs he develops address urban density and suggest capsule living alternatives which allow him to escape from the reality of his professional practice. Often his designs shifts dramatically – scale with vibrant colors and minimal details, dream-like scenes of the natural world and their inhabitants become an idyllic way of living.

an OperaHouse

OODA’s scheme for the Busan Opera House engages with the natural topography, articulating a multi levelled building and integrating the different cultural activities and program seamlessly. The dominant flow circulation, flexibility and concept strategy enables full accessibility.

The design concept creates spaces that blur the difference between building and landscape, intensifying the fluidity between interior and exterior spaces, indoor and outdoor venues. The formal approach is driven from the natural proportion of the program merged with inspirational themes (like sea shells – music – and butterfly typical pacific fish) that allows the building to assume its own unique charm and identity. The formal image with its vibrant and meaningful presence helps to create a brand new-age landmark for South Korea as a strong symbolic voice to the world.

Iconic shell sound towards the sea

The Opera Auditorium has a pioneering and innovative design concept, it is as flexible and efficient as it is elegantly sculpted. The center area can rotate around itself so in the same space it is possible to have an Opera with all its requirements, but also some more intimate concert and a centered stage venue allowing to have audience all around.
The Multi Purpose Theatre has its own identity and articulation. According the design concept it could be used from multiple perspectives and programmatic needs.

The auxiliary facilities (high level restaurants, café/bars, shopping, convention center, exhibition space, banquet hall, event room, etc) flows all along the both main structures creating a perfect bind between all.

The building envelope is devised as a continuous skin that is embedded with multiple levels of program. Natural light, cross ventilation, access and views become the key operators of the transition between interior and exterior.

The organic morphology blends perfectly with the landscape and it´s designed to become landscape and to symbolize the new Busan Spirit and identity.

OODA: Diogo Brito, Rodrigo Vilas-Boas, Francisco Lencastre, Francisco Rugeroni, Ezhil Vigneswaran, Francisca Lopes dos Santos.

in a Desert environment

Comfort Confrontation is a project designed by Johan Tali, Marte Ringseth-Helgeland and Daniel Prost at the Studio Wolf D. Prix of the Die Angewandte in Vienna. It researches the possibilities of living in a desert environment, further more creating an off-grid self-sustainable university campus for 2500 students.

The actual building mass is hovering above the desert surface and is used as an apparatus to organize the public space that is the desert itself. The endless sand horizon is considered as an open field, where shade, brightness, and moisture are the variables to create a diverse public space. As the desert surface expands into the public buildings it becomes more shaded, creating a landscape of oasis like condition and manifests a forum contition for the academic buildings. The massing is developed simulating a field of connected focal points. The fieldlines are manifested as the main arteries and are represented as surfaces that organize the shading shells for housing and as the surfaces meet at a focal point, the bundling surfaces turn into a study of surface contitions like surface-to-volume (and the relation of different volumes to each other) and transparency in relation to sun conditions.

The climate concept consists of self shading shells for residential units, the residential units themselves as shading apparatus for inter-connected campus walkways and using groundwater for cooling via circulating in the hovering masses. A network of suspended roofing systems in the open courtyards is derived from the surface curvature of the self-shading shells of residential units. The landscaping language of the desert ground is shaped according to wind studies and direct access routes with the main purpose of creating wind blocking landscape elements.