green building Archives – The Green Optimistic

Thailand Home Energy Storage Project Turns Solar Power to Hydrogen

Mila Luleva — Wed, 23 Dec 2015 13:33:41 +0000

Eco-friendly housing development in Thailand stores excess solar power, generated from rooftops, in the form of hydrogen. It is great to see that improvements in solar panel technologies, and drop in commercial prices, have made more and more home owners opt for generating clean solar power. But, energy consumption varies greatly throughout the day (and night) […]

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Building Made of Bio-concrete Heals Its Own Cracks

Mila Luleva — Mon, 18 May 2015 19:38:01 +0000

Self-healing cement, made entirely of bacteria, is now out of the lab and in the walls of the first building that can repair cracks on its own. It is a well known fact that the cement industry is one of the most polluting ones, right up there with coal burning power plants. This is why […]

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Water Tanks Spring New Lives as a House and a Cafe

Ari Luis — Fri, 12 Sep 2014 19:49:19 +0000

Now we have seen recycled materials used to erect a building, and we have seen buildings that were repurposed. I guess we associate springs with new life, but have you seen a water tank become a living space? Well that’s exactly what a businessman in Steenokkerzeel in Belgium and officials of the University of the […]

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Better Than a Glass House, This Plastic Bottle Classroom Rocks

Ari Luis — Fri, 12 Sep 2014 19:48:28 +0000

They say that people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. But if you stay inside a plastic bottle classroom during a tropical storm, it shouldn’t be a problem. More than three years after it was built and dozens of tropical storms after (including Typhoon Haiyan), the first classroom in Asia made of plastic […]

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How Smart Climate Control Saves Energy and Money

Benji Jerew — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:33:33 +0000

Current climate control technology in a building is not as advanced as it could be, and is wasting thousands of dollars a year because of it. If you think about climate control in a modern automobile, you can set your desired temperature, and the system takes care of the rest. Based on solar load, air […]

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Google Expands Googleplex Offices in Green Fashion

Leigh Hutchens — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 07:49:21 +0000

Google has long been envied for its spectacular work environment, and if the company’s vision comes to fruition, major changes to its environmentally friendly “Googleplex” in Mountainview, California will take place and be ready by 2015. Working with the Seattle-based architectural firm NBBJ to expand its current “Googleplex,” the company is planning a spectacular 1.1 […]

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Energy Roof Greens Existing Buildings and Improves Aesthetics

Leigh Hutchens — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 22:05:08 +0000

It’s no secret that architects everywhere are now designing low carbon footprint buildings that either save energy, generate energy, or harvest rain in an attempt to conserve freshwater. Existing buildings, however, are being left in the dust, and architects are scrambling to find a way to retrofit these with green systems. Existing buildings have been […]

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How to Make Your Home Energy Efficient in 6 Simple Steps

Mila Luleva — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 18:39:58 +0000

For most DIY lovers, having the chance to design and build their own house is like a dream come true. Now imagine you do that, but together with the pleasure of actually constructing your home, you can also make it energy efficient and save some extra cash! Today we decided to give you a few […]

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STEM Batteries and Software – Hybrid Buildings are Here

Benji Jerew — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 16:07:07 +0000

Office buildings are power hungry, with lighting, computers, air conditioning systems, and other technology. Upgrades to lighting, windows, and insulation, as well as changing habits has added much to a building’s economy, but there is still much that can be done to reduce energy consumption, aside from reading in the dark. STEM, data, analytics, and […]

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Good ol’ Buildings Sometimes Better Than New Ones: Reconsidering Our Urban Design

Benji Jerew — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 16:04:04 +0000

Cities are always evolving, often out with the old and in with the new. Some old things are restored, while others are razed and make way for highways with increased traffic capacity, or high-rise office buildings. This seems to be the way of progress in urban design, but what happens when disaster strikes? September 11, […]

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First “Living Building” Covered With Microalgae for Shade and Electricity

Janina Lazo-Cruz — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 13:48:40 +0000

A prototype of the first ‘living building’ that is surrounded with panels containing microalgae will be launched at the 2013 International Building Exhibition in Hamburg, Germany. The microalgae-filled panels are dual purpose as they give shade against sunlight and generate about 10% of the building’s electricity needs. An interesting, eco-friendly architecture that provides bio-adaptive lighting, […]

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Your Building’s Carbon-Dioxide Emissions – Hestia Knows Them

Benji Jerew — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 20:07:40 +0000

For the most part, when we consider carbon-dioxide [CO2] emissions, we deal in averages and estimates. Because the problem is so broad, averages make it somewhat easier to deal with. Statistics, though, mean nothing to the individual. While it’s good to know that about 44% of the US power grid is powered by coal, releasing […]

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Bamboo Studied as Green Alternative to Many Construction Materials

Ovidiu Sandru — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 19:58:16 +0000

Hard as steel, quick-growing (three times faster than hard woods), bamboo has been long used in countries like Colombia to make good, durable home. However, its drawbacks like the sensitivity to UV rays and humidity, thin walls and empty interior made it become less used due to the poor fire resistance. A team of researchers […]

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Thermal Mass Construction Revolutionizes Green Residential Architecture

Maria Reyes — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 18:02:19 +0000

Thermal mass construction (TMC) operates on the principle that it is more energy-efficient to keep a relatively massive structure at a steady temperature than it is to manipulate the temperature of air. TMC has been hailed as the evolution of residential architecture. An empty refrigerator uses more energy than a full one. Objects denser that […]

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RavenSkin: Letting The Sun's Heat Pass When Cold And Blocking It When Hot (Outside)

Ovidiu Sandru — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 18:35:36 +0000

We would all like to have our houses heated during the winter and cooled during summer. This can't be done by using regular bricks, and sometimes a tree might just do its job properly, but what about those places where you can't really plant a tree and you live at the 20th floor? This is where RavenBrick's Skin wall systems come into play.

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Abu Dhabi To Build Two Green Towers Inspired By Nature and Islamic Architecture

Ovidiu Sandru — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 10:18:18 +0000

A "design generated from a mathematically pre-rationalized form that derives from Islamic design principles" is about to be brought to life by Aedas, the world's fifth largest architecture company. The Abu Dhabi Investment Council Headquarters will be built in collaboration with engineering firm Arup, and the deadline is 2012.

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Affresol Homes Built From Recycled Plastic: 12% Cheaper, 60 Years Lifespan

Ovidiu Sandru — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:58:55 +0000

It's a known fact that plastics, although they make up hellish environments if disposed randomly (read: "thrown away"), can be good friends if they are to be recycled and used in long-term construction works. Affresol, a Wales-based company, is about to launch a new range of homes and modular portable buildings, made from recycled plastics.

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Taipei's Financial Center Corp to Become World's Tallest Green Building

Cristi — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 12:30:43 +0000

The tallest building between 2004-2007 Taipei's Financial Center Corp (TFC) is now also looking to become the world's tallest green building. The 101 floors structure will get its new looks in the next 18-month with a $1,9 million investment. TFC will primarily get new heating, cooling and ventilation system upgrades.

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Yahoo Will Build the Most Green and Efficient Data Center

Cristi — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 18:34:39 +0000

Yahoo is going green! This news was presented at a press conference in Buffalo, New York, by Yahoo representatives a few days ago. In a world where everybody needs to turn green and needs to make use of as much as possible clean energy sources, Yahoo is making a big step.

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