Research Selfsufficient

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Liliana Viveros DíazRS_2: SELFSUFFICIENT BUILDINGS

Soft HouseSheila Kennedy


"Surfaces that define space can also beproducers of energy, The boundaries betweentraditional walls and utilities are shifting."

The SOFT HOUSE designed by the applieddesign research division of Kennedy &Violich Architecture, Ltd. ( known as KVAMATx) is an architectural project for anadaptable and sustainable pre-fabricated“hybrid house” capable of generating it’sown renewable power through a set ofenergy harvesting products, designed byKVA MATx to work in harmony with thearchitecture of the pre-fabricated house.

The SOFT HOUSE provides a number ofmobile, co-operative energy harvestingsurfaces which work together in anetwork. The SOFT HOUSE transforms theconcept of the household curtain into a setof energy harvesting textiles that distributerenewable electrical power, adapt to thechanging space needs of living and workingin a compact home and generate up to16,000 watt-hours of electricity—abouthalf of the daily power needs of an averagehousehold in the United States.


Materials

SOLAR TEXTILES

How they work?Work like the now-familiar photovoltaiccells in solar panels. Made ofsemiconductor materials, they absorbsunlight and convert it into electricity.

Translucent movable curtains along theSOFT HOUSE perimeter convert sunlight into energy throughout the day,shade the house and form an insulatingair layer for the building envelope.Integrated into the design of a skylight,a central energy harvesting curtain canbe lowered to create an instanthabitable room. Folded upward, thecentral curtain becomes a suspendedsoft luminous chandelier that definesthe open living area with integratedsolid state lighting. Light generated bythe SOFT HOUSE textiles becomesliterally soft—as a flexible spacemaking material that can be touched,held and experienced in new ways.

Transbay Transit CenterPelli Clarke Pelli Architects

San Francisco, USA


San Francisco

The Transbay Transit Center Project is a

visionary transportation and

housing project that transforms

downtown San Francisco and the SanFrancisco Bay Area’s regionaltransportation system by creating a “GrandCentral Station of the West” in the heart ofa new transit-friendly neighborhood.

The project consists of threeinterconnected elements:

Replacing the outdatedTransbay Terminal at First and

Mission streets

Extending Caltrain andCalifornia High Speed Railunderground from Caltrain’s currentterminus at 4th and King streets into thenew downtown Transit Center

Creating a new neighborhoodwith homes, offices, parks and shopssurrounding the new Transit Center

SELFSUFFICIENT ASPECTS:

Green roofs

Wind Turbines

Grey water management: thebuilding will manage stormwater andreuse greywater. The water reuseand conservation system will save9.2 million gallons per year, theequivalent of 19 Olympic-sizedswimming pools.

Geothermal system of heatingand cooling: Beneath the TransitCenter, a massive geothermal heatexchange system will be built intothe building's foundation. Runningthe length of 4 1/2 city blocks, it willbe one of the largest geothermalinstallations in the world.


San FranciscoWater Management diagram


San FranciscoEnergy diagram


San FranciscoEcology Diagram

Beach RoadsFoster + Partners

Singapore


Singapore

With over 150,000 square feet of mixed-use program this green tower complex in

Singapore will occupy an entire city blockwith stores, residences, hotels and atransit station. In addition to sustainablestrategies for catching and channeling windand rain water geothermal systems will beused to heat the building complex.


Singapore


The incorporation arrays of solar cellson the buildings’ facades

Ribbon-like canopies (also covered withthin-film solar cells) will start at thebase of the complex, and rise up theexposed east and west elevations ofthe towers, where they form a series ofvertical louvers. These will filter the sunand will transform the towers into aseries of vertically linked green spaces.

The buildings’ slanted facades areoriented to catch the prevailing windsand direct air flow down to cool theground level spaces

California Academy of SciencesRenzo Piano

California, USA


California, USA


Green rooftop providessignificant gains in heating andcooling efficiency.

The six inches of soil substrateon the roof act as naturalinsulation, and every year willkeep approximately 3.6 milliongallons of rainwater frombecoming stormwater

The steep slopes of the roof alsoact as a natural ventilationsystem, funneling cool air intothe open-air plaza on sunnydays.

The skylights perform as bothambient light sources and acooling system, automaticallyopening on warm days to venthot air from the building.


California, USASelsufficient aspects

1 Recycled materialsOne external wall and aportion of the AfricanHall from the originalstructure remain in placenear the newplanetarium. The rest ofthe building — 9,000 tonsof concrete, 12,000 tonsof steel — wasdemolished and recycled.The steel used inconstruction is alsorecycled, and shreddedblue jeans insulate thewalls.

2 Passive climatecontrol

The undulating roofhelps guide fresh, coolair into the centralpiazza and stale, hot airout through high-pointvents. This lessens theneed for expensive,energy-wasting air-conditioning andventilation systems.

3 Living roofMore than a lawnoverhead, 1.7 millionnative plants insulatethe roof, capturerainwater, and providea 2.5-acre habitat forbutter flies,hummingbirds, andother critters. And thatnifty thatch is framedby 60,000 photovoltaiccells along the roof'sperimeter.

4 Natural illuminationComputer modelingdetermined optimallocations for windowsto maximizeillumination ofsunlight-hungry coralreef and tropical rainforest installationswithout overheatingthe rest of the building.(Most offices getworking windows fornatural light andtemperature control.)

5 Water conservationOcean water piped infrom the Pacific cyclesthrough naturalfiltration systems foraquarium tanks. Toiletsflush with reclaimedwater, sparingCalifornia's stressed-out water-deliverynetwork.


California, USASelfsufficient aspects

Surrounding the Living Roof is alarge glass canopy with adecorative band of 60,000

photovoltaic cells.

These solar panels will generate

approximately 213,000kilowatt-hours ofenergy per year and

provide up to 10% of theAcademy's electricity need.

The use of solar power will

prevent the release of405,000 pounds ofgreenhouse gasemission into the air


California, USABioTray

BioTray is a natural,

biodegradable, modular system

for vegetated roofs. The modules are17” square trays composed of

natural latex and coconut coir.

Coconut coir is a fibrous, rapidlyrenewable product derived fromcoconut husks.

Unlike traditional modular systems, the

coconut fiber decomposes over

time and the BioTray module is

converted into growingmedia (soil).

This eliminates the use ofplastic in growing and installing

vegetated roofs, increasing thesustainability of the roof.


California, USADenim Insulation and Radiant Floor Heating

Insulation also keeps buildings warm.

The Academy, rather than using typicalfiberglass or foam-based insulation,chose to use a type of thick cotton

batting made from recycled bluejeans.

This material provides an organicalternative to formaldehyde-ladeninsulation materials.

Recycled denim insulation holdsmore heat and absorbssound better than spunfiberglass insulation.

It is also safer to handle. Even whendenim insulation is treated with fireretardants and fungicides to preventmildew, it is still easier to work withand doesn't require installers to wearprotective clothing or respirators.

Warm air rises. A traditional forced-airheating system for the 35-foot-highpublic spaces in the museum would bewasteful in the extreme.

Instead, the Academy is installing a

radiant heating system in the

museum’s floors.

Tubes embedded in the concrete

floor will carry hot water that

warms the floor.

The proximity of the heat to the peoplewho need it will reduce the building’senergy need by an estimated 10%annually.

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